Why banning laptops in the classroom is a legit policy
Jane Lytvynenko | Fulcrum Contributor
Illustration by Megan McArdle
I AM WEAK. Instead of doing work, I go on Twitter; when it’s time to buckle down, I have to turn on an app that shuts down all of my social media. I can’t resist the vortex of information on the Internet whether I’m in class, on the bus, or at home. I read the news when I walk my dog and browse Foursquare when I come to a new place. And I’m not the only one.
University of Ottawa professors have the ability to ban electronics in the classroom and I’m all for this policy. One glance around a crowded lecture hall will show that most people are web surfing. Why listen to a professor drone on when half a dozen of your friends are dying to tell you about the latest gossip?
Students against the ban might argue that we’re all grown-ups who assume responsibility for our own actions, but that’s not realistic. At the end of the day, we know we’ll go on Facebook and Twitter, or browse cat memes. The reason we’re mad about laptops banned from classrooms is that we wouldn’t be able to stay plugged in; we’d be forced to learn really boring theory from a guy whose name most of us can’t even remember. Not fun.
Personally, I’ve seen a rise in my grades when I put my laptop away. I dusted off my pen and paper and started bringing it to the classroom, which made me more engaged and involved—the profs can actually see my face this way instead of trying to make eye contact with the cat sticker on my computer lid. It’s so nice when teachers know what their students look like.
Whenever I give a presentation and see people texting, I get nervous and irritated: Was my hard-researched material too boring? Am I boring? Will they pay attention if I start tap dancing? Our poor professors have to put up with technologically induced ADD in every class. It’s disrespectful and unnecessary. The professors won’t ever top the hilarity of the latest Lazy College Senior meme, but that’s no reason not to pay attention to them.
That’s why I support technology bans in the classroom—they are eye-opening and annoying, and they work. It’s good to know I can survive three hours without my dear laptop, and it’s nice to work on my calligraphy skills too. Above all, I want to learn, even if that means parting with my MacBook for a while.
