The Laptop Ate My Attention Span

There’s no denying that technology has grown to play a major role in education and learning. Students are using laptops, tablets, and smartphones to research, complete, and even collaborate on assignments, both in and outside of the classroom. Timothy D. Snyder and Thomas L. Friedman both have written articles expressing their opposing opinions on technology in the classroom. Timothy Snyder is a Professor of History at Yale University who has written five different award-winning books. In his article, “Why Laptops Are Distracting America’s Future Workforce”, Snyder explains to students and teachers why he is against technology in the classroom. Thomas Friedman is a reporter and columnist for The New York Times, author of six award-winning

Instead of starting homework, teens and others find themselves falling to distractions such as social media. A computet scientist named David Gelernterexpresses his concern by writing, "Our children's attention spans are too short already, but the Web is a propaganda machine for short attention spans" (Source E ). Teachers ulimately find themselves as rivals with technology. Students disregard teachers through phones, iPods, and more. If technology was introduced to schools, teachers would need to acwuire a compromise between distractions and

In defense of laptops in the classroom” Summary/Analysis/Response (SAR) Paper Summary “In defense of laptops in the classroom” written by Rebecca Schuman, talks about the issue of why computers should be allowed in a college classroom. Schuman explains how people of the new generation use computers in classrooms doing almost everything in college now, rather it be taking notes or accessing course material, and it's more affordable for poorer students. Analysis Schuman attempts to use logos, structuring of her article, and has a good purpose to persuade readers of her agreement. Schuman wrote this article “In defense of laptops in the classroom” in order to persuade professors why computers should be allowed in the classroom and how you can combat them if the student isn’t paying attention, plus they are more affordable for poorer students because they’re covered by financial aid. Schuman focuses on this group of audience primarily because some professors do not like computers in their classroom rather it be because the student isn’t paying attention or is using the computer for non-class related things. Schuman attempts to reason the discussion of why computers should be allowed in the class is that it’s completely up to the student whether they use it for good or not. Schuman makes the point early on that she feels that the computer is not faulty, but rather the student who makes the decision on what use to use the computer for. Schuman exemplifies this problem when she

In response to the article “Attention Students: Put Your Laptops Away”, my opinion on the

Technology has a huge impact on everyone. Despite the variety of age groups, we have all become dependent on using technology throughout our lives. With the use of smartphones, alarm clocks, headphones, and so forth, we have started to invest tech into our everyday lifestyle, where it is now a social norm. As we are moving rapidly into a tech-based world, the use of technology has been incorporated into classrooms. Teachers have introduced PowerPoints, chatrooms, online assignments and much more to make the classroom run smoothly and help students accomplish more from their learning. However, problems can arise with technology usage in the classroom. Through students being able to access technology, they can become distracted

Which includes less time on my phone texting, or any social media sites. This relates back to Margaret Soltan’s essay “Better Living Through Consciousness: Why You Should Take Your College Education Seriously”, she discusses how technology should be limited to reduce distraction of students. She wrote “Students are gazing at all manner of stuff on their laptops (and in doing so distracting those students trying to pay attention to the front of the room); professors are staring down at their PowerPoint slides and reading the words on them aloud. In some classrooms, professors report that groups of students are gathering in various corners to watch films together on someone’s screen while the professor attempts to lecture”. Many students use technology whether it’s a laptop, cell phone or IPad almost every class period you will find at least one student on a device.

“In defense of laptops in the classroom” written by Rebecca Schuman, talks about the issue of why computers should be allowed in a college classroom. Schuman explains how people of the new generation use computers in classrooms to do almost everything in college now, rather it be taking notes or accessing course material, and its more affordable for poorer students.

Many of our students have smartphones, laptops, and tablets they use throughout the school day for school work. While some students depend on their devices to look up the current fashion trends and football stats, we feel that technology has also enabled students to think in a different way. Many students are quick on their feet to Google information to prove their friend wrong, send texts and emails in less than 10 seconds, and get excited when they are allowed to use their

Twenty-first century society is constantly presented with exciting advances in hardware and software technology. Use of technology in CCT 109 classrooms should be allowed to capitalize on these advances and challenge the learning status quo. Technology’s adoption encourages rethinking of how information is acquired and processed, how people learn, how they are empowered, what jobs will be in highest demand, and what the nature of learning and useful information is. With the increasing accessibility, affordability, and popularity of laptops and tablets, it is essential for students, professors, and institutions to welcome these devices in the classroom. Technology’s benefits to the professor, student, and society far outweigh any perceived disadvantages.

Observing these students during class would be instrumental in concluding if computers were really being used for school work or were they being used as a way to keep to students distracted from their learning environment. I sat in the back of the class to observe the students in

“Clearly, the lure of the laptop is too compelling to resist”, states Mary Flanagan, writer of the article “The Classroom as Arcade”. In this article, Flanagan is giving a lecture, and a student is playing a game simply

Transferring the teaching method from out of the textbook to laptops can be very distracting. Of course all electronic devices come with games or at least some application you can download. The Students will be able to access many apps including; games, email, social media, and instant messaging classmates (Hurst). Even without this change, students are already constantly on their phones texting or playing games during classes. Do we really want to have more distractions?

Technology distracts students from their education because it causes them to be more plugged into their devices than their education lower their grades. A paper published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that students barred from using digital devices or laptops in lectures did better on their exams than those using computers and access the internet. The study also found that forty-seven percent of heavy technology users were found to have poor grades. So is it just college students that technology is affecting? Data from iKeepSafe, shows that twenty-eight percent of teens say their digital engagement interferes with schoolwork. So from the data found in many studies on students, we have a right to be concerned about

Writing an essay on the impossibility of multitasking and the learning setbacks caused by technology use in the classroom caused me to reduce my technology use while doing homework. Deak says, “If you are listening to Mozart while you are going maths, whenever your brain starts to hear Mozart it has to leave the maths part, and that takes time. When the brain starts to refocus on maths, it goes through the whole process again” (Morrison 1). Ever since writing this essay, I’ve began to pay attention more to my own technology use and productivity. I no longer take short, frequent breaks while doing school work. Instead, I take longer breaks after accomplishing more of my work before switching to another task. I find that I am now more efficient and less stressed ever since I allow myself to do more work. Prior to writing, I would have never considered such an anti-technology stance, no matter what

During the last decades, laptops have become standard learning tools in university and college classrooms. Since today’s students’ are high-technology demanding and tech savvy, laptops manufacturers and engineers are constantly thinking of unique ways to design their products. With advanced functions and specifications, laptops can do various activities and educational tasks for students. Also, as technology advances, yesterday’s laptops are less expensive compared to today’s and tomorrow’s which allows every student to afford a laptop. However, educational institutions are concern about whether laptops in class hinder or facilitate students’ learning. Overtime, new technology and devices have been noticed to weaken student performance in