Paper vs. Computer: A CS005 Student's Deep Realization About How We Actually Learn to Code
Hey everyone, I did a small experiment today while studying CS50. I put my computer aside, took a blank piece of paper and a pen, and tried to write some code. I realized that the simple code I write so easily on a computer actually made me struggle on paper. This was a huge eye-opener for me. I realized how lazy my brain had become because of auto-complete and IDE assistance. Here is my analysis of paper vs. computer programming:
First, I noticed that when writing code on a computer, we constantly use "trial and error." But on paper, since we don't have the luxury of making mistakes, we are forced to run every single line in our heads multiple times before even moving the pen.
In my opinion, we can actually learn the real code and programming much faster on paper. Because when you write code on a computer, it shows your mistakes and points out where you did wrong. Yes, this is actually a good thing; we notice where we made a mistake. However, we just fix that mistake and move on. We never ask ourselves, "Why did this happen?" or "Where exactly did we go wrong?" We just fix it and say, "I learned how to code." But in reality, it just makes us lazy.
Writing code on paper is completely different. Because when you write code on paper, there is no red underline to tell you where you made a mistake. To find the error, you have to investigate every line and every loop you wrote on that paper, just like a detective. The moment the computer stops thinking for us, we push our memory and logic to the absolute limit. This is exactly why writing code on paper transforms us from being just code-copying robots into real programmers who understand the root of the problem.
In short, the computer gives us speed, but the pen and paper teach us deep thinking and permanent learning. What do you think about this?