Handwriting vs typing - taking notes

upgetupgetup
upgetupgetup Posts: 749 Member
in Chit-Chat
I noticed, taking notes in a class today for a few hours, that my hands simply can't do it anymore. I used to be able to take wicked fast , practically verbatim notes.

By the end of the first hour, my hand was stiff and swollen, and I was 3-5 thoughts behind. This made it hard to both listen and capture at the same time. Was super frustrating.

Does this happen to everyone, now that we write by hand less often, or is it just me and my hands?? Age = 30+. I have some joint problems elsewhere and am worried it's that, but am hoping it's just lack of use..

I'd take in my laptop, but I'm used to using shortcuts, diagrams and phonetics to get everything, and it might be equally frustrating..

It's been a few hours now and my hand's still sore, stiff and swollen :(

Replies

  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
    I take notes on my ipad with a keyboard and I am able to pay way more attention in class than handwritten where im constantly looking down to see if im writing in the right spot. as far as short hand goes I feel like I dont need to use it because I am able to type much faster than I can write.
  • jha1223
    jha1223 Posts: 141 Member
    I noticed it as well. I think it is because we used to be able to do it so we think nothing of it until we try. How about your penmanship? Mine used to be adequate and now, when I make a grocery list by hand I look down at the paper and think "ugh, what is THAT".

    I can type about 60 wpm so it just doesn't make sense to do anything but type now. Writing is almost becoming a lost art.
  • upgetupgetup
    upgetupgetup Posts: 749 Member
    jha1223, your hands hurt when you write by hand as well, then? They get swollen, etc?

    RunDoozer: have you always typed, and not used handwriting?


    My penmanship is horrid now. Vowels all look like ditches, no up or downstroke on stemmed letters, barely manage to cross my Ts - it's just an indiscriminate series of hiccups.

    I can still type fast, about 80-90 wpm when I push it, but I wonder if doing it in a lecture setting might mean more repetition than is necessary, being distracted by spellcheck, or just mashing things down that won't make sense later.. With my old scrawl, I'd just use my own personal shorthand, or arrows to connect ideas. Or, I could easily scratch out, categorize or annotate things ("important"; "book recommendation"; "aside"; "class discussion"; "check this"), or add questions or thoughts of my own for later research.

    Also, looking at my handwritten notes, or even doodles I made, I'm able to remember things about the class that I didn't capture in words. Or this all used to be the case...

    How can typing replicate this? Or what strategies do people have for doing the same kinds of things?

    Thanks, this is all kind of distressing! Am back at school, with a lot riding on it :/

    edit: I think it's because typing forces you to move your thoughts forward, in a linear kind of way. Maybe? Less room and time for revising? idk.
  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
    I used to write out my notes by hand but it just wasn't working for me I couldnt make out half of what I was writing or even the thoughts that I had drawn out didnt come across when I looked at them later. So basically they just came out in gibberish. I personally had a much easier time when I switched to typing.
  • upgetupgetup
    upgetupgetup Posts: 749 Member
    Hunh. Well, I guess it can't be worse than what happened earlier. Maybe I'll give it a shot. Thank you :)
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    My penmanship is fantastic, but handwriting just cannot compare to typing. I can write as fast as someone is talking, so I can make sure to get everything I need.
  • upgetupgetup
    upgetupgetup Posts: 749 Member
    My penmanship is fantastic

    Ha! Nice :)
    but handwriting just cannot compare to typing. I can write as fast as someone is talking, so I can make sure to get everything I need.

    Are you able to make little comments and revisions etc typing? Shorthand? If so, how?

    Sorry to be annoying! I'm freaking out about this!
  • SomeoneSomeplace
    SomeoneSomeplace Posts: 1,094 Member
    I have a disability that has required me to use a computer since I was 7-8 to take notes, except back then they didn't have laptop so I used something called an Alpha Smart. Due to visual/spacial issues from the same disability I struggled when typing out something I am copying from elsewhere (piece of paper/white board etc) but if I'm typing something from my head I can type ridiculously fast or I can type out everything the Prof is saying.

    I tire WAY too quickly when hand writing and even when going slowly my hand writing is not very neat, is slanted, with random spaces & capital/lower case letters because I lack the skill to monitor for that. Thank God for laptops is all I have to say I wouldn't have survived school without it!

    Now everyone takes notes on a computer pretty much, at least in grad school. But it was awkward when I was younger and was the only one not hand wriring
  • dynamitegalxo
    dynamitegalxo Posts: 299 Member
    I find that I retain almost none of what I type as far as note-taking goes. I get distracted by formatting, spellcheck, etc. in Word documents and the fact that I tend to indent/space thoughts differently based on themes of the lecture doesn't always translate well to type.

    When I handwrite, it forces me to really distill what's important so I write and listen at the same time. Fortunately for me, I'm taking a MA in humanities so I almost never have to look up to catch diagrams or equations on the screen so I can focus on writing. I'm sure depending on the course subject that would change but I have markedly better results with handwriting. I also use arrows, bubbles, asterisks, etc. and I use margins a LOT.

    That all said, you might have better luck typing! Give it a go and see if your class experience improves when you don't have such sore hands :) OR, I know a ton of people who record lectures and then handwrite notes in order to retain a copy of the entire lecture for future reference to clarify points or beef up notes. That might provide a happy medium as well. Good luck with your classes!
  • jha1223
    jha1223 Posts: 141 Member
    I don't know if I would say they hurt a lot or get swollen. But, if I grip a pen too hard and try to write quickly, something just doesn't feel right. Its just a muscle memory type thing. We use different muscles when we type and use quick strikes to type. When writing, we are using a longer engaged muscle effort. Thats my guess anyway. No science behind that :P

    I find that I remember things I write as well. I write things down that I want to remember long term for some reason. Seeing it on paper or white board seems to stick with me better than on screen. I think it is because I spend so much time in front of a computer that text on the screen gets filed in the big bin in my memory. But, for written word, its more rare and it sticks out so much more.

    When I'm taking a class of any kind I take two kinds of notes - crazy, yes. But, I take notes on my computer or tablet (with keyboard dock) and when something really jumps out, i jot it down on a pad of paper. I may just be weird, but it works.

    Just a guess, but I think that since I can type so much faster than I can write, I try and take notes or write much faster than I would have and that leads to messy writing. Unconscious impatience maybe?
  • HisNibs
    HisNibs Posts: 1
    This is an interesting discussion, which is often the subject on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HisNibs1 . Here's a recent link that I posted there, which gives an interesting perspective on the whole 'handwriting vs. typing' subject: http://readwrite.com/2013/01/11/why-writing-with-our-hands-is-still-important?fb_action_ids=4946246088526&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366.

    Regards,

    His Nibs
  • SaBh93
    SaBh93 Posts: 114 Member
    My notes are a mix of typed and hand written. I must say my notes in Oct-Dec which are hand written have not sunk in- the ones which I typed are neater and more structured which helps me review.

    I will be consolidating my typed notes by making handwritten mind maps.

    In the end of the day, the exams are handwritten, however, I have not had problems writing fast (I used to draw for 6-8 hours with 2 breaks, I can write for 3 hours)
  • melizerd
    melizerd Posts: 870 Member
    Record the lecture is my first recommendation. That way you can go back and listen.

    If there is a powepoint or outline that the instructor has print it out and then you don't have to take notes on EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. That's not very efficient.

    I'm a nursing student and honestly taking notes on EVERYTHING said would be ridiculous, so I record the lecture, take notes as I go on the highlights and then I can go back and listen to parts of lecture I was stuck on (Notes often have "min 31:35, etc written in to them so I know where to listen too).
  • deathbypretzel
    deathbypretzel Posts: 45
    I record the lectures, pay attention to the lecture as it's happening, and later listen to the recording and take notes from that. Just what works for me.
  • Louisianababy93
    Louisianababy93 Posts: 1,709 Member
    get a recorder app,
    play it in the car when your going somewhere.
  • BamsieEkhaya
    BamsieEkhaya Posts: 657 Member
    yeah I have the same problem with note writing.

    I now don't use my mac AT ALL in class to take notes because I HAVE to be able to write free hand simply because my shortest exam in 2hours long, and my longest is 3hours worth of pure solid essays (1 paper = 3 big essays and about 5 little ones!) and with 6 exams, (2 a day) I need all the strength and practice
  • skysailour
    skysailour Posts: 9 Member
    In my history class, the teacher heavily relied on powerpoints to do the teaching, so before class I would print out the power points - a couple of slides per page, and then write down anything extra that the teacher added, so I'm not having to cover information that is available to me anytime and information that is only taught in class. So, if the instructor has any visual aids available, see if you're able to print them off and then scratch all over them.

    I personally like to use my computer, but bringing it to class distracts me and I'll only learn 50-60% of the information. So I handwrite. But if it's something that's covered in the book, I'll write down the main point, the page number, and move on.
  • Sissy4EverX3
    Sissy4EverX3 Posts: 247
    I use a mixture of a little of everything. For my Psychology class this semester, I am recording the lectures. Then I go back and listen to it while I take (handwritten) notes. I use the SQR3 method ALOT (Survey, Review, Read, Recall). I review the Powerpoint and *then* I type up my handwritten notes just before an exam. I have one on Tuesday, so tomorrow I'll be finishing up the review on the other 2 chapters and then typing up my notes. I've also learned that it helps to read & notate the chapter summary *before* reading the chapter itself. This gives me ample opportunity to ask myself questions about concepts I don't understand and then I have the reading to back it up and try to make sense of it. If that fails, then I ask my professor.

    Handwriting is becoming difficult for me, as well. I'm only 33 and arthritis is beginning to set in my hands. It's allegedly hereditary in my family; both my grandmother and mother had issues writing before they turned 40.
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,570 Member
    When I went back to grad school (in my 50s), I had the same problembut, my typing stinks so that wasn't an option. Another student was an MD who had learned a special kind of short hand when she was in medical school back in the day. She also had strategies like interrupting the prof with questions.

    My note-taking got better even though I never learned any special techniques (except the one about asking questions). From where I was sitting, it looked like I got some of the best notes because I wasn't messaging friends on FB or playing games. Lol. And fellow students sometimes asked to borrow my notes.

    Your hand was so sore because you were tense and holding your pen too hard. Relax, and I think you'll find handwritten notes can include things typed ones can't.
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,570 Member
    This is an interesting discussion, which is often the subject on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HisNibs1 . Here's a recent link that I posted there, which gives an interesting perspective on the whole 'handwriting vs. typing' subject: http://readwrite.com/2013/01/11/why-writing-with-our-hands-is-still-important?fb_action_ids=4946246088526&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366.

    Regards,

    His Nibs
    ^^great!^^
  • upgetupgetup
    upgetupgetup Posts: 749 Member
    Can't believe I missed all these wonderful responses. Thanks, everyone!!

    I'm still taking notes by hand for lectures - laptop's too heavy to carry around, and I really feel reliant on my doodles, diagrams and arrows; also I like being able to space information out - but this has helped:

    - I got a bunch of super fast roller-glide pens, vs cheap, stuttering Bics
    - My list of abbreviations has expanded, as I've become more familiar with the language of my subject
    - To help legibility later, I exaggerate the discriminating bits of characters (big crosses for my Ts & dashes over my Is and Js; capital Rs & Ms)

    I'm not as sore as I was (or as quick as I was 10 years ago), but guess my hand's gotten used to it again :)

    For reading notes, I use my laptop - I find it easier in this case because I'm just summarizing information that doesn't suffer from the back and forth of interruption, digression, or discussion.

    Really great advice everyone, thanks again.
  • JusticeGirl25
    JusticeGirl25 Posts: 703 Member
    Prefer typing. I'm a fast typer and my handwriting can become chicken scratch.

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