Analysis Of In Defense Of Laptops In The Classroom

The article written by Timothy D. Snyder in 2010 titled, “Why Laptops in Class Are Distracting America’s Future Workforce” is a persuasive article. His purpose in writing this article was to persuade professors to ban laptops in the classroom because he feels they are a distraction. Snyder’s arguments against the use of laptops in classrooms are convincing, but he lacks evidence to support his stance and he uses emotionally charge wording to sway the reader.

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

He provides the reader with some claims that are understanding but he does not provide the reader with facts that indeed prove that the computers hinder a student’s capability of learning. When Stulman proclaims that if you “take a walk through the residence halls of any college in the country [that] you will find students seated at their desks, eyes transfixed on their computer monitors”, he is making a generalized assumption. He has not established enough credibility to be placing a claim on such an enormous scale. It is not possible for Stulman to be at every university monitoring every student all at one time. When he states that “for most students, having a computer in the dorm is more of a distraction than a learning tool”, it is still seen as unconvincing due to his lack of factual evidence to support his claim and deem him credible of such a statement.

Within the article, Freedman talks about the uprising of students addressing the validity of the professor’s strike against the use of technology in the classroom. To call attention to the importance of the debated issue, the author opens with a shocking narrative about a professor hearing a phone ring during a class and then destroying the cellphone by, unabashedly, smashing it with a hammer (Freedman par. 2). This dramatic demonstration appalled the students and allowed Professor Ali Nazemi the opportunity to show the students how adamant he was about the policy against phones in class and what lengths he would go to adhere to the policy. The author goes on to explain that the elder generation sees technology as a way to communicate and gather useful information. In contrast, the younger generation views technology as a way of endless entertainment and self-gratification (Freedman par 11). The reader sees the two opposing views collide in the classroom with the professors beginning to feel as if they must entertain the students in order to gain their attention, but the

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

According to Jame Doubek, in the article “Attention, Students: Put Your Laptops Away”, writing notes by hand is much more effective than typing notes in class.He used an example of Mueller and Oppenheimer’s study that published in Psychological Science to demonstrate that writing notes by hand can be more potent than typing on the computer.First, Mueller and Oppenheimer suggest that with the development of technology, students are relying more on the laptop because laptops are small and and typing notes is much faster than writing by hand, so students love to type notes in class and always “try to transcribe all thing they heard”. However, the more words they copied verbatim, the worse

In Samuel G. Freedman’s New York Times article, New Class(room) War: Teacher versus Technology, Freedman argues that technology is effecting the younger generations in a negative way inside of the classroom. He explains that while the baby boomer generation sees technology as a useful means for information and communication, the newer generations use technology for counterproductive means such as entertainment and socialization. While it is true that some people utilize technology for unproductive means, the majority of people in the classroom have the self-discipline to pay attention to the professor rather than their phone. Yes, some students may produce worse grades due to technology, but if they didn’t have the technology they would more than likely find a different way to waste time. Freedman exaggerates the issue by acting as if the majority of students are absent-mindedly on their phones during class. There will always be

“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.

Freedman validates his claims by including sources such as the “Campus Computing Survey, an annual check by the Campus Computing Project of computer use at 600 colleges.” (Freedman, 2007, para 13), to support his point that more and more schools and colleges are using gadgets/technology as an educational medium and Professor Bugeja’s online survey shows that a large percentage of students at Iowa State University used their electronic devices during class which proves his point that these mediums are becoming a cause for distraction to the students during class time. In addition, Freedman is a Professor in Journalism and have written many articles before and being a professor himself, he would be able to relate to this article very well. Hence, there would be little or no biasedness in his article which makes it more

In the article, “One-to-One Computing Has Failed Our expectations” the authors, Norris and Soloway, address the developing One-to-One program as failing. They used this as a warning to different school corporations that have not adopted this new way of learning to wait for all of the issues to be worked out. Parents become an audience member when the authors talk about the students asking "Do I need to bring my laptop to class today?" (Norris). Legal guardians and staff would question why new electronic devices were such important purchase if they would seldom be used. The concluding paragraph speaks to the classroom instructors and school corporations when the authors say, “we need to redefine the curriculum in terms of what gets taught, and we need to redefine how it gets taught”(Norris). With the use of the word “we” the writers try to unite the audience and say that the whole education system needs to work together to change to successfully integrate more technology into the education system. In Nigel Green's article, “Pros and Cons of Individualized Instruction”, he addresses teachers as his audience. Green disputes common inquiries teachers have proposed in a “Con” paragraph. Reassuring teachers, Green says that they will not be replaced, only modified in a way they help children learn different lessons. Parents of a wide range of academically skilled students were targeted when the author talks about students not being left behind nor being held back from their potential capabilities. Green makes a point about students self-confidence level being higher with this new program. This persuades parents who want the best future for their child to support this article. “Five Positive Effects of Technology on Education" by William McCoy discusses the need for technology in the classroom and he persuades his audience, parents of students, how much

The boy attempts to come up with words for the essay to put onto the paper. While he is trying to come up with the words he is staring blankly at his laptop wishing he could use it. He knows that it would be faster to finish the essay and easier for him to come up with something, but he also knows his teacher would not allow him to do it on the computer. If schools switched from textbooks to computers students could become driven to do work simply because they are comfortable with computers. Computers can help students learn faster and in certain cases, easier. Computers can also hold multiple textbooks on just one device, It has been proven that students get better scores on test while using a computer. Computers have better resources than a textbook contains. Better test scores are better for the average student so that they can increase their grades and raise their grade point average. While textbooks can be heavy in large amounts computers can hold tons of textbooks

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

Have you ever taken a tour to an middle or high school and saw where the black boards use to be there are now giant computer screens? Our world is changing to a new era where technology has taken over not only the homes but the schools as well. Computers can now be found in almost every classroom and home, but, is this a good a thing or a bad thing? In the New York Times article “Can Students Have too Much Tech” written by Susan Pinker she examines what it means to have technology not only in the classroom but, in the homes of many children. While I agree that teachers must also be equipped with skills to manage, educate, and control technology in their lesson plan, I find her reference to be flawed. Her references does not examine the educational

Recently, contest over whether laptops in class hinder or aid learning has begun to be raised in many schools. The use of laptops in lecture rooms has for long been considered to be a significant tool for learning due to the ability of the lecturers to lead an online research for the whole class. However, a number of schools have started to ban use of laptops in their lecture rooms. Consequently, author explores if laptops should be allowed or banned in lecturer rooms. In undertaking this research, the author employs the thesis statement that even though some people hold that laptops are instrumental learning tools in lecture class, they should be banned.

Advocating the prohibition of computers in schools would be a prodigious feat in itself, but excluding them from the estimated yearly education expenses entirely would allow funding for textbooks and library-bound novels. It is a radical modification that most will be hesitant to accept, but has the potential to bring kids down to a speed less equivalent to that of the speed of light. Teachers would be free to teach basic concepts without possible distractions due to technological temptations. Students could surrender their childish grip on the blanket protecting them from direct acknowledgment of self-control and responsibility, drastically altering their ability to focus and exceed the world's previous expectations of this generation. An education without access to the internet is a foreign and frighteningly unfamiliar concept, but it is the small price willing pupils will pay to slowly deteriorate the addiction to immediacy that can only compare to what acclaimed novelist Ray Bradbury saw as the gradual slip of