Laptops- acceptable in classroom or not?

What would help is if some inventor would come up with a lappy that won't allow people to go elsewhere and is strictly for note taking so that games can't be installed or music etc. That's really the only way I could see it for school kids that aren't yet in college. It is a great idea if people could use it for what it would be intended for but hardly anyone does. Even in college people don't and it's a different atmosphere. If people in college fail in their work, they are dropped from the class. In high school most of the time you will just be moved to a lower class at most and get bad grades. The element in college that you have to pass or else you are out at anytime raises people's awareness that if they screw around they have to take the whole class over so it's less tempting to go do something else. Especially when you are paying for that class.

 

Alpha smarts, they only type and have a very primitive screen as well as spell-check program. However I have no idea if they are still manufactured anymore.

As for Laptops being a distraction, a digital screen is no different from a piece of paper when it comes to taking notes. With laptops you can explore the internet or play games, on paper you can doodle or write totally off-topic things or just not write anything at all in either case, just zone out at the whiteness. The student is still distracted only the medium is different.

It's more of a matter of the disposition of the student and I believe laptops can bring a lot of good for taking notes in all classes just as taking notes on paper can. It's really up to the student and they have no more obligation to take notes digitally or traditionally than they have to stay on-task or do well in the class, that is a matter of the parents' disciplinary discretion and the student's own self-control.

 

I think it would be more acceptable in the grades 9-college, because anyone 1-6 would probably harm the computer by dropping it or spilling something on it.

1) I would think it would be a more understandable way to put a lock on the screen, so no one will be able to exit or open any other programs/internet.

2) A pre-installed site blocker would be useless, because a lot of them block you from many educational websites. But if the teacher were to make a site blocker for their classroom, it would be far more useful. Like not every blocker knows every porn site on the internet, but if a person were to go there the teacher could review everyone's history and block websites as people go on them. Also, a lot of people use proxys to go on blocked websites, but one the teacher views the website he/she can easily block it.

3) Myspace and Youtube? Yes, it would be a great reward for a student to be able to use when they completed a huge test. As I said above, a lot of videos could also be blocked to ensure there is no misconduct.

 

Well laptops are good for being organized and such. When I was in 9th grade, I used a laptop and it helped a lot especially when I reviewed my notes. On the issue of procrastinating in class: its the kids' loss. If they're stupid enough to not take notes down while the teacher is talking about important info its their loss. In the end, only they end up with the bad grade. Having a laptop shows a sense of maturity anyway.

 

Well....My school doesn't permit electronics in the classroom, instead THEY provide the laptops that we use for that hour. It's kinda a hassle not having your own. If school's allowed laptops, life would be much easier. So I say let them in the classroom!

 

well, it's also the people sitting around them's loss as well, they can easily get distracted from one person using their laptop (depending on what they're doing) but i see what you're saying.

 

I vote yes. Under certain circumstances, of course.
It's a whole bunch easier in College/U to have a laptop to take notes, etc.
In grade school/high school, maybe for people who would benefit from it more. They could maybe limit internet access in class rooms so there's no secret KHVing going on. 8)

 

We were allowed laptops in college, and went to computer classrooms. I say it can be distracting as hell.

People do use their laptops for notes and schoolwork, but most use them for entertainment. I got addicted to AdventureQuest cause I was so bored in photography.

 

Well, they are a distraction unless the asignment requires them, that's when people actualy use them for good instead of screwing around, but at my school we are required to buy laptops then the teachers won't let us use them. It's retarted.

 

Yes, if you're using them to do school work. Actually, I used a laptop in my anatomy class today. It was the school's laptop though. But like what we where simulating with the laptops today would cost thousands of dollars to do in real life and raise a lot of ethical issues because it involved shooting thyroxine into rats, so I think, if used in that respect, they are acceptable and even necessary. But if your using them to just go to random sites like this during class, they're not. Although they don't block this site on the school's internet. Lol.

 

A. We never originally chose to go to school, so the least they can do is let us bring something that we would prefer to bring

b. laptops and online sites are terribly helpful. I have a friend whos school uses laptops for all of their classes, and I will bet a $100 bill that she's got a better chance of gettin into collage becuz she has access to the internet, instead of having to use a dam pencil to paper.......

c. using computers is 3x more efficiant then a paper to pencil. Atleast it is to me. I did a 2 page essay in 45 minutes for my english quarterly, and I can gaurentee that if I was usen a laptop, I could've gotten a good 6 pgs in.......


Why do we not have laptops though? Well obviously the school doesnt want to make people pay for them since some cant even afford them. Now, with the school budgets we recieve, the school COULD give us laptops, but lets face it. WIth times like these, they're gonna take as much money as they can for themselves......

 

the school could install blocking software on the server that would not only block face book, myspace, etc. but also unwanted apps like Sims 2 and WMM. That's the system at my school.

 

I don't think so.
It would be way too much trouble.
Kids would go on sites while the teachers are talking or doing their homework and finding the answers.
They would be learning zip.

Leave everything up to technology eventually the world will be covered in convaer belts[spl?], so people don't have to walk.

Don't be that lazy.
It is not needed to learn yet.

It would be a good way to reviwe notes but it's a no for me.