I got through law school in 2 years,
but then I had a Mac.
Posted on 06/04/2006 4:42:40 AM PDT by billorites
Harvard Law School, the world’s self-described “premier center for legal education and research,” may ban Internet use in the classroom this fall because so many students are frittering away time surfing the Web.
The school’s faculty has yet to vote on the proposal. But several professors, fed up with students shopping online or checking Red Sox scores when they should be heeding lectures, have gone so far as to outlaw laptops in class.
“They interfere with discussion,” Harvard law professor Bruce L. Hay said. “When you add to that the fact that many students have trouble resisting the temptation to check their e-mail or cruise the Internet, laptops become intolerable.”
The electronic paper chase has become enough of a problem that Harvard Health Services has added “computer and Internet distraction and overuse” to its list of leading health concerns, alongside depression, stress, eating disorders and alcohol and drug abuse.
In a 2004 National College Health Assessment, in fact, nearly 1 out of 4 Harvard undergraduates reported that computer or Internet use was an impediment to their academic performance.
In this respect, Harvard is hardly unique.
“Students on the Web in class is a bane of professors everywhere,” said David Olson, a 2000 Harvard Law School graduate and fellow at the Stanford Law School Center for Internet and Society. “Stanford professors would love a ban. But as one faculty member said, they’re afraid of the riot that would ensue if they tried to impose one.”
In a recent survey by the Harvard Law School Student Council, nearly 2 out of 3 students opposed a ban. And nearly 1 in 4 said they would actually attend class less often if the faculty instituted one.
“People are already talking about how to get around it,” said council President Michael Sevi. If all else fails, he said, they could always fall back on that old standby: passing notes in class.
“People will always find something to distract themselves,” said Regina Fitzpatrick, 26, who just finished her first year at Harvard Law. “If they aren’t paying attention, that’s their own fault. We’re adults, and people should be free to make their own choice.”
But while the majority of students may not like the idea of having to give up the Web during class, 39 percent of those surveyed admitted they would probably pay more attention in class.
“For the most part, I think the widespread use of wireless takes away from the learning experience,” said Erin Canavan, 25, who will graduate this month. “People are addicted to checking their e-mail.”
“I think enabling wireless access is only a distraction,” said Robert C. Bordone, Thaddeus R. Beal lecturer on law at Harvard. “In my own class, I’ve banned laptops.”
Not all faculty members, however, agreed.
“Wireless can also be useful,” said visiting professor Michael Stein. “It’s a way that students have learned to learn.”
We don't want youse guys recording our rants against everything American.
Laptops should definitely be allowed… as long as their homepage is FreeRepublic.com
I got through law school in 2 years,
but then I had a Mac.
Or "interfere with discussion" by checking our 'facts'...
If anything - shut down the wifi signal, and let them keep the laptop for notes
I don't have to. One of the best predictors of performance in my courses is class attendance.
Come to class and participate, surf the web or sit there slack-jawed and breathing through your mouth. I don't care. You're an adult.
People are invited and welcomed to be engaged in my class. They profit most from my course when they are actively engaged in it. Still, it's an invitation and not an order.
Al Gore wouldn't approve. His information superhighway was supposed to make us all instant geniuses in the classroom.
I frequently get corrected by students who are looking stuff up while I do my presentations. I welcome that. It means they're paying attention and listening critically.
I teach an earth science course and often students will find images online that are better than the ones I have in my PP presentations. If they don't find them while surfing in class they often email me a couple hours later. I'm very pleased to have them do that.
Yes, they can be a tremendous tool. Of course, these are examples of engaged students who are going to do well in any case.
are they a rarity nowadays ?
Shopping, surfing, and checking baseball scores seems more valuable to the students.
Says a lot about Harvard and their admission process.
One thing we impressed upon our children was the fact that their father worked hard and the family made a lot of sacrifices for them to attend private colleges. We expected them to attend class, EVERY DAY, EVERY CLASS.
Illness excluded, of course.
We had the same edict handed down at work a month ago. Unless you are presenting, there will be no laptops permitted in meetings. Print out anything you might need to reference in advance. No exceptions.
And I was getting so good at Minesweeper.
If have long suspected this, but here is the proof.
Although people distract themselves in class this way, it strikes me (University of Illinois, Law 1967) as one of the dumbest things a law student can do. By attending class every day and taking really good notes, I ended up with excellent grades and good future opportunities. There's no better, quicker way to position yourself for succeeding on exams than good note taking. If you miss the important points of the lecture, you're likely to do badly on the exam. One of the great features of having a laptop is you can take excellent notes very quickly.
I wish I had had more professors with your attitude. Participating is more fun than listening, and listening, and listening…
Now if only cell phones could be banned in movie theaters.
Will they also ban pens and pencils for taking notes as a distraction.
Sitting behind somebody in a lecture hall when they are playing a video game, surfing the net, etc on their laptop is extremely distracting. It drives me absolutely nuts. Most lectures are given in a partially darkened room, so that the professor can use the overhead projector. If the laptop users are actually using it to take notes it doesn't bother me. The screen remains rather static if all that they are doing is typing. It's the constant flashing of the screen as it goes from one battle scene to another, or one web page loading after another, etc that is the source of the distraction.
A college class costs roughly $1,000 per semester in the university I am currently attending. Somebody using a laptop in the lecture hall to play games or surf the net is every bit as distracting as two people talking right next to me, and I am paying for that distraction. It may not bother the professor, but it bugs the heck out of me!
This student says ban the *&$#*(*& things.
FYI:
If the laptop user is typing frantically while the professor is lecturing, and is looking at the overhead projection or at the professor while typing, odds are that the laptop is being used to take notes.
If you see very minute hand movement, (without a lot of typing) and the student is fixated on their computer screen, then their main source of computer control is the mouse, and they are playing - and bugging the heck out of everybody behind them. If you have a TA in the room have them tell the student to either knock it off, or turn it off. Your students will thank you.
This is all that people did when I was in law school. Few people actually took notes, but instead shopped or played games. I would have welcomed a ban.
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