Study Guide: How Printing Can Improve Performance

We polled more than 510 Australian students in high school and tertiary institutions (including university and TAFE) on their study habits and academic standing, finding that a whopping 93% of students studying for exams experience problems while studying online.

With the digital realm entrenched in our world and our ability to disconnect increasingly challenged, how can today’s students, study for their examinations in the most effective way? In partnership with Big W and Informed by Research Findings, we reveal why a printer, pen and paper are must have tools for good study habits away from digital distractions.

Defeating Digital Distraction

To get ahead this study period and maximise effective study time, professor Glenn Finger, professor of education at Griffith University shares the four ‘D’s of digital distraction and how students can overcome them for effective study.

Detriment
Technology leading to diminished forms of learning, and compromised learning practices and experiences.

Tips
• Online studying can lead to superficial learning; that is, clicking through and viewing many screens of information for very short periods of time.
• Students can engage in effective offline study by printing out the online materials, resulting in enhanced engagement and deeper learning.

Difficulties
Ongoing difficulties and inconveniences encountered when using technology make it harder for students to study.

Tips
• Many learning resources such as online textbooks and handouts are not formatted for screens while others are not set up for easy revision (e.g. they require too much clicking to get to the right information.)
• Paper formats are more familiar to us, not only making it faster to read and scan printed material, but also allowing students to engage in more familiar annotation practices that aids memory retention.

Disruption
Technology ‘failing’ to function through preventing students from studying.

Tips
Students should prepare well ahead, and print out copies of the materials to be studied.

Diversion
Technology as a distraction that diverts students’ attention from study such as, emails, messages, social media, games and irrelevant websites.

Tips
• Students should conduct a purposeful search, rather than browse the Internet, to identify relevant material, then create printouts of that material for deep learning. They should also limit online communications which can present distractions while studying.

Top Tips for Effective Study

Based on feedback from students, Canon shares top tips on preparing for the exam period, so students can sit for their papers with a clear mind and confidence.

1. Get your notes organised – print out the syllabus and past exams for your subject and go through your notes to identify that you’ve covered everything.

2. Go over the notes that you do have and apply the five second rule – look for five seconds, then cover them and see if you can remember the key points. Identify what you don’t know very well and focus on this.

3. Print out your study notes and with a pen and paper write out the key points. This could be writing key words or phrases, creating mind maps or drawing.

4. Try and teach someone else what you’ve learned – reading out your notes to someone makes the key points familiar in your mind.

Ideal Study Buddy Tools

Despite technology being a pervasive enabler, there exists a need for parents and students to harness the right tools that pave a smarter route to success. In this case, putting pen to printed study materials is a tried and tested method to digest learnings and information, and the Canon PIXMA MG3660 and PIXMA MG5760 printer models are great tools for this.

Print More for Less
Don’t pay for printing at the library or at university, as printing at home is cheaper than you think. Featuring high yield XL ink tanks, the Canon PIXMA MG5760 prints more for less, with print rates as low as 6.8 cents for black and white or from 5.3 cents for colour.

Snap, Copy, Scan, Share
No matter if you like to snap pictures of your study notes on your phone or like to scan in written notes for digital storage and easy sharing, the all-in-one PIXMA MG3660 and PIXMA MG5760 models make scan, copy and sharing easy and quick at a touch of a button.

Part of the Family
The Canon PIXMA MG3660 and PIXMA MG5760 models are available in a range of colours to match your personality and seamlessly fit into your home. The PIXMA MG5760 model also features a useful 2.5” LCD Screen and an array of creative printing software, perfect for any kind of revision and study assignment.

Stay Connected
Students often work on the go, and can take inspiration from anywhere. Via the Canon Print PIXMA / SELPHY Apps for both Android and Apple, Canon’s PIXMA range enables you to print and scan no matter where you are and what device you are using across smartphone, tablet or a computer.

Print Anytime, Anywhere
We know that many students use services like Google Docs, Dropbox and Microsoft One Drive to share, store and keep all their work safe. With PIXMA Cloud Link, you no longer need to download your notes from the cloud to print them off, as the PIXMA printer can link with your account. Even if you are not by the printer, you can print from your smartphone or tablet using PIXMA Cloud Link.

Keeping Up With The Pace
No warm-up time, no worries. The PIXMA MG3660 and PIXMA MG5760 models also run at a fast pace so there is no waiting around when you need your notes the most.

Explore our range of home printers here.