Make 'em better researchers and writers...

So, I am taking yet another technology class. This time it is Instructional Application for the Classroom. I am reading studies about word processing software. The text book (Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching, Forth Edition by M. D. Robler) says “when students write with computers, they engage in the revision of their work throughout the writing process” (Robler p. 123). It goes on to say that their writing skills are thus more developed than their fellow students who use paper. I am going out on a limb here and say that electronic note cards would do the same thing for the research process. I am a librarian and I respect the research process but I still think note cards should be done away with. Give the students PowerPoint if you must insist on note cards. Let them write note cards in PowerPoint. To me PowerPoint is much easier to organize than note cards. PowerPoint can also be used as a storyboard in slide-sorter view. I am not saying they should make a PowerPoint instead of writing a research paper. I am saying they should use PowerPoint instead of the note cards they put their notes on for their research paper.