It’s no secret that AI has upended the educational world. As students return to the classroom and turn to tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini to complete homework and write essays, it raises an important question: When does AI stop being a productivity hack and start hindering genuine learning?
Although I haven’t been in a classroom for years, this topic resonates with me deeply. I’m always learning new things to maintain my expertise in areas like PCs, Starlink, and AI, and that familiarity can’t be faked.
Because this column focuses on testing AI, I began by trying out a specific device: the Onyx Boox Go 10.3. This e-ink tablet and e-reader accepts handwritten input and features Android support, allowing me to run apps for ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity search. I approached the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 with the idea that finding the right gadget could help solve some of the problems of offloading critical thinking to AI tools.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
However, what I realized is that it’s the way we engage with information and AI that makes the difference between thinking less and learning more. This column turned into an exploration of how AI can be used for genuine learning and academic study. Here are some ways to use AI for better understanding and deeper learning, whether you’re a student or a professional.
The Human Touch: AI Note-Taking Versus Handwriting
The topic of AI note-taking is popular because people are interested in saving time and reducing their workload. Personally, I have used the Plaud Note and note-taking features in Zoom calls to organize information and keep track of assigned tasks. That’s fine in a business meeting, where learning probably isn’t the primary objective. However, when students entrust their listening and writing to AI, they disengage from the material they need to understand and the assignments that teach them important cognitive skills.
A recent study by the MIT Media Lab finds that when AI is used to, say, write an essay, the person using the tool from start to finish learns far less than the person who doesn’t use AI. Studies with similar findings have been published in the journal Societies and by Microsoft. They all point to the same basic conclusion: If you delegate your thinking to AI, you don’t get the benefits of doing that thinking yourself.
The more I played with the handwriting input on the Onyx Boox Go e-ink tablet, the more I came back to the thought that it’s how we use these tools that determines their effectiveness for learning and thinking.
(Credit: Brian Westover)
Handwriting is a perfect example of this. You can quickly interact with an AI chatbot when typing on a keyboard, dictating to your phone, or simply speaking naturally using one of the many conversational features offered by ChatGPT and Gemini. However, there’s a fundamentally different level of engagement with information when you write by hand. Teachers and experts agree that handwriting is better for processing new information, forming memories about that info, and understanding new concepts.
Still, the more I used the tablet for AI, the more I realized that the tablet (while interesting) wasn’t the thing that was going to change my learning. But AI could. Below is what I learned.
Four Ways to Enhance Learning With AI
Are you using AI to take your notes? Or are you using AI to enhance your notes? With that distinction in mind, let’s explore ways to enhance your note-taking and learning, and avoid some of the pitfalls that many people are concerned about.
First off, you should always begin with the notes you’ve already taken. The value of the notes isn’t so much that you have a condensed record of the information in front of you, but that you’ve gone through the process of doing the condensing. In a classroom setting, this means reading the material, attending lectures, and synthesizing that information into a concise format.
We all know that AI is great at summarizing, which is a genuinely useful application. However, if you’re learning, whether it’s studying for a test or preparing for a real-world application of that knowledge, the act of listening, recording, and translating all that information into your own words is invaluable. And replacing that with AI summaries is a quick way to short-circuit individual learning.
Instead, you could be using AI to enhance your notes, speed up your studying, and deepen your understanding. Here are some ways to do just that.
1. Digitize Pen and Paper Notes
Whether you enter them by hand into an e-ink tablet, jot them down with a smart pen, or just handwrite and then photograph them with your smartphone, it is helpful to digitize your notes. That gives you everything in a file that can be pulled up on your laptop or smartphone, saved to a note-taking app, used for study group collaboration, and reused as you work on assignments and papers.
(Credit: Google/Brian Westover)
When using a tool like Google Gemini, you can simply upload a photo of a page of notes, with the simple prompt:
Can you digitize and save these notes from my notebook?
2. Organize Notes for Studying
Beyond simple digitization, AI can improve your notes. You can use AI to compile lists of key concepts or build lists of vocabulary terms for later review.
(Credit: Google/Brian Westover)
With your digitized notes in hand, try this simple prompt:
Using my notes, create a list of key concepts and a separate list of vocabulary terms with their definitions.
Now that you have a simple overview of key concepts and vocab terms, you can efficiently focus your studying on the information that matters most.
3. Create Flashcards of Key Information
AI is also very helpful in reviewing the information in your notes or the reading material. For example, you can use AI to look over an assigned chapter of reading and the associated classroom notes, and put together a table of information that can be used as flashcards. The cards can pair a vocabulary term with its definition from the textbook, offer a concept along with the teacher’s explanation of that concept, or simply note the information that is most likely to appear on an upcoming exam.
(Credit: Google/Brian Westover)
Here’s the prompt:
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From my notes and the reading material, create a table of flashcards pairing concepts with their explanations and vocabulary with definitions.
Using flashcards, whether done by hand or using an app, strengthens the brain’s ability to remember information. Spaced repetition—literally using flash cards over several days or weeks, instead of all at once—also helps with long-term retention, so that you can recall that new information whether it shows up in that week’s quiz or the final.
4. Make Things Way Less Complex
You can also use AI to zero in on concepts that may not be easily grasped on the first pass and explore each concept individually. You can take a concept and explore it in different ways, asking questions as many times as needed. Even better, there’s useful shorthand that can be used when prompting.
(Credit: OpenAI/Brian Westover)
ELI5 = Explain Like I’m 5
This prompts an AI to explain a concept in simple language for someone with no prior knowledge. It uses simple words, short sentences, and relatable age-appropriate examples. If you’re really stuck on a concept, it’s a good way to get your bearings.
(Credit: OpenAI/Brian Westover)
ELI12 = Explain Like I’m 12
This prompt will explain the topic to someone at a middle-school level, using slightly more detail and more advanced (but still approachable) vocabulary, while avoiding complex jargon. Still clear and easy, but with a little more depth.
(Credit: OpenAI/Brian Westover)
“In Simple English”
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If you want something a little more sophisticated, try the prompt “In simple English, explain X.”
This is useful for adults and non-native English speakers, as it provides clear explanations in plain, easy-to-understand language without condescending to the user. It’s especially helpful for understanding complex concepts without the jargon often found in specialized textbooks or courses.
Even More Tips: The Power of Questions and Answers
AI can also be a powerful partner for studying for true understanding. Two particular techniques that leverage the conversational nature of AI are Socratic dialogue and the Feynman technique.
5. Socratic Dialogue
Socratic dialogue is a method named after the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. Instead of simply telling a student the information they need to know, a teacher or facilitator guides them with open-ended questions to explore a topic and the logic behind an idea or concept. AI is well-suited for this because it can draw on enormous informational resources, allowing learners to explore complex topics from start to finish at their own pace and level.
Here’s a prompt you can use to start a dialogue:
Act as my Socratic partner on [topic]. Ask only one open-ended question at a time that prompts reflection and uncovers assumptions. After I reply, ask the next question (you may briefly rephrase my answer to clarify). Do not give direct answers. Continue until I demonstrate a deep understanding of the topic.
The sort of back-and-forth dialog this will facilitate helps students explore topics thoroughly and think independently. It moves a learner from passive consumption of information into active engagement as they question assumptions, develop reasoning skills, and work through the granular details of a concept.
If the AI hallucinates, the student is compelled to acknowledge that the information may be wrong and correct such mistakes as they arise.
6. Feynman Technique
Then there’s the Feynman technique, a method developed by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman. It’s based on the idea that the best way to understand something deeply is to explain it in simple terms, as if teaching it to a child. That process, which also involves questions and answers, emphasizes clarifying your own thoughts and reveals gaps in your understanding. From there, you can either return to your notes or your reading material and try to rewrite or re-explain things more clearly.
Starting a session for this sort of study is as simple as prompting:
Help me study. I'll explain [topic] in basic terms; you ask questions where I’m unclear. After my explanation, point out specific errors or gaps and ask targeted questions that prompt me to clarify or improve them.
AI can be a valuable partner for this type of teaching, particularly when utilizing speech-to-text or conversational features. It’s always available, it’s easy to initiate a new conversation, and the focus is on your own understanding, rather than obtaining accurate information from a chatbot prone to hallucinations.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
The student who uses AI effectively will not only continue to learn, but they will also learn faster and more easily, ultimately achieving better mastery of the information. But these techniques are hardly limited to the classroom.
Anyone looking to acquire new skills or gain a deeper understanding of new concepts can utilize them. Whether it’s a professional learning a new piece of software for work, a hobbyist exploring a new topic like music theory, or a curious individual looking to understand complex current events, using AI as an active study partner is a powerful new tool for learning. When it comes to AI, we simply need to shift our mindset from one of delegation to one of active partnership.
About Our Expert
Brian Westover
Principal Writer, Hardware
Experience
From the laptops on your desk to satellites in space and AI that seems to be everywhere, I cover many topics at PCMag. I’ve covered PCs and technology products for over 15 years at PCMag and other publications, like Tom’s Guide, Laptop Mag, TWICE, and several other tech outlets. As a hardware reviewer, I’ve handled dozens of MacBooks, 2-in-1 laptops, Chromebooks, and the latest AI PCs. As the resident Starlink expert, I’ve done years of hands-on testing. I also explore the most valuable ways to use the latest AI tools and features in our Try AI column.
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