Well, my personal best ideas in the work world involved a lot of drawing and arrows and circling!
That’s great for you! And, for that matter, it would be great for my handwriting-challenged son too. But, don’t make your preferences into virtues.
?? I didn’t say it was a virtue. I said I had no dog in the fight several posts ago. If other people prefer to take notes via computer, more power to them. I never said what other people should or must do. I think you read something into my post that just wasn’t there. Namaste.
I teach a discussion based course, and I do allow computers. That being said, there are a lot of negatives, and I do a lot of walking around the room when it seems warranted. For one, students doing other stuff are not participating; that’s bad for them, but also for the class. It’s a hands-on class. Also, and this goes for lecture classes too, studies and observation have shown that students doing other things besides note-taking on computers distract other people in the lecture hall. It’s hard to concentrate when FB, cute-shoes sites, and computer games are flashing in front of you. So it’s not just a matter of hurting themselves.
In my classes, most students do not use computers though allowed. But sometimes we do writing excercises in class, and that’s useful. Some legit take notes, and sometimes the discussion will wander into questions, and i encourage students to look up stuff on their computer or phone.
It’s a moving target though, and I totally understand the decision to ban them (except for students with documented disabiities). It takes more work to run a good class with computers open, than without. And I can understand someone thinking there are more urgent requirements for their energy than laptop vigilance.
^Not just laptops, now. I have way too many students who spend time on their iphones during class or lab. Personally, I’m moving towards banning the electronics beyond calculators except when we need them for something specific.
There were a few classes that I had my computer open during class.
They generally fell into a few categories:
- Powerpoint lectures. Going through so much information so quickly lends no time to write.
- Extremely difficult lecture content. This meant having the textbook open on my computer and looking up extra examples. My math, statistics, and programming classes all fell into this category.
- Programming classes. While my C++ course banned all use of computers, for the others it was more convenient to actually type code.
I’m in a high school where they’ve just recently switched to mandatory computers, unless the instructors say otherwise. Personally, I like taking notes by hand, and I find that while a computer is useful for looking things up quickly, it’s quite constraining for notes. I can draw lines and make diagrams easily, whereas on a computer that requires time that you wouldn’t have during a lecture.
So very true. Get a new surface or ipad pro, record the lecture and write your notes by hand
If it’s a case of distraction during class, I would venture to guess that phones are a larger contributer to that than computers. Lots of people use phones during class, computers less so. At least in the classes I’ve been in.
My wife is a high school teacher and she totally bans phones
I’m a good example of a student who benefits from laptops. My handwriting is awful, although it has significantly improved. However, I’m nearly gifted with typing, I’m in the 99th percentile for speed!
Students do get distracted; they definitely did in my senior class. I would hope college students tend to focus more, since these classes are no longer free. I doubt this is the same, though.
Fun fact: the high school classes were not “free” either.
I find it hard to doodle properly on the computer.
^There’s an app for that…
Like many things, it depends.
If a student was a proficient typist, perhaps taking notes on a computer would be good. Fortunately, I learned cursive and have very nice script so writing is faster and more readable than my terrible typing. And, I dislike the inconvenience, added weight and security issue carrying around my computers, especially in places with lots of others. I am over-vigilant about having all of academic eggs in one CPU so do send myself email copies and store of memory sticks which are great for sorting each topic onto its own device.
If given a choice, I would ban cell phones that kids claim they need for research. assuming they can read miniature text and there is an academic reason for reviewing selfies and chatting with friends.
In some schools here, the elementary kids have daily access to a bank of computers that are stored in a locked charging cabinet. Oh, my heart beats for this because I could use it for graphics and information when I teach or have each one designated. Can you image a whole computer cabinet full of laptops with each dedicated to Amazon or CC or?
There are multiple academic sites that kids can access, review information, answer questions about text without going back to text, and move to the next level when a passing score is earned. Most really bright/academically capable kids thrive and proceed quickly through levels. I would like to do a weekly measure of some sort to verify retention over time because they kids can move through text and answer questions quickly.
Some students behave as seen in the classroom such as as lying across the computer desk, giggling and visiting, and looking at the text without reading and answering few questions accurately. Like any teaching/learning strategy, it doesn’t work for everyone and should not, in my opinion, be adopted as the primary teaching method. So, I think using computers in school would be fun and successful for some kids, but terrible for others. As a story teller/teacher, I get readily get kids involved and interested, especially when geography, map reading, and history are involved. Show up with a globe in my hands and I am golden.
I think that kids should be allowed to take notes on a computer if that method works and they are not a concerned about security. It is certainly a good way to develop and practice computer skills and lure them into further use of the computer. Computers are a wonderful tool for exploring topics and writing papers .I also recognize that less academically capable kids can profit from using computers to learn and explore. If everyone had a map or something spiffy on a personal computer, we would be learning and having the best time.
Historically speaking, I am on-line half the day at least so surely recognize the benefit and fun of computers. I have had a computer for years, despite my tender age. When I was buying the replacement computer my first, I was told that monitors had color and was asked if interested, I asked what colors they came in, hoping for red .LO! The image was like color tv. Previously, I had run data for my dissertation on the university’s main-frame computer that read punch cards over and over when all were correct. After several days. my printout was ready–paper with green and white stripes and notched sides to track paper on the daisy-wheel printer.
I moved on to large personal computers with big floppy disks with one to hold a programs and another to save a tad of info, even as much as 25 pages. The single external drive was held up one end of the cpu and books supported the other end of the monitor.Then we had two external hard drives with one dedicated to the program and the other for the saved info. There were slots for tiny discs in a grim grey brown, You eventually could buy colored disks.
A number of years later, I got a color laptop which I loved. Later, I found I couldn’t access email; instead I had the opportunity developing skills to play space invaders successfully. I told the dean about the email issue. He replied he couldn’t afford a new one, but would add to my memory. I called and found out adding memory required expensive hand-crafting. Instead, I fetched a computer from a retiring faculty member that had been in the student computer lab for years and the passed through several faculty before landing in my office. Because of its size and weight, my office was protected from tornado damage. The thing was old, but with programs and internet, it performed very nicely. Since then, I have updated with new, but functional computers that lack lots of whistles and bells. Good choice because of the extra money to buy things I wanted on the computer .
When I would not use computers? A special education room for kids eligible for services based on a behavior disorder aka seriously emotionally disturbed now. At any age, these kids have social needs in different ways and for a variety of reasons. I have seen classrooms with kids sitting at individually carrels working on academic computer programs chosen for individual, daily lesson plans /Legally, special education provides academic training for students eligible for sped, but may not address kids’ other needs. I would cut down on the intensive computer use in classrooms, both general and special education, learn about the students and then to insure opportunity to learn from computers, teachers and interactions with other students.
Overall, I think computers are fabulous and every student should have ready access and extended use to a personally owned computer at school. No question, Of course, for, many years, many kids use textbooks that are assigned to desks and aren’t allowed out of the room (and are not aging gracefully). This is a major issue for me. I would advocate for as close to universal ownership of computers by students and have internet access at school as a minimum. Kids also need the books on their own computers.
Look at neuropsychologforkids Pretty cool.
Wait, wait. First one has to put computers into every classroom. Give an iPod to every child (Los Angeles school district). Then, make an expensive study and realize, that education had not improved. Ooops.
Only then, ask the question “Is It Time To Ban Computers From Classrooms?” Make an expensive study and realize that education had not improved. Write 10 scientific papers and 10,000 editorials. Ban computers. Ban them all!
Couple of years later, repeat the cycle.
This thread is about college. I never heard any movement to equip every college class with computers.
Tsss. Don’t give ideas to politicians.
I never thought laptops or tablets or other electronics were banned from classrooms and didn’t even know it was an issue until a friend’s daughter had an issue with professors. She has an accommodation and was upset that teachers then required her to sit in a certain row.
I just assumed that college kids got to make their own decisions on how to ‘do’ college. Go to class, don’t go to class, take notes, don’t take them, record lectures or totally tune out. I used to buy notes for one class in the bookstore because I could never make the drawings look even close to what was on the projector.
My daughter did say one of her friends just played on the phone through chemistry and no surprising, dropped out of school by Halloween.