Wide Web of Diversions.

I found the article explaining how laptops have been ban from some classrooms very interesting. It made me think of how I use my laptop in class, and what I've seen others doing. Overall, I think it's a hard choice for teachers choose whether they want students using laptops or not. There are plenty of advantages to having the technology. If something is brought up in class, I find myself looking it up online, and I've noticed other people do this too. Also, for me personally, I can type faster than I can write things out by hand. So if I need to take a lot of notes I would rather be able to use my computer. Another thing is when the teacher is going through a power point presentation or pulling from articles they have listed online, it is useful for me to be able to pull those things up on my own computer, just as I've been doing the last few days of class.

I can understand though, why teachers would be opposed to having laptops in their classrooms. It causes a major distraction. It seems inevitable that students are going to look at something that is not relevant to class, such as Facebook, e-mail, YouTube, checking up on the scores of a sports game, or even doing homework for other classes. On occasion, I have felt that I was being very distracted by having a laptop, or by someone near me having one. I find that when someone near me or in front of me has a laptop and is jumping from site to site, I am drawn to it and my attention is no longer on the class discussion.

As far as ever reaching an overall consensus as to whether computers are more useful in or out of the classroom, I think the jury is still out. It can be either good or bad, and without teachers constantly walking around the room and peering over the shoulder of every student, I think they will continue to be sometimes distracted from class. Laptops in classroom can be a benefit or distraction; it just depends on how the student chooses to use it.