Paper vs Digital

Posted By Patrick on May 26, 2022 | 1 comment


As part of our course for the MALAT program at Royal Roads, our group, Ed Logan, Jessica Gemella, and I have looked at the effectiveness of note taking and reading with paper versus digital.

The following charts summarize the impacts of digital learning on reading and note taking. 

Taking notes

Advantages of each medium:

PaperDigital
Easier to Annotate [1]Better searching [1]
Easy to navigate [1]Easier to modify [1]
Help you master learning linguistic correctness [17]Easy to duplicate [1]
Easier to include drawings and diagrams [14, 20]Easy to proofread (spell checking) [1]
Encoding especially factual [15]Faster typing speed 33wpm (than handwriting 22wpm)/detailed notes [14,15, 17]
Intuitive (no tech to learn) [8,18]Write longer/accurate [17] 
Often preferred for note taking [8,19]Speech to text [17]
Sensory-motor integration benefits brain development and learning  (larger involvement of senses along with precise hand movements) [20].Built in grammar and supports [17]
Can quickly animate a process or record a visualisation [21, 22, 23]
Remote collaboration [24, 27]
Portable, easy to carry tools, share, publish or convert notes and drawings  [25]
Digital pens or stylus can integrate handwriting and drawing teaching and  learning strategies  [28]   

Which is better for comprehension, i.e. does note taking differ with the different media?
According to Luo et al., (2018) and Artz et al., (2020) [14,19], yes.
Due to the increased speed of taking notes on a laptop, it was observed that more notes could be taken in the same time. This lead laptop note takers to paraphrase less and synthesize less than paper note takers. This longhand paper note taking was better for recall during review sessions than laptop note taking. 

In contrast, Askvik et al., (2020) [20] found handwriting and drawing is vital in a learning environment to optimise learning because they strengthen cognitive development and learning effectiveness. Osugi st al. (2019) [29] suggested that writing with a digital pen may improve learning relative to the use of an ink pen. 


Reading

Advantages of each medium:

PaperDigital
People prefer paper for reading (no eye strain) [2,4,9]View animations, movies, or sound [2,5,9]
Easier to carry [2,6]Can be interactive [4,9]
No need for electricity [3]Searchable [5,10]
Less expensive [3,6]Errata can be automatically updated [5]
Easier to make notes, highlight [4,10]Can include hyperlinks within book or to external content [5,6,9,10,11]
Faster page turning/efficient/ [5, 7]Text-to-speech ability [5]
Intuitive (no tech to learn) [6,10,11]Less physical storage space required [10]
Deep reading (single book or article) [7, 10]Metacognition Shallow reading (switching across books, articles) [6,10, 16]
They like the feel of paper [6]Enables the use of computer-assisted test analysis (CATA) software to analyse readings [24]
No screen flicker, better viewing angle [6]


Does the media, paper vs digital affect comprehension and reading speed?
No, comprehension and reading speed seem generally unaffected by media (paper vs digital) [6, 7(speed), 12,13]. Many educational environments currently use digital or electronic (paperless) media instead of books. Different reading and annotation strategies need to be considered to facilitate the shift from paper to digital media. For example students may benefit from using computer-assisted text analysis [24].

Adaptations to make digital better and closer to paper:

  1. Digital touch screens with styluses for drawing and annotations [1].
  2. E-book readers to make reading screens easier, lighter and more like books [3]. Monochrome screens reduce battery consumption, decrease eye strain, and increase readability [5]. 
  3. Pressure sensitive digital pens can make the digital writing and drawing experiences similar to paper [28].

References:

  1. Guimbretière, F. (2003). Paper augmented digital documents. 16th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology, Vancouver, Canada. 
  2. Grudin, J. (Ed.). (2001). Integrating paper and digital information on EnhancedDesk: a method for realtime finger tracking on an augmented desk system. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), 8(4), 307-322. 
  3. Wilson, R. (2003). Ebook readers in higher education. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 6(4), 8-17. 
  1. Merga, M. K. (2014). Are teenagers really keen digital readers?: adolescent engagement in ebook reading and the relevance of paper books today. English in Australia, 49(1), 27-37. 
  2. Siegenthaler, E., Wurtz, P., & Groner, R. (2010). Improving the usability of e-book readers. Journal of usability studies, 6(1), 25-38. 
  3. Dillon, A. (1992). Reading from paper versus screens: A critical review of the empirical literature. Ergonomics, 35(10), 1297-1326.
  4. Clinton, V. (2019). Reading from paper compared to screens: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of Research in Reading, 42(2), 288-325.
  5. Steimle, J., Brdiczka, O., & Muhlhauser, M. (2009). CoScribe: integrating paper and digital documents for collaborative knowledge work. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 2(3), 174-188. 
  6. Cesário, V., Freitas, P., Pimentel, D., & Nisi, V. (2016). Children’s Books: Paper VS Digital, What Do They Prefer? Proceedings of the The 15th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, Manchester, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1145/2930674.2936004
  7. Larhmaid, M. (2018). The Impact of Print vs. Digital Resources on Moroccan University Students’ Reading Habits, Uses, and Preferences. https://doi.org/10.1051/SHSCONF/20185202001
  8. Rodriguez, F. S., Saleem, K., Spilski, J., & Lachmann, T. (2021). Performance differences between instructions on paper vs digital glasses for a simple assembly task. Applied ergonomics, 94, 103423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103423
  9. Çınar, M., Doğan, D., & Seferoğlu, S. S. (2021). The effects of reading on pixel vs. paper: a comparative study. Behaviour & Information Technology, 40(3), 251-259. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2019.1685594 
  10. Inie, N., Barkhuus, L., & Brabrand, C. How Interaction Influences Academic Reading—a Comparison of Paper and Laptop. Available at SSRN 3864769. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3864769 
  11. Luo, L., Kiewra, K. A., Flanigan, A. E., & Peteranetz, M. S. (2018). Laptop versus longhand note taking: effects on lecture notes and achievement. Instructional Science, 46(6), 947-971. 
  12. Morehead, K., Dunlosky, J., & Rawson, K. A. (2019). How much mightier is the pen than the keyboard for note-taking? A replication and extension of Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014). Educational Psychology Review, 31(3), 753-780.
  13. Uther, M., Ross, K., Randell, J., & Pye, R. (2019, July). Digital vs. hard copy? A preliminary study of reading style in children using touch screen and paper books. In International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 495-502). Springer, Cham.
  14. Dahlström, D., & Boström, B. (2017). Pros and Cons: Handwriting versus digital writing. Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, 12(4), 143-161.
  15. Mosleh, M. A. A., Baba, M. S. B., Malek, S., & Alhussein, M. A. (2016). Challenges of Digital Note Taking. In Advanced computer and communication engineering technology (pp. 211-231). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24584-3_19 
  16. Artz, B., Johnson, M., Robson, D., & Taengnoi, S. (2020). Taking notes in the digital age: Evidence from classroom random control trials. The Journal of Economic Education, 51(2), 103-115. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220485.2020.1731386 
  17. Ose Askvik, E., van der Weel, F. R., & van der Meer, A. L. (2020). The importance of cursive handwriting over typewriting for learning in the classroom: A high-density EEG study of 12-year-old children and young adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01810 
  18. Roehr, A. (2020, November 8).Online Teaching Increases Enthusiasm to Draw. Off Screen Studio [Blog]. https://blogs.ubc.ca/drawingsdanielroehr/author/daniel-roehr/page/2/ 
  19. Mills, K. & Unsworth, L. (2018). iPad animations: Powerful multimodal practices for adolescent literacy and emotional language. Journal of Adolescence and Adult Literacy. 61(6), pp. 609-620. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.717
  20. Gregorus, R. (2010). Good Animation: Pedagogy and Learning Theory in the Design and Use of Multimedia.Enhancing Learning with Online Resources, Social Networking, and Digital Libraries (pp. 167-190). DOI: 10.1021/bk-2010-1060.ch010 
  21. Landay, J. (1999). Using note-taking appliances for student-to-student collaboration FIE’99. Frontiers in Education. 29th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference. Designing the Future of Science and Engineering Education. Conference Proceedings ( pp. 12C4/15-12C4/20 vol 2). DOI: 10.1109/FIE.1999.841640 
  22. Wang, V. and Wang, D. (2021) The Impact of the Increasing Popularity of Digital Art on the Current Job Market for Artists. Art and Design Review, 9, 242-253. doi: 10.4236/adr.2021.93019
  23. Klobucar, A. & O’Neil, M. (2021). Reading and Collaboration: Developing Digital Reading Practices With Computer-Assisted Text Analysis Tools. IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-5849-2.ch008
  24. Lee, B. (2017). Analysis of Digital Art Content Created through Collaboration. Archives of Design Research, 30(4), 17-25.
  25. Osugi, K., Ihara, A., Nakajima, K., Kake, A., Ishimaru, K., Yokota, Y. & Naruse, Y. (2019). Differences in Brain Activity After Learning With the Use of a Digital Pen vs. an Ink Pen—An Electroencephalography Study. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 13:275. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00275

Featured Image: “Paper” by Cantasia from the Noun Project
“Digital Analysis” by Design Circle from the Noun Project

1 Comment

  1. Bart Cummins

    June 7, 2022

    Hi Patrick,
    Interesting topic. In reading the post, I found myself aligning myself with your different points and seeing myself in the various points you made.

    You reminded me that I continue to use both analog and digital and typically toggle between the two, depending on the circumstances. When reading books for enjoyment, I prefer analog, though I do read digital books on my tablet, and have found full audiobooks on YouTube that are free to listen to.

    As for our course readings being fully online, I do enjoy that, but do miss the ability to quickly find a photocopied or printed resource and finding the section I’ve highlighted.
    I had considered buying a home printer for that very reason, but have held off to purposely give the digital readings a solid, honest attempt. I believe at times our greatest learnings come during times of discomfort, and this, though mild in comparison to some of my other experiments, is proving to be a great learning experience will being another opportunity to best-use what is available.

    I think of all the advantages you made for digital over paper, the three I use most are: better searching, easy to duplicate, and faster typing speed.

    Going forward, I am wanting to become more accustomed to using speech to text, especially for those days when the brain is foggy and that fogginess impacts my typing speed. I’ve found speech to text to also be helpful in getting thoughts down for a rough or first draft.

    Thanks again for the interesting article.

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