By David Harupa Jr.SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
A common standard across most college classes is that students have to take notes, or at least they should if they want to do well. But as of late, some professors have placed restrictions on how their students can take notes.
Within the first week of classes, many of us were told that we could not use any technology during class, not even to take notes. I was also informed that my tablet, which I use as an e-reader and notebook from time to time, would not be allowed, either.
Not knowing that my professor had this rule, I had purchased all the materials for the class ahead of time as e-books. I’m now worried about how I am going to do in the class, since it has been a couple of years since I used pen and paper.
While I am finding Hofstra to be a worthwhile investment, my investments in a laptop and tablet have been swept out from under me.
We’ve all heard the professors’ reasons for the classroom technology restrictions. The most common is that it distracts you – and in the case of a laptop, anyone behind you – from concentrating on the class.
There is some truth to this. Nothing is stopping students with devices from checking their social media or email in between note taking. Maybe they start looking at funny pictures or playing games. Whatever it may be, they are not paying attention to the professor. However, that is their decision to make. Just because every class may have that one student who is not doing what he or she is supposed to do, it does not mean that the whole class should have to suffer the consequences.
But let’s say it was the whole class. If a student is uninterested in what a professor is saying, taking away technological devices will not fix anything. As the saying goes, you can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. College is when adolescents start their road to adulthood. A technology restriction only reinforces the idea that someone is still trying to hold their hand, instead of offering guidance.
Banning technology in the classroom hurts many students, as there are benefits to taking notes on a laptop or tablet. With the rise in cloud storage, notes can be backed up, and it becomes impossible to lose them. Even if the note-taking device dies, the notes can be restored. If classmates ever need to share notes, passing them on is just an easy email away.
When it comes to e-books, there is no arguing that one lightweight tablet is more convenient. Having all of your 300-page textbooks stored in one place is nice, and more times than not, it is much cheaper than the physical books.
I can only hope that as more students start taking notes on their laptops and reading textbooks on their tablets, professors will become more comfortable with technology being allowed in the classroom. Considering how much we pay to attend college, it should be up to students to decide how they take notes and what type of books they purchase.
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