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On the Problems with Laptops in School?

Posted by Cliff on from the distractions-in-class dept.

resistor2004 asks: "My school has recently implemented a program of issuing laptops to all students from 7th grade through highschool seniors, and providing a massive 802.11b network across the campus. As you can imagine, it's a serious nightmare for the IT department. Apart from the usual run of broken laptops we have had a major problem with students usign email during class. Is there any effective way to allow the teacher to monitor the student's activity from his/her own laptop? Some of our teachers have come up with creative methods like installing mirrors in the back of the classroom so that they can see the students' screens, but a method that could be performed on the laptop would be even better." Might VNC be a potential solution to this problem. I would think that with a few creative scripts, and a working VNC client, a teacher can pop up a window to see what students are doing on their school-provided computers. Can you think of other ways teachers may be able to monitor students laptop use in-class to insure that they are at least not horsing around when they should be learning?

9 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. Plenty of ways. by Violet+Null · · Score: 3, Insightful

    VNC is a good one, as mentioned, but it's not exactly an automated solution. Since these are school-provided computers, you could also have a client/service/component/whaddeva on the machine that, when prodded remotely, enumerates the running processes/windows and matches them against a list of what's being looked for (eg, email, webbrowsing, solitaire, etc.) and returns any offenders.

    Of course, anything that's done this way can be gotten around with enough time and effort (a reformat is simple, but the lack of the client/service/component/whaddeva would be suspicious), but that's the risk you take when you give laptops to people who might use 'em.

  2. One way by biglig2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Server-centric, but why not block access to the e-mail server for the student accounts during class hours?

    I'm sure you could knock together a script that reads the timetable and determines where each student is meant to be.

    --
    ~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
    1. Re:One way by biglig2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      BTW, can we get a proer problem description?

      What OS on the laptops? What mail server? What applications might a user legitimately be running while in class? (I presume a word processor?) Does that list change (can you legitimately be sending mail and surfing the net in certain clases?) Does it need to be something the teacher turns on and off? ("Right class, now I'll turn the network on so you can look for the answes to this question on the net")

      --
      ~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
  3. Loose the laptops by Ledge · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It seems to me, in a classroom, the last thing these kids need is another distraction. Yeah, technology is great and all, but come on. With the direction that the educational system in the US has been going, it seems like having kids staring at the blackboard is a better method. If you need a laptop for school, limit it to being used in study hall and interactive classes.

    --
    If it ain't a Model M, it's a piece of crap.
  4. Curious... by Nater · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What's wrong with the non-technical solution (mirrors)? It doesn't have that "21st century appeal" but is there really anything wrong with it? Your IT department is already burdened with the chore of keeping all of this new crap working, so if teachers can solve this problem with mirrors, I say let them.

    --

    I like to play children's songs in minor keys.
    "We're all sons of bitches now." --J. Robert Oppenheimer

  5. Why even bother? by wickidpisa · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why go through all this just to stop kids from fooling around in class? If they are not going to pay attention in class then it is their loss. I not saying that no measures whatsoever should be taken in classrooms to make students pay attention, but there is a limit to it. If it was technologically possible would you really want to prevent students' _minds_ from wandering? I should hope not. I definately think high school students are capable of deciding if they want to pay attention or not, and just locking computers is not going to change their decisions. You might have a valid request for the 7th/8th grade students, but I still think most of them are old enough too.

  6. Another non-technical solution by pete-classic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Put the laptop under your chair during class, or take an F."

    A laptop is a tool (and a toy). It is a tool that has NOTHING to do with learning from someone who is standing in front of you.

    The only possible use would be taking notes. Is it condusive to a lecture to have 20-30 students all typing at the same time? Is there anything more than a marginal benefit over the students using a paper notebook?

    I think you have made yourself a problem, and that the best solution is to STOP making that problem for yourself (doctor, it hurts when I move my arm like this . . .).

    -Peter

    1. Re:Another non-technical solution by DaoudaW · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If lecturing to 20-30 students is your vision of education then you're right, laptops don't belong in the classroom.

      But, if you are asking students to gather information and work together to analyze it and synthesize a creative response to it, then laptops can play an important role. Even email could play an important role.

      My wife had a run in with the sysadmin at her school when she gave an assignment which required the use of email. He said, "But we have banned email during academic hours." She said, "But this is academic email!" She won after the sysadmin went to the principal to get her disciplined.

    2. Re:Another non-technical solution by pete-classic · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, any answer is wrong if you re-frame the question mid stream. Yes, email can be part of education. Sure.

      The problem was, however, what to do about students screwing off during class. Part of the answer is "don't let them play with their toys during class."

      Point is, there are lots of approaches to education. Handing kids notebooks with wireless and then hoping they pay attention in class isn't one of them.

      Now, having said all that, I took a "class" in high school that consisted of three back-to-back periods where the students basically wrote their own syllabus. It was different from individual study in that it was a semi-organized class. That is, you don't really have "class mates" in individual study. It was the best educational experience I ever had in pubic school.

      But you can't do it half way. You can't hand out notebook and hope kids learn something.

      Finally, all this stuff is great. Technology is great. Independent and self-guided study is great. BUT, I think we could do with a bit more focus on the fundamentals. All that "alternative" stuff is great, but it must be reserved for those who have already learned to sit down, shut up, study and learn, and who have learned to properly read, write and compute (not work a computer, compute).

      -Peter