Why print is still essential for remote learning

The year 2020 will go down in history books as one unlike any other. COVID-19 dominated the headlines and caused unprecedented disruption to society. The rapidly spreading global pandemic caused suffering around the world and led to nations, regions, and individual communities to enact economic and social shutdowns and confine people to their homes. This required school-aged children to participate in various forms of remote learning.

In light of so many changes and new options regarding education this year, the Mopria Alliance recently conducted a survey to find out how important print and scan capabilities are for those who are engaged in remote learning vs. those attending traditional in-person school.

The answers were illuminating, particularly because many of the learning initiatives for remote learning scenarios center on online curriculum where the student is focused on what’s happening on a computer screen, tablet, or smartphone.

Several academic studies validate that printing homework vs. doing it on a screen can be more beneficial for kids. According to a recent article in BrainFacts.org, print is visually less demanding than digital text. It provides spatial and tactile cues to help readers process words on a page. Mindset may also be a factor. If people associate screen time with casual web-surfing they may rush through without fully absorbing the text.