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.

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.

My school blocked my pulse pen. $200 of my money that I saved up for nothing!

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.

PS. I don’t work for the company.

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!

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.

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’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.

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.