There has been much debate as to whether or not students should be allowed to use laptops in class to type their notes. Some professors allow them, while others ban them for fear that students will abuse that liberty to waste class time on social media networks. Personally, as the owner of an iPad, I find much benefit of computer technology in the classroom through the use of applications. Note-taking is also made more efficient with the ability to use a keyboard. True, some dissenters will argue that that is why students were taught cursive in elementary school, but it has become so obsolete now among today’s students that they resort to the slower print form of writing.
Economically, laptops are more efficient to use. Like the Smart Cars of today’s world, electricity is a growing enterprise. Why should students resort to countless pens and papers when they can use a laptop that will work faithfully for the next five years? Even in math and science classes, teachers use online exercises that fulfill the curriculum’s quota for the year. Some instructors supplant these activities for lectures, and in the end, the student will still receive the same grade.
However, there are disadvantages to allowing students Internet access in the classroom. Though a majority of students will use their technology for educational purposes, some will use them to update their Twitter accounts, hashtag, “This class is so boring.” This very issue has provoked much debate, as instructors really have no idea what their students could be viewing on their laptops; however, sometimes leeway must be given in these situations.
Some students might argue that pen and paper is more beneficial to their overall grade than technology. Typing is just so easy and fast that students might have a hard time remembering facts, so professors banning this technology might prove to be helpful to the students after all.
I do believe that the advantages of typing notes outweigh the possibilities of distractions. We’re all adults here. It’s our decision alone as to whether or not we want to utilize our technology to benefit our learning experience at the college level or to hamper it. In addition, using the Internet on one’s personal technology can prove simpler than hauling notebooks and folders to class. Recently, my professor required us to view a document on Blackboard. Since my peers and I did not bring said document to class that day, we read it on our laptops, tablets and touch phones, working diligently all the same. It is all a matter of whether or not one is able to resist the temptation to play games during class time.
When one talks about technology, one must also consider those with behavioral disadvantages. Some students who are inept at typing or writing at the normal pace may require the use of “Dragon NaturallySpeaking.” This program is much like Apple’s “Siri,” in which the user can speak into their laptop to record their notes, or simply record their class lecture using an additional digital voice recorder. Recording applications are also available on tablets, which makes the daily note-taking task even more effortless.
Laptops and similar technology are most definitely useful to our students’ note-taking processes. Whether or not an individual actually prefers the use of such technology over the “old-fashioned” pen and paper is up to one’s personal learning methods. Generally, laptops allow students to take notes quickly while listening to the professor, and students can use search engines to pull up different resources. Besides, most students already have Internet on their cell phones, so if our students were that distracted by Internet access, nothing notable in school would ever be accomplished. So, save that last level of Candy Crush for later, Blue Jays, and let’s get to work!
