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In the modern classroom setting, professors and students alike are confronted with the challenges presented by the ever-increasingly technological environment in which we live. Whether technological advances are useful and functional within the classroom or whether they hinder the learning experience seems to be a matter of some controversy. Some technological activities, such as texting on cell phones and listening to iPods, seem to be blatantly obvious in their distracting nature. Other expressions of technology however, are less clear in their uses and abuses. One such example would be that of the use of laptops and the Internet in a classroom setting.
In order to understand the nature of the controversy over the use of laptops within the classroom and to obtain a better grasp of the pros and cons presented, Columns asked various faculty and student body members alike for insights on their experiences and opinions in regards to this issue.
Dr. Melton, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Notre Dame, has a general stance against the use of laptop computers within her classroom. Having been a student that routinely uses her laptop for note-taking purposes in class, I personally remember being kindly but firmly asked to put it away in my first class with Dr. Melton. Yet this has not always been business as usual for Dr. Melton. “It was not until other students pointed out to me that their peers were surfing the Internet the entire class period that I began to have a problem with their presence in the classroom” says Melton. Although not bothered by the constant tapping or other such smaller annoyances introduced by their use, the fact that significant portions of the class were entirely engaged in non-class activities during the period convinced Dr. Melton that the learning environment was hindered by their presence. Dr. Melton is quick to note that she feels concerned at times for the sake of the students who learn best through the use of their computers for note-taking and other class related purposes. However, she feels that distraction that would come for the greater of amount of students is too substantial to overlook.
Graduate student Roxana Beyranvand holds much of the same view. “It is not that I am opposed to laptops in the classroom. In fact, when I was in a class that allowed computers I enjoyed it much more than taking notes by hand. At the same time, it is impossible to miss the amount of students around you who are checking their Facebook and MySpace pages or shopping online”. Ms. Beyranvand made this comment regarding a class she took in the Mac Lab in which all the students had access to a computer and internet. Other students find the use of laptops problematic for other reasons.
Undergraduate junior Madeline Martin-Seaver finds the incessant tapping of keys and the constant images that surfing students bring up on their screens to be distracting and hindering to her educational experience during the class period. When asked her opinion on the matter junior Chelsey Pennamon laughed and said, “If I used a laptop in Organic Chemistry, I’d be failing right now”. Much like Dr. Melton, these students find the use of laptops in the classroom to be helpful if used in the proper context, but the distraction they pose to those who do not use them for educational purposes to significantly outweigh any apparent benefit.
By contrast, Professor Ruocco, Poli-Sci/Pre-Law Adjunct Professor at college of Notre Dame, finds the advantage students gain from the presence and use of technology within the classroom to be substantial enough to justify their presence. Routinely taking advantage of various technological resources within the classroom herself, Professor Ruocco guides students through her lectures utilizing a series of power-point slides. Not only does she make these presentations available for students to study from, she allows and even encourages students to use their laptops in class periods for note taking purposes. Occasionally she will ask the students to look up briefs of cases or other class related information on the Internet. Says Ruocco, “I think the benefits of technology - an enhanced learning environment in the classroom - outweigh the potential downsides. Integrating technology allows for instantaneous exposure to research, scholarship, and ideas, a surefire way to promote discussion and debate in the classroom. As for the downsides, I leave discretion for laptop usage to students' individual responsibility.” Senior Michelle Santos agrees. “I find that it helps me quickly and readily answer questions that may arise in class and formats my notes in an orderly and structured fashion”, speaking of using her laptop in her Constitutional Law class.
As evidenced by the wide range of opinions on the issue, the use of laptops in the classroom is nowhere near a settled issue. One suggested solution is to allow laptops in all classes but to restrict the Internet flow within those rooms. This however hinders with the preference of some professors to pull up various images or presentations that may be located online.
Although far from resolved, the issue remains relevant and challenging to this year’s student population. The advances that come with the growth of technology pose both aides and hindrances to the educational environment a classroom is intended to foster. How to resolve the conflict is a question left to you, the student population, and future Notre Dame classes.
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