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Professor Bans Laptops from the Classroom

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the luddite-heros dept.

An anonymous reader writes "USAToday is reporting that students are up in arms over a University of Memphis Professor who has decided to ban laptops from her classroom. Earlier this month Professor Entman sent an email warning to her students to bring paper and pens to take notes and leave the laptops at home. From the article: '"My main concern was they were focusing on trying to transcribe every word that was I saying, rather than thinking and analyzing," Entman said Monday. "The computers interfere with making eye contact. You've got this picket fence between you and the students."'"

4 of 1,260 comments (clear)

  1. Laptops aren't for taking notes by Jason+Earl · · Score: 3, Informative

    I recently went back to school after a long time (10 years) off campus, and I was expecting laptops to be a much bigger deal than they are. For the most part it looks to me like the folks that are actually taking notes are still using paper. The folks with laptops appear to spend most of their time either surfing the web or chatting online.

    I suppose I can understand a teacher wanting her students to actually pay attention. Of course, if she gets paid either way...

  2. The Professor is arguably correct in the theory by jd · · Score: 3, Informative
    You've got to concentrate on what is being described, not on what is being said. The students are not there to be secretaries - unless it's a secretarial class. However, pen and paper alone won't fix the problem, as the students will just transcribe that way.


    In this day and age, the simplest thing would be to have the lecturer set up a webcam that can view the lecturn and blackboard/whiteboard, with a microphone to record what is said. The students could then be issued with a DVD of the lecture, which covers the notes angle. In order for the students to bother turning up - and stay awake - the lecture then has to become more interactive, with students actually solving problems (for example) for which they are graded.


    The best way to learn is to do, the best notes are the ones NOT made in a rush in real-time, the best classes are the ones where students learn more than what is presented - but also where you are not penalized for not mind-reading what "more" you are "supposed" to learn.

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  3. Re:I Wouldn't Call Her a Luddite by Compenguin · · Score: 4, Informative

    If the professor cannot be bothered to impart the information in such a way as to make his students learn it as well as possible, then perhaps he should find another job. He is, after all, a teacher being paid to teach, not a wise man imparting his pearls of wisdom in the form of incomprehensible riddels out of the goodness of his heart.

    Actually he's paid to do research and asked to teach on the side.

  4. I have a professor that did this - I love it by alijsyed · · Score: 3, Informative

    Half my class was busy playing online games or IM each other or other friends.
    It proved too distracting to us who wanted to actually learn something.
    Lapotops are useless in linguistics because it's a thinking class.

    My professor sent us all an email and verbally told us:
    Pen & paper and a brain are required for class. Leave the laptop at home please.

    After a month, I'd say it was a big change. More class input and greater involvement in the lectures and seminars. By the end no one cared about laptops.

    I found the noise fromt he keyboards really annoying so I welcomed this move.