In the midst of online classes, I still take all my notes by hand. If I wanted to appear to be a good student, I would say it helps me focus. In truth, however, I just like having notes I can touch. I remember what I was thinking about when I was writing and I can scrawl my commentaries and reflections along the sides.
Edit: afterlight darkening exposure
I really liked how the light was reflecting off the pen. Unfortunately I was not able to get my camera to focus correctly since I was in class and trying to be discreet.