As a soon to be full time college student, I'm not really sure what to make of this budding trend towards banning laptops from lecture halls and classrooms. The very understandable argument against laptops is that they are full of thousands of distractions. From email, to facebook, to online shopping, if the class you're sitting in doesn't quite hold your interest, a laptop surely will. However, sometimes it is necessary for students to be able to access the internet -- some professors even ask their students to do so as a part of class. Now, a solution that one college mentioned in the article has taken is to allow each room its own "on/off" switch for wi-fi. Unfortunately, this is kind of costly, and something not likely to be implemented in all colleges.
From my reading of the article, and my own experience being distracted by my laptop in a CSM class I took last semester, I completely understand the desire to ban laptops, and for the most part, I agree with it. I do think banning laptops from lecture halls would increase discussion, critical thinking and overall value of the class. On the other hand, I do see the value in being able to pull up a web page within seconds in order to supplement the class.
What do you think about possibly not being able to use your laptops in certain classes next semester (yes, it is that close!)? How do you think this lack of laptop usage will effect the teaching styles and classes in most universities? What are some pros and cons?
5 comments:
Well honestly Sabrina, I agree with you. We have to take rigorous notes in college and we need labtops. We live in an era that relies heavily on technology and in a way that is both good and bad. It is good because technology=efficiency (as noted in our economy class) but on the other hand, it has its drawbacks as you have mentioned. But considering both pros and cons, I think the pros outweigh the cons.
Come on, we are almost adults now and we have to take responsibilities for our own actions. It is up to us how much we want to be distracted. And well, we have to start somewhere. If students don't have labtops to be distracted in high school, they will be distracted by technology sooner or later. It's something we teenagers/adults need to grasp.
I agree 100% with Amreet. I feel like lap tops shouldn't be banned. Hand writing notes versus typed notes? Typed, PLEASE! (and I'd imagine especially in college, typing would be the way to go.)
Yes, there are distractions like Facebook/Myspace and whatnot, but like Amreet said, it's about time we learn to deal with the consequences of distractions.
I agree with Amreet and Phoebe, in that we can make our own decisions. Colleges should be treating students like they're adults, and thus, should allow the students to choose to be distracted or choose to succeed. I think there should be some rules to stop students from distracting other students, but laptops make it much easier to take down notes while the teacher is lecturing. If all laptops were banned, I can see that other people probably won't do as well in the class.
-Henry Zhang
I do not think laptops should be banned. They are very useful for typing and taking notes as Phoebe said. People in college are adults and are responsible for their own actions. In fact, professors don't even care if you don't go to class. I think it is the student's responsibility to not get distracted and if they want to go on facebook or online shopping, then that is their choice. The consequence is not learning something important and doing bad on the final...
I don't think it would be fair to ban laptops for students who actually use them for school purposes like typing and looking up articles for the class, etc.
I think it would actually be more harmful to ban laptops because students might get tired of handwriting notes and decide not to take notes at all. Typing is so much faster and easier that it would hugely affect students and their grades.
Taking notes on a laptop is much easier, but some teachers would argue that by making note-taking so much easier, students become little more than mindless robots, copying down every little word the professor says. Banning laptops and only allowing students to take notes by hand would force them to condense, summarize, and actually think about what they are writing down.
Post a Comment