Learning “blogging style” is more suited to my way of life, than using a text book and writing information on paper. Growing up with a computer is like growing up with a car. You can still live without it now, but not very easily. Typing to me is just as easy as script writing is to my mother. I can be quick and efficient, assessing useful information and discarding the rest in a moment. Having instant access to ideas, images, and research increases the probability of me learning more about one particular subject, or allowing me to follow a tangent off in a totally different direction. I can also communicate my ideas with others easily. It is fast-paced, just like my life.
There are times when learning “pen and paper style” is more beneficial for me. Sitting alone, without distraction, I am able to concentrate deeply. Mathematics, in particular, is a subject that I need to use a pen and paper. Writing ideas on paper helps me think logically, and I make fewer mistakes. I am less willing to move, though, to look for more information. Being exposed to a library to research homework actually brings a sense of concreteness to words. I know the words have been written and stored; I can visually record that sense of “it is still all there” as opposed to accidentally hitting a wrong key and having work disappear into nothingness or having the internet connection lost. If I didn’t have access to a computer, I would know where to find the information I needed.
An optimal learning assignment would allow me to choose which style I find most valuable, whether it would be a learning from a computer, a pen, paper and a book, or sometimes audibly, through voice or song. It is extremely important I recognize that all methods can enhance knowledge.
