I have a long term interest in student note-taking and how it might be improved. A somewhat shorter fascination has been the role of writing in content area learning and this is a topic I consider with a focus on the role of technology in a graduate course I teach. Recently, I read a book by Sonke Ahrens with the rather lengthy title – How to take smart notes: One simple technique to boost writing, learning and thinking – for students, academics and nonfiction book writers (reference included at the end of this post). I don’t think the title adequately conveys the breadth of what the book covers. I see it as a book about what learning is and the role writing can play in facilitating the process of learning. By including a consideration of several technology tools, the author brings together many of my interests.
I decided I would try to write several posts on this topic based on my own experiences and interests. These posts may not appear here sequentially, but I promise to offer several posts I will link in some way. My intent is to describe several digital tools I use or have used in what some might describe as a reading to writing workflow. Most academics have related experiences on this process. My focus on digital tools is more in keeping with the core focus of this blog.
A little history
Several of the authors I have read recently mention what I consider historical perspectives on the role of technology that were already familiar to me and that I have found intriguing.
In 1945 (no I did not read it immediately upon its publication), Vannevar Bush wrote an article for The Atlantic titled “As we may think”. Bush advocated for the importance of scientific research in the war effort and was partly responsible for what we now recognize as the National Science Foundation. In the Atlantic article, Bush offers early insight into the challenge of processing the enormous about of information that was and continues to be available. He lamented that … For years inventions have extended man’s physical powers rather than the powers of his mind. His solution was the memex – a hypothetical contraption based in the mass storage method of the time (microfilm). This device allowed a user to link together elements of information as a trail that would provide associative insights (as we may think – associative memory). The notion of links among elements of information is often recognized as very similar to the “world wide web” (internet) and the reason many tech folks recognize Bush and the fanaticized memex. The key idea here – technology be a tool for learning through the external representation of ideas and their connections.
Steve Jobs offered what became a famous analogy describing how he saw the potential of the personal computer. He described the efficiency of human movement as far inferior to other animals, but with the assistance of an external device (the bicycle) human movement was far more efficient. This is how he saw the potential benefit of the PC – a bicycle for the mind. At this point in time, the question might be how well does the present use of technology in education match with this goal? Does it facilitate the process of learning and the application of what has been learned?
Ahrens book – https://www.amazon.com/How-Take-Smart-Notes-Nonfiction-ebook/dp/B06WVYW33Y
Bush’s As we may think – https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-may-think/303881/
Steve Jobs Bicycle for the mind – https://youtu.be/ob_GX50Za6c
