by Rachael Kline

Created on: March 31, 2009

Laptops offer a variety of benefits in classrooms, of course if they are used responsibly. Like it or not, today's world is a computer-reliant world. Many students have better typing skills than they do shorthand.

In high school, a majority of teachers take into consideration the pace their students write at. In college, it is rare to encounter a professor willing to slow down his schedule because his student's inability to keep up with his pace. You don't get it, too bad for you. Many high schools now practice a "schools of the future" approach, introducing Macs/laptops in certain classes. In high school, laptops are monitored by the teachers and rightly so, if the school is going to pay for this they hold the right to monitor them. If these teachers feel that these end up being a distraction, they have the right to revoke the student's rights.

Laptops in the classroom give students the option to choose which option is better for them. The individual knows what is better and more beneficial for him, therefore he holds the right to choose a laptop if that is a more beneficial option. Computers offer more programs and options that allow more organized notes as well as legible notes; unfortunately a pen and paper just can't offer these options, even with a highlighter. Shorthand can be effective but also messy and not always recognizable; a person's hand can only write so fast and can also develop painful cramps and even sores where the pen rubs. Computer programs and laptops are just more realistic in today's world.

Dealing with the ability of laptops to distract...

In college, students are over 18 and perfectly capable of making their own decisions of how they decide to use their time. They can either take the notes and do the research, or they can pay $20,000 a year to play solitaire or surf the internet during lectures. If they are paying for it, they are responsible for the choices they make as well as the consequences that come with them.

Critics of this topic need to realize that these students make the decisions themselves. They need to start taking responsibility for their actions, themselves. The philosophy of "punish the masses for the individual's problems" is overrated and is not an effective approach. This liberal philosophy is just another way to lead the youth towards a socialist attitude (or communist, which ever you prefer to call it).

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