Should Universities Ban Laptops During Classes - Research Paper Example

 Laptops Should universities ban laptops during classes? This is an important question that all universities face. Most of our life depends on laptops because laptops facilitate many things that we want, they make life more convenient and provide us with easier access to information. However, laptops can distract students in their classes. According to Hembrooke and Gay, “Students in the open laptop condition suffered decrements on traditional measures of memory for lecture content” (pg 1 para 1). Students did not learn as well with their laptops out during class. Although laptops distract the students, laptops can benefit them. Laptops allow the student to write advanced notes, make discussions better, and help the professors teach with technology later. For these reasons, laptops should be permitted in classes. Laptops provide significant benefits to students who use them and make a teacher's work much more easy in the long run. Laptops can help the students make good notes. In fact, it is useful for students to have their laptops while studying for their finals. If the student wrote their notes on the computer, the computer can locate different section of the notes. The search function makes it much easier to find necessary material and saves a great deal of time. According to Volokh, it is obvious that students can have their notes in one place to help them study for exams (pg 1 para 6). This can be very useful because it is easy for students to lose paper notes when they have so many different classes. Additionally, most laptops are within the price range of the average student. With cheaper laptops, students can buy laptops to take useful notes. According to Aylesworth-Spink, notepads can cost less than $500 (pg. 1 para 6). The fact that they can be so inexpensive means that they are accessible to most students. All in all, having laptops are good for the notes and as a result for the students. Another reason to use laptops in classrooms is for better discussions. According to Vanderbilt University, teachers are “enthused about the lively discussions[s], and was struck by the interest the faculty expressed in helping students learn to pay attention in meaningful ways” (pg 2 para 9). Without laptops, discussions can be boring and useless. However, when students bring laptops, for example, they can look up statistics that improve the discussion. According to Brasher, “‘I believe taking away technology is a disservice to my students’” (pg 2 para 7). Without the laptops, the student will not be connected to the real world, especially in their discussions. Laptops provide students with real-time access to data that can dramatically improve and add to class discussions. This permits students to contribute in a way they would not be able to if they did not have access to their laptops and the internet. Also, using laptops will help students to adapt technology in the future. For example, according to Chapla, Notre Dame is giving students iPads in one classroom (pg 1 para 1). Apple did this to perform research for future uses. As a result, they think students will gain knowledge in technology. Moreover, by not knowing and getting to use laptops now, students will not be able to ignore distractions that they have to deal with in the future. According to Brasher, he noticed that ignoring distractions is important in the work environment. Getting used to distraction is an important skill that employers are looking for in potential employees. Students using laptop will therefore be better prepared for the future (page 2 para 10). There is another important aspect of laptops in the classroom: online education. Online education has undergone vast improvements over the last decade. Initially online courses were not acknowledged to the level that they are today. It was rare for a college or university to offer an online course. Today the case is a lot different. Far more than half of the universities and colleges offer online education. It can be good for laptops to be brought into classrooms, but it is even better for the laptop to become the classroom. This can be done by using the laptop at home to study a course, or bringing it into the classroom for those course that have integrated online components. Over the years progression has lead to two different types of online models. One of these models is called synchronous learning, where the professor and students regularly met online for discussion at the same time. The second model is called asynchronous learning, where instead there are weekly assignments or discussion boards. As technology has grown improvements have even been made to these models. Often students and professors can take part in online video seminars, web chats, Skype conversations and advanced discussion boards. This type of advancement has lead to a much more interactive online classroom - one that has become a lot more valuable to its students. Students who bring their laptops to class can have real-time access to the professors note or to powerpoint presentations. They can participate in a way that their grandparents would be unable to dream of. The key for laptops to be used successfully in this manner is to combine the use of laptops with engaging teaching manners. This maximizes the benefits (CBC Study). Another great benefit of using laptops in the classroom is that they can free up professors to spend more time with students who are having trouble with the class (Nair). The class does not have to be disrupted as it can continue seamlessly online or on the laptops. Students are empowered to participate in their own education. There are a few possible drawbacks to the notion that laptops in the classroom are wonderful. To begin with, it is true that not everyone can afford a laptop. Although most laptops are very inexpensive, there are some students who are so poor that they are not able to afford one. This could potentially create an inequality of learning opportunities. However, banning laptops from classrooms is not an appropriate response to this problem. A better response would be to provide more scholarships to such students who are having problems accessing funding to buy a laptop. Without a laptop in the classroom they will remain at a serious disadvantage. A second potential drawback, discussed above, is the distraction factor. A little distraction can be a good thing in that it trains students to focus on their work. However, it is possible for laptops to be very distracting if a fellow student is watching a movie or playing a game in class. The use of laptops for this sort of activity should be strictly prohibited. Students must behave properly in class. It is one thing for a student to check their email on the laptop while the professor is teaching, it is another thing for them to seriously disrupt the class with their own bad behavior. Neither of these problems with drawbacks however in any way outweigh the significant benefits that laptops provide to students in classes. The key, as with so many things in life, is for professors to have a plan about how they would like laptops to be used in their classrooms (ScienceDaily). In conclusion, using technology, specifically laptops, in classes will be good for the students. It allows them to participate in their own education and have a sense of control and curiosity. Laptops help students to take good notes that assist them for tests. It also makes discussions better with a chance for statistics. Finally, it makes the student more familiar with technology in the future better future. Laptops are integral to the future of online education. Indeed, laptops should be in the classroom but the classroom should also be the laptop. The more the lines are blurred between these things, the more likely students are to take away important lessons from their courses. There are a few minor drawbacks to using laptops in the classroom but all of these can be easily overcome with a little planning. All in all, laptops are good for the classroom. Should universities ban laptops during classes? This is an important question that all universities face. Most of our life depends on laptops because laptops facilitate many things that we want, they make life more convenient and provide us with easier access to information. However, laptops can distract students in their classes. According to Hembrooke and Gay, “Students in the open laptop condition suffered decrements on traditional measures of memory for lecture content” (pg 1 para 1). Students did not learn as well with their laptops out during class. Although laptops distract the students, laptops can benefit them. Laptops allow the student to write advanced notes, make discussions better, and help the professors teach with technology later. For these reasons, laptops should be permitted in classes. Laptops provide significant benefits to students who use them and make a teacher's work much more easy in the long run. Laptops can help the students make good notes. In fact, it is useful for students to have their laptops while studying for their finals. If the student wrote their notes on the computer, the computer can locate different section of the notes. The search function makes it much easier to find necessary material and saves a great deal of time. According to Volokh, it is obvious that students can have their notes in one place to help them study for exams (pg 1 para 6). This can be very useful because it is easy for students to lose paper notes when they have so many different classes. Additionally, most laptops are within the price range of the average student. With cheaper laptops, students can buy laptops to take useful notes. According to Aylesworth-Spink, notepads can cost less than $500 (pg. 1 para 6). The fact that they can be so inexpensive means that they are accessible to most students. All in all, having laptops are good for the notes and as a result for the students. Another reason to use laptops in classrooms is for better discussions. According to Vanderbilt University, teachers are “enthused about the lively discussions[s], and was struck by the interest the faculty expressed in helping students learn to pay attention in meaningful ways” (pg 2 para 9). Without laptops, discussions can be boring and useless. However, when students bring laptops, for example, they can look up statistics that improve the discussion. According to Brasher, “‘I believe taking away technology is a disservice to my students’” (pg 2 para 7). Without the laptops, the student will not be connected to the real world, especially in their discussions. Laptops provide students with real-time access to data that can dramatically improve and add to class discussions. This permits students to contribute in a way they would not be able to if they did not have access to their laptops and the internet. Also, using laptops will help students to adapt technology in the future. For example, according to Chapla, Notre Dame is giving students iPads in one classroom (pg 1 para 1). Apple did this to perform research for future uses. As a result, they think students will gain knowledge in technology. Moreover, by not knowing and getting to use laptops now, students will not be able to ignore distractions that they have to deal with in the future. According to Brasher, he noticed that ignoring distractions is important in the work environment. Getting used to distraction is an important skill that employers are looking for in potential employees. Students using laptop will therefore be better prepared for the future (page 2 para 10). There is another important aspect of laptops in the classroom: online education. Online education has undergone vast improvements over the last decade. Initially online courses were not acknowledged to the level that they are today. It was rare for a college or university to offer an online course. Today the case is a lot different. Far more than half of the universities and colleges offer online education. It can be good for laptops to be brought into classrooms, but it is even better for the laptop to become the classroom. This can be done by using the laptop at home to study a course, or bringing it into the classroom for those course that have integrated online components. Over the years progression has lead to two different types of online models. One of these models is called synchronous learning, where the professor and students regularly met online for discussion at the same time. The second model is called asynchronous learning, where instead there are weekly assignments or discussion boards. As technology has grown improvements have even been made to these models. Often students and professors can take part in online video seminars, web chats, Skype conversations and advanced discussion boards. This type of advancement has lead to a much more interactive online classroom - one that has become a lot more valuable to its students. Students who bring their laptops to class can have real-time access to the professors note or to powerpoint presentations. They can participate in a way that their grandparents would be unable to dream of. The key for laptops to be used successfully in this manner is to combine the use of laptops with engaging teaching manners. This maximizes the benefits (CBC Study). Another great benefit of using laptops in the classroom is that they can free up professors to spend more time with students who are having trouble with the class (Nair). The class does not have to be disrupted as it can continue seamlessly online or on the laptops. Students are empowered to participate in their own education. There are a few possible drawbacks to the notion that laptops in the classroom are wonderful. To begin with, it is true that not everyone can afford a laptop. Although most laptops are very inexpensive, there are some students who are so poor that they are not able to afford one. This could potentially create an inequality of learning opportunities. However, banning laptops from classrooms is not an appropriate response to this problem. A better response would be to provide more scholarships to such students who are having problems accessing funding to buy a laptop. Without a laptop in the classroom they will remain at a serious disadvantage. A second potential drawback, discussed above, is the distraction factor. A little distraction can be a good thing in that it trains students to focus on their work. However, it is possible for laptops to be very distracting if a fellow student is watching a movie or playing a game in class. The use of laptops for this sort of activity should be strictly prohibited. Students must behave properly in class. It is one thing for a student to check their email on the laptop while the professor is teaching, it is another thing for them to seriously disrupt the class with their own bad behavior. Neither of these problems with drawbacks however in any way outweigh the significant benefits that laptops provide to students in classes. The key, as with so many things in life, is for professors to have a plan about how they would like laptops to be used in their classrooms (ScienceDaily). In conclusion, using technology, specifically laptops, in classes will be good for the students. It allows them to participate in their own education and have a sense of control and curiosity. Laptops help students to take good notes that assist them for tests. It also makes discussions better with a chance for statistics. Finally, it makes the student more familiar with technology in the future better future. Laptops are integral to the future of online education. Indeed, laptops should be in the classroom but the classroom should also be the laptop. The more the lines are blurred between these things, the more likely students are to take away important lessons from their courses. There are a few minor drawbacks to using laptops in the classroom but all of these can be easily overcome with a little planning. All in all, laptops are good for the classroom. Citation Aylesworth-Spink, Shelley. “Using Laptops in University Classes, Lectures.” www.suite101.com. 2010. Brasher, Joan. “Should laptops be banned in the classroom? Panel says yes – and no.” http://www.vanderbilt.edu/myvu/. 2010. CBC News. “Researchers like laptops in Calgary classroom.” August 26, 2010. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/08/26/calgary-research-laptop-computer-students-classroom-learning.html Chapla, Shannon. “Notre Dame launches eReader study, creates first paperless course.” http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news. 2010. Hembrooke, Helene; Gay, Gerl. “The laptop and the lecture: The effects of multitasking in learning environments.” www.sptringerlink.com. Nair, Prakash. “The Student Laptop Computer in Classrooms: Not Just a Tool.” Design Share. September 2001. http://www.designshare.com/Research/Nair/Laptop_Classrooms.htm ScienceDaily. “How Laptops Can Enhance Learning in College Classrooms.” May 21, 2010. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100520161950.htm Volokh, Eugene. “Results of Student Survey About my No-Laptop-in-Class Experiment.” http://volokh.com/posts/1236209900.shtml. 2009. Read More