Back to the Future
Spiral-bound notebooks and ink pens. That's right, writing on paper. This semester I am going to require more paper, not less, from my students. There are a number of reasons for this, both theoretical and practical:
1) Web abuse. When you write an outline, you inherently resort to paraphrasing. Cut-n-paste doesn't require any such effort. Plus, as you paraphrase, you are trying to identify the most important information in a passage.
2) The unknown connections. I have found that sketching and writing on paper lead to unforeseen places. Those unscheduled trips are good for creativity.
3) Kinetic learning. I was finding students retain less after skimming a Web page. Writing, a physical act, is slower. Some people seem to learn more when they write or type notes.
4) Openness. When you write, and it isn't online somewhere, you censor the thoughts a slight, slight bit less. I want to know what students think of projects, team members, and their overall writing experiences. It's hard to be open when your posts are to a semi-public forum.
We will see how this goes.
1) Web abuse. When you write an outline, you inherently resort to paraphrasing. Cut-n-paste doesn't require any such effort. Plus, as you paraphrase, you are trying to identify the most important information in a passage.
2) The unknown connections. I have found that sketching and writing on paper lead to unforeseen places. Those unscheduled trips are good for creativity.
3) Kinetic learning. I was finding students retain less after skimming a Web page. Writing, a physical act, is slower. Some people seem to learn more when they write or type notes.
4) Openness. When you write, and it isn't online somewhere, you censor the thoughts a slight, slight bit less. I want to know what students think of projects, team members, and their overall writing experiences. It's hard to be open when your posts are to a semi-public forum.
We will see how this goes.
Comments
Post a Comment