What’s the first thing teachers ask you on the first day of school? For many, it’s walking into class and hearing “Raise your hand if you want to use OneNote. Raise your hand if you want to use paper.” 

Your mind immediately will go to the one that you want to use. Why is that?

There are many opinions that go around about the  note-taking and reading devices and you might be wondering why. Have you ever thought “I wonder why most people in my class are using their computers” or vice versa?

The Gibbons Globe, with the help of teachers in the math and science departments, sent out a questionnaire to students. There were a total of 69 responses received.  

For reading notes, a majority of students (45) said that they prefer paper. Only 28 students said they prefer reading off OneNote. 

As for note-taking, it was a close contest with 38 people preferring OneNote and 35 preferring paper.

Students were asked for reasons behind their choices. 

Most students’ opinions of why they prefer OneNote consisted of concepts like it being easier to access, having  all the notes in one place. 

However, there can still be difficulties with OneNote. Some students proposed negative ideas like “What if my  computer isn’t charged?”or “OneNote is super glitchy.” Another negative trend most students implied was that OneNote hurts their eyes when they stare at their screen.

Those that preferred paper found it less distracting than being on the computer. If students are using their computers to take notes, the temptation of playing games or getting on other apps are a factor. Students also said they feel like they absorb the information off paper better. However, students said that the downside of paper was losing their notes often. Paper notes need to be taken care of because they can easily be ripped, crumbled, and lost. 

The questionnaire also tested how strong these opinions were, asking if they strictly prefer one over the other. 

In responses, 60 percent of students said that they prefer a mix – paper in some classes and OneNote in others. The other 40 percent said that they strictly prefer one over the other. Some students even said that they don’t like either and they prefer things like Google Docs, memorization, tactile learning, and the projector. 

Next time you need help deciding on which one you want to use, think about the pros and cons of each. Whether it’s OneNote or paper, you are not alone.