Some students have enough trouble paying attention during class, and laptops contribute to this problem by adding the temptation of using the Internet.
The lure of Facebook.com, MySpace and shopping on eBay becomes more appealing than sitting in a classroom for an hour listening to a professor recite a lecture about ancient Roman culture.
But other students use their laptops to enhance their lecture notes in class.
Saundra McGuire, Center for Academic Success director, said laptops can be beneficial learning tools if students use them for class-related purposes.
“I generally find that laptop computers can be beneficial in class if students use them to take notes, so they can have them in an electronic form,” she said. “But it seems more often than not that they’re a distraction in class.”
McGuire said there seem to be more cons than pros to using a laptop in class based on the feedback she has received from faculty and students.
Kathryn Collins, mass communication sophomore, said she uses her laptop in all her classes.
“The only time I don’t bring it is if professors won’t allow laptops,” she said.
Collins said she uses Noteswap.com to keep up with her notes in general education classes. Noteswap is a Web site that allows students to post lecture notes online for others to access.
“Then all I have to do when I go to class is make sure the notes really are good notes, and I can add anything new that might be vital,” she said. “Usually, the notes are good, and it allows me to make a great set of notes.”
Collins said she does not use the Web site for mass communication classes.
“I want to learn about things that pertain to my major. That’s why I’m here,” she said.
Collins said she views her laptop as a time management tool.
“Bringing my computer allows me to perfect a good set of notes, return e-mails, keep up with my friends and parents back home and start other assignments,” she said. “It’s a way of multitasking.”
Collins said her laptop is only a distraction when she gets bored and when the lecture notes she downloads are consistent with the day’s lecture. She said she reads the news online and uses instant messenger when she is not taking notes.
McGuire said some students become distracted if they sit behind someone who is using a laptop in class to surf the Internet. She said the sound of several people typing can also direct a student’s attention from the lecture.
Damian Bliek, kinesiology junior, said he has a laptop, but he does not take it to class.
“I think I’d get sidetracked,” he said. “Half the people you see in class are on the Internet.”
McGuire said everyone has a unique learning style. She said some students feel comfortable handwriting their lecture notes while others would rather outline their notes in a word-processing program.
McGuire said students can avoid distraction by using a technique called the “study cycle.” She said the technique helps students retain the information in their notes.
“It directs students to preview the information that will be covered in class,” she said. “Then review what happened in class as soon as possible.”
—–Contact Angelle Barbazon [email protected]