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Sydney Bridges

Mrs. Hancock

EN-101-18

7 November 2018

Technological Advancement or Distraction

In today’s society, the evolution of technology and its various advancements has brought

about many opinions. Technology used to be thought of as something that would benefit and

help improve our everyday lives, but recent studies show that it can be a hindrance to our

learning abilities.

In “A Proposal to Improve the Campus Learning Environment by Banning Laptops and

Cell Phones from Class” by Lucy Morsen, the author expresses her thoughts concerning the use

of electronic devices by her classmates during class. She summarizes her statement in her thesis

by stating, “My annoyance at my classmates and my frustration at not being able to focus

undercut my enjoyment of class.” (397) Morsen states that she is regularly distracted by the

sights and sounds of laptop computers and cell phones which keep her from concentrating and

enjoying the class. The author goes on to explain the importance of an atmosphere of interaction

in the classroom between the students and the teacher. Morsen proposes a complete ban on the

use of electronic devices as opposed to wifi limits or the teacher making the decision on use in

their classrooms. Over time, it would become more common to not have these devices, she

argues. The author continues her proposal by providing the benefits of a complete ban. She

implies that distractions would be eliminated, learning and test scores would improve, and even

current users would improve academically. Morsen cites several surveys to support her view.

Morsen then exposes the idea that students feel like they are capable of multitasking. However,
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cited studies show otherwise. The author also downplays the argument that students need these

devices for use in the classroom, such as taking notes, by pointing out that the temptation to get

distracted is just too great. Morsen concludes by suggesting “a campus-wide ban” on laptops and

cell phones in order to improve learning.

In my opinion, Lucy Morsen’s proposal for prohibiting laptops and cell phones in the

classroom was well put together. Because she provided factual statements in her proposal, I was

easily persuaded, and I was more inclined to read it from her perspective. I do agree with her that

when other students use their cell phones or laptops in class, it can be very distracting. Also,

having the ability to use laptops without being told not to is simply a recipe for disaster. Unless

students are informed that they aren’t allowed to do something, or that it is a distraction to

themselves as well as others, they are still going to do it. I am a culprit of that myself, and

without realizing it, I could be interfering with my peers’ abilities to learn as well as my own.

She brought up a good point in her proposal that it is not just seeing the lights from the screens

that is distracting, but also the sounds of the keys being typed on the laptops, vibrations of cell

phones, and the noises of phone keypads being clicked.

Morsen makes many good arguments to try to convince the Faculty Senate to ban laptops

and cell phones entirely, however, I do not completely agree with her proposal. First, I think that

if they were to completely ban cell phones and laptops, then students would be more apt to not

come to class, or they would go to sleep in class. On a couple occasions, I had to play a game on

my phone or do homework for another class simply because I couldn’t stay awake. I feel like

banning technology would make me pay less attention in class because I would be focused on

watching the clock or trying to keep myself occupied during the hour or hour and a half long

lecture. Second, students, like Lucy Morsen, who consider cell phones and laptops a distraction,
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should sit in the front of the classroom. She says, “my eyes are drawn to the animations and

flashing colors on neighboring laptop screens.” (397) Perhaps sitting at the front of the class

would decrease, if not eliminate, these distractions. Also, before going straight to the Faculty

Senate, she should have communicated with her professors that cell phones and laptops are a

distraction for her. Doing so might have helped the situation, as well as shown to her professors

that she has a desire to learn.

In conclusion, Morsen wrote a very persuasive proposal that caught my attention. It made

me realize that maybe I am one of those people that she thinks is a distraction in class by using

electronics. Her writing connected with my emotions which is a strong attribute of an excellent

writer. There were some things that I did not agree with, but because I am a millennial of this

generation, I fall into the group of people who “believe that they are skilled multitaskers,” and

who say, “they only use their laptops for class-related purposes, and that an outright ban on

laptops in the classroom would be unfair” (398). That being said, I believe her proposal would

resonate well with the Faculty Senate, assuming that they are old-fashioned intellectuals.
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Works Cited
Morsen, Lucy. “A Proposal to Improve the Campus Learning Environment by Banning Laptops

and Cellphones from Class.” The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing. 7th ed., edited by

Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, Pearson Education Inc., 2015. pp. 396-399.