opinion
KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, JAN. 21, 2016
Text your #FFA submissions to 785-289-UDK1 (8351)
If no one sees me for a few weeks, it's probably because I'm still waiting in the textbook line.
do you ever wonder how much chapstick you would have if you never lost chapstick?
Anyone else find themselves accidentally saying "cheick" in place of the word "check"? Thanks #kubball
Having a seating chart in a class in an auditorium is bad practice.
I'm glad you think your class is important. I'm not spending $500 on textbooks for it.
My math professor says "Ok, guys. Do you get this? You really need to get this" after nearly every sentence. I feel this getting irritating already
I'm a senior in my math class. We had to go over how to use Blackboard for a good ten minutes today. Dear god
Yes
RT if every time you walk outside you mutter "FML" under your breath because your hands hurt from the 10 degree weather
Is it spring break yet?
Senior year means parking in different color coded parking lots every day to avoid the $200 plus I've racked up.
Read more at kansan.com
The High School Musical reunion makes me feel like I'm soaring, flying.
Scott Drew gives me hope that I could be a college basketball coach
May your coffee be as strong as you are my friend
What's lower? The wind chill or my GPA?
The answer may surprise you.
My TA is more interested in "building our reading skills" than teaching the material...glad Em getting my moneys worth...
Why do people decide to sit directly next to me when the bus is empty? Let me zone out in peace.
directed, self-regulating laptop use beneficial in classrooms
Only fell three times today. New personal best.
JESSE BURBANK
@JBurbank1
In recent years, some professors have opted to ban laptops from their classrooms, citing studies that claim laptop usage distracts students from lectures and discussions. However, these professors ignore the potential benefits of laptops in the classroom.
To begin, there are several advantages of laptop usage in class, like making note-taking more efficient, removing the need to bring physical copies of reading materials to class and allowing more engaging opportunities for collaborative group work.
The answer is a cautious yes. Research by Dr. Weiyu Zhang performed at the National University of Singapore and published in the journal Computers & Education asserts that laptop usage in class, under the right conditions, can be a powerful learning aid for students.
So, do these factors outweigh the potential for laptops to distract students in class? After all, we've all seen some classmates spend more time browsing Facebook and Amazon than truly paying attention, and taking notes.
In his study based on 176 surveyed college students, Zhang
found that promoting self-regulation among students discourages multitasking and increases attentiveness in class. Further, he notes that student senses of self-efficacy and academic purpose strongly encourage self-regulation of one's own behavior, promoting better overall academic performance.
Zhang concludes "educators and parents need to encourage students' self-regulation of laptop multitasking behaviors through building students' senses of self-efficacy and learning motivations (or employing strategies where laptops are used deliberately as part of class), instead of simply banning laptops in classrooms."
In addition to Zhang's findings, research from the University of Michigan suggests deliberately engaging laptops in class improves attentiveness and engagement, especially in large, Budig-style lecture halls. Through programs like Kahoot and LectureTools, professors can create a way for their students to actively engage with material, rather than just passively absorbing it.
Beyond the question of whether laptop use promotes learning in class,
we also have to consider the value of students' personal choices. College students are adults paying large sums of money to attend classes in order to further their education. Presumably, they know themselves and they know how they most effectively learn in the classroom.
@KANSANNEWS
Just as they will be required to find which lifestyle and career best suit them, students should be allowed the freedom to decide whether a laptop harms or helps their academic performance.
@UNIVERSITY
DAILYKANSAN
Jesse Burbank is a junior from Quinter, studying history and political science.
Laptop usage can be a powerful asset in promoting learning. Through embracing opportunities for students to better engage with their class material and promoting self-efficacy, professors can more effectively impart information and respect students' learning preferences.
- Edited by Mackenzie Walker
/THEKANSAN
Individual professors should decide whether or not to allow students to use computers during their classes. To enhance the learning experience of both teachers and students, classrooms should be technology-free zones and students should hand-write their notes.
laptops should not be allowed during class
RACHEL GONZALES @KansanNews
The primary reason that students should not be allowed to use computers in the classroom is that technology is a distraction. It is almost impossible to escape the distraction of technology in everyday life, and the classroom is one of the few settings in which this can be controlled.
Students are often overconfident in their ability to multi-task. While they may think they can listen to the professor and retain information at the same time they are writing an email, focusing attention is a sure way to learn more in class. A study done by Stanford University found that people who are regularly emerged in several streams of
While students can take notes on computers, the number of other distractions on computers is endless. Whether it's chatting with friends, surfing social media, playing games, doing work for other classes, or checking their email, students are often doing anything but taking notes behind the safety of their screens.
electronic information do not pay attention, control their memory or switch from one job to another as well as those who prefer to complete one task at a time.
It is impossible for teachers to monitor whether computers are being used for notes or not, and therefore the only way to avoid these unnecessary distractions is to insist that computers not be used. It is hard enough to get students to pay attention in class, the last thing teachers need to give students is the opportunity to cyber-stalk their ex or watch cat videos all class period.
A study done by Cornell University in 2003, entitled "The Laptop and the Lecture," divided a class in half and allowed only one half to use laptops during lecture. The study found that the students who were disconnected from technology performed significantly better on a post-lecture quiz then those students who used laptops.
Not only are computers distracting to students who use them in class, but to students around them not using computers as well. Too often lectures are filled with open screens, distractingly visible to people in seats farther back. Besides just students, teachers can also be distracted by students staring at computer screens instead of having their eyes up front.
While many students prefer to type notes on computers, hand-writing notes is, for several reasons, more beneficial to their learning. According to Lifehacker, "One of the most effective ways to study and retain new information is to rewrite your notes by hand. This is because putting ink to paper stimulates a part of the brain called the Reticular Activating System, or RAS." Likewise, hand-writing notes forces students to slow down and think more about the notes that they are taking.
Allowing students to use technology in the classroom also gives an unfair advantage to students who are financially better-off than others. Not everyone can afford a laptop, and not everyone is able to take notes as quickly as those who type them. It is important to treat all students equally and allow them all the same opportunities while in the classroom.
Ultimately, using computers in class is distracting and unfair. Technology takes away the amount a student is able to learn and a teacher is able to teach.
Rachel Gonzales is a Junior from Fort Collins, CO, studying journalism and sociology.
Edited by Ryan Wright
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