Very thought-provoking piece. And though as a long-time reader I generally agree with your points, I must quibble with one of your justifications.
You write: “Studies suggest that most laptop users take down every word the professor says, which makes these students not note-takers, but stenographers.”
Are we really to fault students for copying everything the Professor said? Just because some students record it all at the moment doesn’t mean they don’t go through notes later and pick out the most relevant material. Of all the valid arguments against laptop use in class that seems the weakest most prone to rebuttal by the other side. If students actually did this we should be encouraging it — the problem instead is the web-surfing, e-commerce, social networking, fellow student distracting that goes on in place of comprehensive note-taking.
What about students who record everything the professor says by hand in a notebook (and I was, and still am, one)? I think it’s the ultimate compliment to a professor or lecturer to consider everything she or he says of potential recordable value, to be taken down in class for later culling and review. Let’s focus on those who abuse tools for distracting themselves and others rather than those who commit to paper/screen everything so they don’t miss something potentially important. Maybe it’s the historian in me, but record first, then review for comparative value.
March 13th, 2010 at 11:23PM
Excellent piece.
Thank you.
March 13th, 2010 at 11:51PM
You’re welcome, Cassandra.
March 14th, 2010 at 3:01PM
Very thought-provoking piece. And though as a long-time reader I generally agree with your points, I must quibble with one of your justifications.
You write: “Studies suggest that most laptop users take down every word the professor says, which makes these students not note-takers, but stenographers.”
Are we really to fault students for copying everything the Professor said? Just because some students record it all at the moment doesn’t mean they don’t go through notes later and pick out the most relevant material. Of all the valid arguments against laptop use in class that seems the weakest most prone to rebuttal by the other side. If students actually did this we should be encouraging it — the problem instead is the web-surfing, e-commerce, social networking, fellow student distracting that goes on in place of comprehensive note-taking.
What about students who record everything the professor says by hand in a notebook (and I was, and still am, one)? I think it’s the ultimate compliment to a professor or lecturer to consider everything she or he says of potential recordable value, to be taken down in class for later culling and review. Let’s focus on those who abuse tools for distracting themselves and others rather than those who commit to paper/screen everything so they don’t miss something potentially important. Maybe it’s the historian in me, but record first, then review for comparative value.