laptops in a Classroom: helping or hindering

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Software in the Classroom Chatboard

laptops in a Classroom: helping or hindering

by Anthony Squillante

Jan 21, 2011

Hi to all, I was just curious to see what other teachers think about high schools that allow or supply their students with laptops. Do you see it as a valuable tool that could help students, giving them access to an abundance of programs to aid them? On the other hand do you think it would serve as more as a distraction considering they would have the internet at their disposal?

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slv67 I believe laptops in the classroom are a mixed blessing. They are great tools to use for reasearch, organization and projects. However, kids today have become reliant on technology to check spelling and to communicate.

Jun 12, 2011

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NAT On 1/21/11, Anthony Squillante wrote: > Hi to all, I was just curious to see what other teachers > think about high schools that allow or supply their > students with laptops. Do you see it as a valuable tool > that could help students, giving them access to an > abundance of programs to aid them? On the other hand do you > think ...See More

Jun 12, 2012

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Sarah On 6/12/12, NAT wrote: > On 1/21/11, Anthony Squillante wrote: >> Hi to all, I was just curious to see what other teachers >> think about high schools that allow or supply their >> students with laptops. Do you see it as a valuable tool >> that could help students, giving them access to an >> abundance of programs t...See MoreOn 6/12/12, NAT wrote: > On 1/21/11, Anthony Squillante wrote: >> Hi to all, I was just curious to see what other teachers >> think about high schools that allow or supply their >> students with laptops. Do you see it as a valuable tool >> that could help students, giving them access to an >> abundance of programs to aid them? On the other hand do you >> think it would serve as more as a distraction considering >> they would have the internet at their disposal? > > Laptops certainly provide a lot of benefits, such as: - > Ensuring all students have access to interactive content, > multimedia lessons, etc. - Tech literacy - students need to > know how to use computers for things other than surfing the > net and teachers can provide this skill through laptop > classes - Easier for students to collaborate on assignments > using google docs - Using tech is something that most > students get excited about and may contribute to better > engagement and completion of coursework - Easier to > accommodate special needs > > However, there are some disadvantages, such as: - The obvious > distraction (even with restrictions on internet access, kids > always find a way around them! - once I even had kids who > managed to load games onto graphing calculators!).. Also > having them open during a lesson can lead to some kids > distracting other kids with what they are doing. - If laptops > go home with the kids every night, they often get damaged by > the end of the year - Obsolescence: your computers will be out > of date in two to four years. Are you willing to constantly > replace them and keep them current? - Students can become > heavily reliant on technology to do everything, and don't > actually pick up some skills (spelling, neat handwriting, > over-reliance on calculator software) - Too much screen time - > since kids often spend all night on the computer too, is all > day in class just too much?

>Personally I feel if you are able to provide laptops to your >students through the school system the pros would far outweigh >the cons. Surely this would help to decrease the digital divide, >which seems to plague our school system. Students would be able to practice various skills and would be able to benefit from the exciting environment the visual media would add. However, I would most definitely place rules on the use of these computers. They could be distracting, but I believe with proper management and discipline techniques, the distraction issue could be eliminated.

Jun 19, 2012

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