Typing versus Handwriting

Marcella Sykucki This is a great question.  I teach virtually so we are doing everything digitally in my instance.  I would prefer my students to do more handwritten work as I think it helps with retention (Handwritten versus Typed Note-Taking Effects on College Students' Performance)  Plus, I think it would be helpful to not have to put on my detective hat to try and determine if students used AI on the assignments. LOL

I typically make my assignments into google docs and print them out so that students have either option. Some students are great on a device but have terrible handwriting or vice versa.

I, too, love this question Marcella Sykucki , and struggle with similar issues, as well as knowing about the mounting evidence that we all process and retain information better when we write it down by hand.  Having said that, typing sure is easier to read.  Ultimately, I do what Will Nash does and give them the option to do either.  It is an issue I am still struggling with philosophically, though.

What a great question! Navigating paper/digital assignments and handwritten/typed submissions can be tricky! 

After receiving mixed plus deltas from students every week (some love handwritten results and hate digital submission and other love the typed assignments and hate the handwritten submission), I decided the best thing to do was offer a mix of both handwritten and typed assignments every week, so students were getting a variety. 

I'm with you, Allyson. Reading typed responses is often easier than deciphering student handwriting, but I try to avoid too much time on screens. I try to mix things up. If students need to access two documents (ex: primary docs in one file and written responses in another), I'll make sure one of them is on hard copy to avoid too much flipping between tabs.

I saw something online from Niall Ferguson, a controversial historian who is now working at Stanford. He had a good way of looking at the classroom at the dawn of the AI era. He said if we use computers, we need to assume they are using AI in SOME capacity. Either creating the work or modifying or even running it through Grammarly. 

He then said, We need to address what we want in our classroom, and he suggested an idea that was something like this: 

The Closture- NO TECHNOLOGY. Paper, pencil, book, and discussion. The teacher MAY have a powerpoint, but keep that limited, even because students need to assume that the teacher is ALSO USING AI to craft the lesson materials.

The Starship- 100 percent technology allowed. Every AI tool under the sun can be used, but the assignment needs to be geared with that in mind. So, for example, the classic typed paper needs to change in our modern school because we need to assume students are using AI somewhere in it. 

I have adapted this idea this semester in my World History class, and it has been very cool. We are honest and open about handwriting, and I found some things that help students work on their handwriting. It helps my daughter, who is five, and she is working on that skill right now, so I made videos of her telling my students they can do it and can get better at writing just like her.