Professors at some school are banning laptops to help get kids to pay attention.
Wide Web of diversions gets laptops evicted from lecture halls [Washington Post]
A generation ago, academia embraced the laptop as the most welcome classroom innovation since the ballpoint pen. But during the past decade, it has evolved into a powerful distraction. Wireless Internet connections tempt students away from note-typing to e-mail, blogs, YouTube videos, sports scores, even online gaming — all the diversions of a home computer beamed into the classroom to compete with the professor for the student’s attention.
Part of me wants to say, “Make your lectures more interesting, and kids will pay attention,” but I know that isn’t the whole story. I’ve noticed many students at Tech have a tendency to be distracted in class, but it would be impossible to force them to pay attention to something they clearly have no interest in. I feel that as long as they are paying customers, let them do whatever they want while they are in class. It only becomes a problem when it distracts other students.
kmsmpirateradio
amhawks
It becomes a problem when a student is spending my tax dollars or someone else’s dollars(Federal loans, grants, VA money, Voc Rehab money, etc.) and not applying themselves to what I (and all of you) are paying for. If a student is paying his/her own way in full, then, yes, they are free to do as they please. But if anyone else is footing any part of their education bill, they have an obligation to fullfill the expectations of those people – like “don’t waste my money!”
Comment by Mathemagician — March 31, 2010 @ 3:30 pm
I actually agree with your comment, but I think this is one of the many problems that come overly subsidized educations (costs ballooning out of control being another big one). When you aren’t directly responsible for your education, these are some of the issues that come up. There are quite a few students who go to college because it is cheap for them, when they obviously aren’t ready or willing to do what it takes, further degrading the experience for everyone else.
Comment by kmsmpirateradio — April 1, 2010 @ 12:34 am