elearnspace

"adjust teaching approaches"
such as standing on the back end of the classroom behind the students? ;)

I guess there's a double approach here:

• The behaviourist model of teaching is absolutely out of the question, and most probably the cognotivist (at Higher Education level) too.
• There's an increasing lack of authority on the teacher's side, and playing poker during a class is nothing but a symptom of it - I mean, it's not about laptops.

In higher ed students are adults (almost) and should be talking responsibility for their own education. I don't think at this level it is the professor's responsibility to make sure students are paying attention. I don't think banning laptops or adjusting teaching approaches is neccessary.

I agrre with you, ismael. I think this is problem of lecturers. Most of our teachers (University of Applied Sciences) decided to give clear rules: use of laptop, when it is allowed, and other times: close the screen. I don't think that this is a great idea. If lesson is interessting, no one can surf to the internet. If there were no laptop, the students would do something else.

As I am a person who has always voice my 'against' of having lap-top in the classroom, and even at conferences ... here is just one of my reasons:

Imagine all the clicking noises with either the key-board or the mouse --- isn't that something that anyone who has some decency would not do that to fellow-classmates or conference attendees? Furthermore I think it is rude, absolute rude behaviour. And it is outright irrespectful to the lecturer or the presentator.

We used to ban pager and mobile phones in the class. For the very obvious reasons. And mind you these are adults too, and they OBEYED the rules during classes.

Being higer education, my expectation is these 'highly educated' people should know what is right, what is wrong, what is acceptable behaviour and when ...

How about all those clicking noises cause by keyboard or mouse? Isn't that disturbing to the other people in the class or conference (conferences have the same problem I am sure) who REALLY want to be there?

I find it absolutely rude to play around with the lap-top while the lecturer is giving lessons. The student should make the choice of either in the class or stay home and play with the lap-top.

Since it is happening with people in higher education, I would expect these 'highly educated' people, or to be, would have better sense to understand what is right, and what is wrong. And when and how to show respect not only to the lecturer but also fellow classmates.

I like option 2) adjust teaching approach! The lecture should have been put to video and uploaded to YouTube or Google video. Assign the video as "must see" then have all the students showed up to class and participate in well facilitated learning activities that assisted in there knowledge construction... We still have a long way to go.

When you read this article further it speaks to the laptops inhibiting classroom debate. I can understand that rationale, but it still begs the question was the debate so dry that in did not encourage engagement?