Laptops can be a useful classroom aid for note taking or looking up facts as part of a class discussion, but some professors say computers also provide a potential distraction for students.
"In the spring '05, I noticed that students were not using them to take notes but to use IM and exchange e-mail," said W. Joseph Campbell, associate professor in the School of Communication. "I thought it was a distraction, so I recommended that students not use them in class."
Some students find laptops to be a helpful in class. They find that they are able to take more effective notes because typing is faster than writing.
"I think [laptops] are a good thing because teachers expect you to keep up with what they are saying" said McKayle Davison, a freshman in the School of International Service. "I feel like I can get more out of [their lectures]. I can also type faster than I can write."
Students also have found other productive uses for laptops in the classroom.
"I also use it to look up answers to questions the professor asked when no one else could figure them out," said Jordan Haverly, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs.
Haverly used his laptop in three of his classes last semester and said he would use them in all of his classes if the professors allowed them.
With an increased use of technology students are also able to use classroom tools with their laptops.
"I mainly used my laptop in statistics because I was able to download the PowerPoint slides my professor was using and follow along in class" said Julie Byrnes, a freshman in SIS. "Since my wireless Internet didn't work in the room, I wasn't able to be distracted"
Teachers have mixed reactions about the use of laptops in their classrooms.
"The use of laptops in the classroom can be both a great help for students and also a serious distraction," said Amanda Berry, an associate professor of Literature at AU. "Unfortunately, and it's very obvious when this occurs, some students use their laptop computer to surf the Web and write e-mails, or work on projects for other courses, when they use their laptop during class."
According to Berry, this cannot and should not be blamed on the technology itself.
"Responsible students use laptops computers responsibly, and to improve learning during their class meetings," Berry said.
However, not all students use their laptops for academic purposes.
"I use my laptop to keep myself occupied in my big lecture classes because they are boring and repetitive" said Matt Espina, a freshman in SIS. Espina mainly uses his laptop to talk to his friends on AIM.
Ruben Musca, a junior in SIS, also uses his laptop in class for entertainment purposes at times.
"I use my laptop if the class is really boring, especially a block class," Musca said. "I take notes, but when there is a lull in the class I buy stuff on e-Bay"
