Allie Norman Source 1

Allie Norman Source 1

Citation of source 1: Kay, Robin Holding, and Sharon Lauricella. "Investigating The Benefits And Challenges Of Using Laptop Computers In Higher Education Classrooms." Canadian Journal Of Learning And Technology 40.2 (2014): ERIC. Web. 7 Oct. 2016.

Question: What role does student usage of technology, such as laptops in the classroom, play in shaping the academic experiences and success of college students?

Initial thoughts: Students that use technology in the classroom seem to take learning to a whole new level. Most seemed advanced, as if their constantly doing work, but are they really constantly on that path or do they stray. Personally, if a computer is open, sitting before me, after about twenty minutes of constant school work, I want, or more accurately, look, for a distraction. I start getting antsy and look for a temporary outlet. I don’t necessarily stop productive work all together, but I do take a short break that may or may not turn into an hour break or more. Laptops, in my opinion, tend to lead students to more of a self-disciplined attitude when it comes to learning. In some students, that may not always be the case.

The title of the first source I’m using, “The Benefits And Challenges Of Using Laptop Computers In Higher Education Classrooms,” caught my attention. Not only did this title catch my eye because it’s closely related to my topic, but it talks about the benefits AND the challenges. This source provides clear statistics on both views, with much explanation after. This shows that there is sufficient research in lieu of producing this article.

Step 2:

Paragraph 1; Summarize:

This source helps identify the benefits and challenges of the allowance of technology, more specifically, computers in the classroom setting. Many studies were conducted through surveys and feedback from students about laptop usage when given approval for use, by the instructor. These studies give insights to how students go about using their laptops, whether they use it for academia-related content or for purely personal usage. This text identifies what exactly laptops were used for; academia, resources, communicating information with peers, and engaging in online tools; and personal usage, surfing the web, Facebook, twitter, text messaging, and entertainment. Researchers concluded that there is a need for more research for this topic to establish the certain distractions that cause the most learning impairments.

Paragraph 2; Think:

While reading this article, my thoughts on technology in the classroom changed significantly. Laptops provide fast acting notes, and the ability to go back and look over slides that were missed in class (usually without the teachers’ explanation). Usually, I would be the first to condone laptop usage in the classroom, but after reading this article, and subjecting myself to the different distractions that laptops can produce, I have changed my mind a little bit. I hadn’t realized before, even though I am prone to, that text messages are distracting tools that a computer can provide. After the mention of text messages, but before the rest of the article that describes it, I asked myself why text messages can be so distracting, I couldn’t come up with a single answer, I thought “they just take a split second to answer and that’s all.” That’s not all. When you receive a text message, you automatically become absorbed in the conversation, tuning everything out around you. Instead of focusing on what the teacher is discussing to the class, you are now focusing on what is being discussed between you and a friend. After thinking awhile, I came up with multiple accounts where I have become more absorbed in a conversation that lasted several minutes or even the entire period without my noticing. Then only after the fact, realizing I hadn’t caught a single thing the instructor has said. This doesn’t hinder your learning process, just a momentary lapse… but over, and over again is a different story. This could, on the other hand, could be completely avoided if instructors did not allow any electronics in the classroom whatsoever.

Paragraph 4; Question and plan:

Some new questions my source has led me to are: Is there a way to avoid negative distractions while still implementing laptops in the classroom setting? Are distractions purely the student’s fault, or is this due to lack of engaging classroom discussion? Can we give some fault to instructors’? Would students subject themselves to distractions if the lecture was engaging enough? Do laptops overall hinder students learning strategies? Are test scores still down in relation to classrooms that only allow pencil and paper? For my next two sources, I would like to check out one source that stands strictly by each side, each argument. I chose this article for my first source for a view of both sides by the same researcher, so as not to get a biased opinion. Once I see both sides, strictly talking about one side or the other, I will then ask questions a bit narrower to help guide me to my overall opinion. As of now, I am still all over the place.