EDUC260 - Are Laptops a distraction?

Read the article at: http://chronicle.com/article/The-Fight-for-Classroom/19431. Answer the

following questions using information from the article.

1. Who is the author of the article?

JEFFREY R. YOUNG

2. When was the article written?

June 2, 2006

3. What are some things that students admit to doing with their laptops instead of
paying attention to the classroom teacher?

do some online shopping or chat using instant messenger.

4. What are some ways that professors have used to try and stop students from being
distracted by laptops?
 Ban laptops from the classroom
 Asking the laptop users to sit in the front row
 Switch off the classroom internet access during some sessions

5. What are some reasons students give that they should be able to use a laptop?

The students argued that they are living in multipurpose era that why they are able to
balance between using the internet and participating in class activities

6. The article mentions an incident where a University professor banned laptops from
her class and it was big news in the media. Who was the professor, what did she
teach, and what University did she work at?

June Entman a law professor in University of Memphis

7. List at least 3 Universities that have some professors that have banned laptops
 Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas, Widener, and Pace

8. What is an Internet Kill Switch? Why would it be used?

A system to control the internet access that have five sitting .

It is used for :
disabling email access
disabling internet access
shut all the accesses
allow all the accesses
allowing access only to campus Web pages

9. What are some challenges with using an Internet Kill Switch?

student’s laptops may be able to catch a single from a nearby classroom that still have
the net work opened

Is a teacher switched of the network other classes may have trouble especially if they
have exam online

10. Do you think it is fair for teachers to ban laptops or turn off the internet? Why?
I think that banning laptops may be too much for an option ,since we do everything on
the laptop .It is the student responsibility after all the teacher can’t force the students
all the time and if that happen the student will do unacceptable or even illegal actions in
order to get his freedom. If the student want to study he will and if he didn’t he won’t.
so the teacher should keep the students motivated and shouldn’t give very long lectures
without giving the chance to ask questions or do activities some on the laptop and some
on the paper or just a discussion .