Looks like more profs are getting fedup with students using laptops in their classrooms. It's the usual suspects--students are abusing classtime to gamble in online casinos, plan keggers over IM, and take so many notes that they...er...Don't listen? (I don't know much about stenographers, but apparently they ain't too bright.) I guess I can symphathize with Intern Travis here. After all, if a prof is okay with my bringing in an inflatable child's wading pool, filling it full of frat punch and getting s-faced during his PowerPoint, then I can't imagine what the heck his problem is with just finishing a few levels in WoW. I mean, it's not like we're using hair dryers in the bathtub or anything. Geez, profs be so uptight sometimes.
What are your thoughts? Have you ever wanted to ban laptops in your class? I haven't really had any problems with laptops, but I have noticed students IM'ing and such in computer classrooms. I know what you're thinking--as if someone could possibly find something more visually stimulating to look at than moi. Yet, it happens--and that's a cold, hard fact.
I teach in a high school
I teach in a high school with laptops, so it is a little easier for me to say shut off your IM and let's get back to work. Although I actually choose to go more the route below.
I think the problem though is actually a classroom structure one. Why teach the same old way (lecture with prof facing students) if you have amazing new tools like laptops? Let's change the way we teach to make the students have to use the laptops for productive purposes. Put then in groups, have them researching, debating online, writing online, exchanging information with each other and more. Then teachers can get behind the scren and collaborate with students.
Once you set up the adversarial relationship, forget it, you (teacher) have lost.
fallacy
Somewhere, built within this type of thinking is the premise that if they weren't using their laptops, they'd be paying attention and participating instead. Somehow, I doubt it.
Yeah
I don't think the students playing poker or whatever now would be paying all that much more attention without the laptops. I've had several cases where having students with open laptops have helped the class discussion or just the class in general. Last semester when we were doing a wiki I proposed that we use PBwiki, within minutes one student had the idea of using MediaWiki and most likely downloaded the code and had it configured before class was over because when I got back to my office after eating a quick lunch there was an email from him offering to host the class wiki.
Abuse of modern tech.
It is really distressing to know,how students are misusing the modern technology. It should habe been used for better purpose. I think, student needs to be pproperly motivated. They should be told of its repurcussions.
Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies.