At the start of my last semester of school, I was taken back when I read the syllabus for one of my classes. It read something like: “laptops may not be brought to class because they distract both the student and the teacher.” For most of my college career I had gotten used to bringing my laptop to class to take notes because I could type much faster than I could write, and sorting and organizing notes was much easier. Here I was in my last semester and the teacher wasn’t going to allow a laptop. I was annoyed, but life went on without my laptop and I had to get used to writing my notes once again.
That was the first and only time where I’ve been in a situation where laptops were not allowed, but that might be changing. Now it appears that managers of companies are thinking like my professor did and asking their employees not to bring computers to meetings. Will this request eventually become a new trend? A recent blog entry by Christopher Null over at Yahoo Tech talks about this very issue. Nulls says that managers are tired of workers bringing their laptops to meetings to do anything but work.
He says:
Laptops are vital business tools and banning them makes little sense on the surface. That is, after all, why laptops were invented in the first place: So people could take their computer off their desk and into another environment, like a meeting and be doubly productive.
Then he went on to say:
Laptops may be more a symptom of meetings that were already useless rather than the cause. How many times have I wished I could catch up on my email instead of having to sit in a crowded conference room and listen to a stuffed shirt drone on about another grand, corporate design that will never come to pass?
More than I can count. Now give me back my Minesweeper.
I’ve always been one that has the mind-set of work smarter, not harder, and that’s what a laptop has allowed me to do. While some employees and students may use a laptop for leisure (at times, there’s nothing wrong with using a laptop to pass time), others don’t and use it to work smarter. This got me thinking about other technology devices that could be added to a “ban” list like Smartphones, iPhones, or cell phones in general. When it comes down to it, are all of these devices more distractive than they are beneficial?
I don’t know about you, but I’m really hoping that a “no laptops allowed” rule doesn’t become the new trend…
I teach 6th grade at a middle school in Texas where all of the students are issued laptops for the academic year. While it does add one more type of classroom monitoring that I have to do, the benefits the students get from working with the computers far outweighs the negatives of the small number of students who play games instead of learning.
Personally I’d like to see a new trend: No Meetings Allowed.
I’m betting that productivity would go through the roof!
If the students or employees play games, their loss. They can get fired or not learn something important. It’ll haunt them sometime in the future.
I think we need to put together a committee to investigate that idea. I’ll be the champion of this project and we’ll meet 4 times a week. We’ll have an answer by the end of the year.
It might be an omen of things to come because I work at a cell phone/wireless company and we are not allowed to bring our BlackBerry smartphones into meetings. Try and figure THAT one out…
I totally understand the no laptop rule. If you are in a meeting then you should be paying attention to whoever is speaking, when you are in class you should be paying attention to the professor.
Yes you could use laptops to take notes faster or pull up info for a meeting, but looking at a laptop screen for f2f interaction is inappropriate. Most people will get distracted.
There are different types of interpersonal communication which work most effectively when people submit to them and not try to mash them up with other types.
Meetings, especially, are one of those interaction scenarios where everyone needs to focus on the purpose of the meeting, and be present and attempt to conclude it successfully, not veg out on a laptop.
I have declined to take workshops when I was informed that I couldn’t bring my laptop. I have dysgraphia and am not able to take handwritten notes. The first thing I do during a class is plug in headphones with a volume control turned off. Then after I boot the machine I turn the mute on.
I’m an adult and a teacher. If I choose not to pay attention my loss – but it is usually because the presenter is boring or presenting nonsense.
I’m opposed to my district’s policy not allowing personal electronic equipment for students. I have no problem with students having cell phones (on vibrate in class), MP3 players – (headphones off while I’m talking), or laptops.
Laptops are not only a distraction to the user and the teacher, but to other students around the classroom. Tapping keys, video, and blinking content interrupt concentration. I’ve moved several times because the jackass in front of my wanted to watch basketball replays on ESPN or felt the need to catch up on email responses the entire class. In my graduate program, it is these very people who do the worst on assignments and exams, because they can’t invest the time and effort to pay attention in class. Ban ‘em. The notebooks, that is.
That’s awesome Carl! Not many schools are able to offer that to their students. When I was a student teacher in a 6th grade classroom, the most the students got to use a computer at school was once a week for 30 minutes for a “typing class.” And that was “if” there was time. Those are some lucky kids that you teach.
Wow, what a trend that would be!
Often times though (depending on where you work, of course) meetings aren’t planned in advance or necessary in the first place and so it ends up being a waste of time. In those situations, I don’t blame people for taking their laptops to actually get something done.
I can understand the banning of electronic devices like this in high school and middle school classes, but banning laptops in college classrooms is a completely stupid idea. Most college students are a) mature enough to have gotten into college in the first place and b) responsible enough to use their laptop for its appropriate function. If a teacher is concerned about a student being distracted, they should really stop. If a student is geniunely distracted by their laptop, then they deserve to fail. College classes aren’t for little kids, they are for adults who go there for a reason. Teachers should stop trying to micromanage their students as if they are in high school.
Agreed!
The Pulse Smart Pen from LiveScribe can solve the no laptop rule anywhere, and still allow you to have digital and searchable notes, once they are transferred to a laptop. [livescribe.com]
PS. I don’t work for the company.
I wouldn’t say this solves the no laptop rule, for me anyways. One reason I use a laptop is because I type faster than I write. If I have to write the information anyways using the Pulse Smart Pen to access later, it doesn’t really do me a whole lot of good.
My school blocked my pulse pen. $200 of my money that I saved up for nothing!
I have dysgraphia as stated by another poster here. Its difficult to understand, but telling me I cannot use a laptop in class is like telling a paraplegic they can’t bring a wheelchair to class – its not an option. I am glad it recognized by the ADA and I can no longer be denied (while I am in law school).
To the nay sayers, I understand you angst, but you also have to understand this is the 21 Century. We are all forced to produce more and faster in order to keep up with the business and now, seemingly, the social and leisure world. I apologize if its a distraction to you, but you it’s not fair to be disadvantaged by those love the archaic graphite and ink way of doing things.