Are Computers Better Than Paper and Pencil?

Students all over the world experienced a huge change in their learning environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Some students are now considering whether computers are better than traditional paper and pencil for learning.

YES

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, assignments were mostly provided on paper. But because of this pandemic, most of the notes, schoolwork, homework, and even textbooks are now online.

This pandemic has helped many students over the past year for this reason.

Computers help a lot of students due to the convenience of being able to just log on and everything is already there. Life has been much easier for teachers because they no longer must print out hundreds of papers for their students. Schoolwork can just be posted and turned in online now.

“It’s so much easier to grade and manage papers online,” reading teacher Ms. Porubski said.

The use of computers also opens a gateway for new learning experiences and has made classes more enjoyable for most students. Students can learn using interactive games like Kahoot, Gimkit, Blooket, Quizlet, and more. Computers can also make students feel less self-conscious about things like their handwriting because they can type up most of their work.

One of the best features of computers is their speed. Simply just log in and all the work is there. Students do not have to worry about losing their work either.

“As a student, I can say one of the things that most affects my grades is forgetting my work at home, or finding it crumpled up at the bottom of my bookbag,” freshman Keith Tapley said.

In the digital age, students and teachers rely heavily on the use of technology. The use of computers in school can give students a head start to be able to work well with computers, so when they become adults they will have more options for jobs.

—   KEITH TAPLEY

NO

With COVID-19 in effect, the traditional way of learning and doing work has changed drastically. Assignments were turned in via paper and pencil, but now everything is online, both the instruction and the graded assignments.  But is this a good thing? No! It is not because doing things on a computer or through a screen is not very effective.

“When it comes to learning and remembering course material, the pen is mightier than the keyboard,” says Patricia Ann Wade, a learning specialist with Indiana University’s School of Medicine.  And she is absolutely correct.  As a former online student, I know and understand the struggle with memory.  When you write things down it “slows you down in a good way,” Catherine Pearson wrote in an article for Huffington Post. This makes material able to sink into your brain easier. 

Some may argue that the use of computers opens a gateway for new learning experiences, and they are correct. But that can be in addition to writing on paper or as a study tactic.  Computers are also a gateway for cheating, making it so that students will have excellent grades with no knowledge of the work that they turn in.

Even though the world’s use of technology is increasing, students may not always be able to rely on computers prone to software crashes and outages, which is why traditional pen and paper are always the most reliable option.

Working with pen and paper is a lot better than using technology. Using keyboards to take notes simply makes learning course material harder to remember. Computers are also an unreliable means of submitting assignments. Thus, the use of pen and paper is proven to be more effective in the classroom than computers.

—    ALLISON SESSIONS