Bad News: More Colleges Banning Laptops
In a change from the time when colleges vied to be the most wired campus and recently the most wireless campus in the nation, professors and colleges are kicking laptops out of their classrooms. Slate’s The Big Money reports on the trend of banning laptops; calling attention to the University of Chicago Law School’s decision to cut Internet access in classrooms and the more dramatic laptop dipped in nitrogen at the University of Oklahoma, shown below.
Why are campuses asking, or sometimes telling, students to ditch the laptop for a legal pad? Most often the professors and universities cite the lack of class discussion or attentiveness of students who have access to all of the Web’s distractions. Others cite lower grades from laptop users and a lack of actual thought by students who type exactly what their professor says. Whatever the reason given, the trend is growing and this isn’t good news for students who will be relying on these digital devices for the rest of their working life.
Slate argues that the iPad will make the problem even worse because students can claim that they are using the device to read digital textbooks; making it harder for professors and universities to institute a ban.
As a professor I have to admit that staring out into a sea of screens is a much different experience than making eye contact with 35 students, but I welcome this new technology into my class. Yes, students have access to a wealth of distractions — but they also have access to a wealth of relevant information that, in my experience, aids class discussions.
I wish the university I teach at would give every student an iPad, like Seton Hill is doing this fall; because in my experience, students who use the tablet or slate are easier to engage because there is no screen between us. Even with the screen between us having a small affect, I couldn’t imagine getting through advanced undergrad courses without the help of OneNote and a laptop. I only wish I had Evernote and my HP tx2000 tablet with me then as the combo proved essential while finishing my MBA.
I see the entrance of new technology like iPads, notebooks and smartphones into my classroom not as a problem to be banned, but as a challenge to think about how I can engage a group of students using the devices that are a part of their daily life. After all, I am preparing them for their future in a workforce where these constantly connected devices will be their constant companions.
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As a student right now, I am kind of torn on this. I type fast enough to keep up with the instructor, but I tend to use paper for notes and my laptop to look in more detail, the topic of the day. I find myself searching for more information. Especially, in social studies type classes.
Since the majority of my classes post additional information online, I am typically looking at that as well.
In my IT classes, its essential if I don't want to have to redo my work.
However, there are times that I will miss things because I get distracted by all the shiny things on the internet. I have to really force myself not to have Twitter open, and looking around at my fellow students, I see a lot of facebook as well.
My initial reaction was, “what?!” but it only took a second thinking back to my college days why they would do this.
They might find more people sleeping or texting in class now, though.
If that means that I can't take my Tablet PC into class, then I want nothing to do with them. OneNote is so much better than pen and paper for me that I'm not going back.
Then again, it's probably not going to effect the university I'm planning on attending since they're heavily tech-centric, hence why I'm attending in the first place.