More Thoughts on Laptops in the Classroom

My recent post on laptop and internet use in the classroom received some attention. And, the conversation continues around the halls at school with students and other faculty. I am leaning towards folding laptop use into the existing policies on classroom disruption. Like typing on typewriters, hammering on stone tablets, passing notes, doodling, and answering cell phones, taking notes on laptops is simply subject to the rules geared to create a positive and effective learning environment. Use laptops responsibly and I am pleased to have them in the room.

Others are thinking about technology in the classroom too. Professor Farhad Dastur at Kwantlen University College (campuses in Greater Vancouver) has published a short reflection on his experiences with laptops in the classroom in Kwantlen’s new faculty journal.* Concerning ‘illicit’ laptop use, Prof. Dastur writes:

The scientist in me quickly came up with four hypotheses to explain all this activity. Hypothesis 1: Boredom. Students are so bored with traditional classroom activities that given the chance to seek outside stimulation they will tune out and log on. Hypothesis 2: Efficient Multi-tasking. The current generation of Millennials is so adept at multi-tasking that the parallel streams of entertainment, surfing, and communication do not interfere with their classroom learning. Hypothesis 3: Learning Enhancement. The students are enhancing their in-class learning by seeking other sources of information on the topic. Hypothesis 4: Intermittent Attention. The students are engaging in more than one of the above explanations but at different times: they listen when things get interesting; they surf when things get dull. I do not know which hypothesis is correct, but I am curious to find out. Researching it will not be easy. I’ve noticed that when I walk around during a lecture and peek at student screens, I catch the last milliseconds of a screen being minimized. Covert operations are happening under my nose.

There are more useful and provocative observations in the article.

What do you think, Allan? And, BTW, I’m still waiting for your list of the “myriad legitimate uses for the web” during lectures.

*Kwantlen’s journal is called Transformative Dialogues: Teaching and Learning Journal.

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