English teachers, listen up: it’s time for tedious hand-written note cards to go. English teachers should allow students to type note cards to make research projects more efficient.

With so many online resources available for research, written note cards are an unnecessary hassle. It’s illogical to write quotes by hand when students can easily copy and paste them into an essay. Note cards are a relic from the times of handwritten essays and books-only research, but they should be abandoned in the digital age.

Typing is neater, and note cards are backed up on the computer, so there’s no chance of losing any work. Copy-pasting quotes also eliminates the risk of incorrectly transcribed quotes or spelling errors. Plus, most teachers require students to use pen for their note cards, so if students accidently leave out a phrase or skip a line of text, they have to start on a new card. Students can fix mistakes far faster and easier on the computer.

Note cards waste space because students can write only one idea per note card, often resulting in several half-blank note cards. An electronic collection of note cards is more environmentally friendly since students could fit multiple ideas on one page and only need to print the cards they want to turn in.

Some teachers argue against online resources like Noodle Tools, citing their inaccuracy. Although some online resources like Noodle Tools automatically format note cards incorrectly, students can easily format the header and citation correctly on a Word document just as they do for written note cards.

English teacher Michelle Quackenbush gave her students the option of using Noodle Tools for source cards and note cards for a research project this year, and only 10 students opted to hand-write their cards. The typed note cards make for a nice printout, and it’s easy to correct the incorrect Noodle Tools heading, Quackenbush said. Quackenbush also found that typing note cards was much less time-consuming and that there was less socializing during research time than in past years.

Opponents of typed note cards argue that students don’t comprehend the material by copy-pasting straight from online sources. But blind copying isn’t any better than copy-pasting, and students still have to understand the information later when they incorporate it into their papers.

English teacher Danielle Fus admitted that written note cards slow down the research process, but said it’s important for younger students to write out note cards to help keep them organized and learn what information is important to record. Yet students can organize their note cards more effectively on the computer, since all of the cards are together, with no chance of losing any. Fus also said that students should have the opportunity to learn both print and online methods, and then choose which they prefer. However, Quackenbush’s 10 students are the exception, as most students prefer typed note cards. Written note cards are becoming outdated, and English teachers should teach students how to effectively use electronic note cards instead.