Taking note(s) of new tech
Tech devices have changed the way we read, write, eat, engage, shop — the list goes on.
But, Joel Heng Hartse, a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at B.C.'s Simon Fraser University, says some things are still better done a more “old-school” way.
“Recent research has shown that taking notes by hand can help us retain more information than typing, which is a good thing even if you're just summarizing or jotting down definitions, you're helping yourself remember what you're reading about,” Heng Hartse says.
And taking notes directly in a textbook or other reading material may be the most beneficial way to absorb information overall, he says.
“Annotating a text allows readers to interact with it,” Heng Hartse says. “It makes reading into a mutual encounter rather than a one-sided receiving of information.
“When you write in the margins of a book, you are entering into a conversation, and what emerges can be something new that neither the writer of the original text nor the reader would have known before.”
He encourages students to write “all over their textbooks” in order to “summarize, question, talk back” and all-around engage with the content material.
“Because it helps them make the knowledge their own,” Heng Hartse says.
A new device from Rakuten Kobo is looking to merge this marked-up approach to reading with the technology of digital books.
Dubbed the Kobo Elipsa, the device allows readers to “read actively” by making notes in the margin and highlighting passages. A separate notebook or journal can also be created on the device.
“As a company that prides itself on removing barriers to reading, adding stylus technology so readers can dig into a text the way they want was the next logical step for us,” says Michael Tamblyn, CEO of Rakuten Kobo.
Tamblyn said he expects the new device will resonate with readers, especially during a time that's seen “major changes” in the country's reading habits.
“During the pandemic, Canadians have been reading more,” Tamblyn says. “From March 2020 to March 2021, we saw Canadians spending 43 per cent more time reading overall.”
PDFs and notebooks can be shared between devices with Dropbox integration.
“In short, we aren't just trying to replicate a sketchbook,” Tamblyn says. “We are making a seamless flow of ideas from the bookstore or library to your own notes, drawings and diagrams.”