Comments on: Law Professor Bans Laptops in Class http://www.davidleeking.com/2006/03/29/law-professor-bans-laptops-in-class/ David Lee King is the Digital Branch & Services Manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, where he plans, implements, and experiments with emerging technology trends. He has spoken in the U.S. and Canada about emerging trends, website usability and management, digital experience planning, and managing techie staff, and has been published in many library-related journals. David writes the Internet Spotlight column in Public Libraries Magazine with Michael Porter. David maintains a blog at http://www.davidleeking.com Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:38:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bob Pedersen http://www.davidleeking.com/2006/03/29/law-professor-bans-laptops-in-class/comment-page-1/#comment-239 Bob Pedersen Thu, 30 Mar 2006 22:53:24 +0000 http://www.davidleeking.com/2006/03/29/law-professor-bans-laptops-in-class/#comment-239 Without taking sides, some folks who claim to know argue that typing has a different kind of relationship to thinking that handwriting does. Many folks who've gone the Tablet PC/digital ink route say they're more creative writing than typing -- I remember reading some hotshot saying that he did all his brainstorming with pen and paper (or stylus and tablet). Of course, the concern may be more about the students who are keyboarding away about matters having nothing to do with the class. :) Without taking sides, some folks who claim to know argue that typing has a different kind of relationship to thinking that handwriting does. Many folks who’ve gone the Tablet PC/digital ink route say they’re more creative writing than typing — I remember reading some hotshot saying that he did all his brainstorming with pen and paper (or stylus and tablet).

Of course, the concern may be more about the students who are keyboarding away about matters having nothing to do with the class. :)

]]> By: Bob Pedersen http://www.davidleeking.com/2006/03/29/law-professor-bans-laptops-in-class/comment-page-1/#comment-25010 Bob Pedersen Thu, 30 Mar 2006 22:53:00 +0000 http://www.davidleeking.com/2006/03/29/law-professor-bans-laptops-in-class/#comment-25010 Without taking sides, some folks who claim to know argue that typing has a different kind of relationship to thinking that handwriting does. Many folks who've gone the Tablet PC/digital ink route say they're more creative writing than typing -- I remember reading some hotshot saying that he did all his brainstorming with pen and paper (or stylus and tablet). Of course, the concern may be more about the students who are keyboarding away about matters having nothing to do with the class. :) Without taking sides, some folks who claim to know argue that typing has a different kind of relationship to thinking that handwriting does. Many folks who’ve gone the Tablet PC/digital ink route say they’re more creative writing than typing — I remember reading some hotshot saying that he did all his brainstorming with pen and paper (or stylus and tablet).

Of course, the concern may be more about the students who are keyboarding away about matters having nothing to do with the class. :)

]]> By: walt http://www.davidleeking.com/2006/03/29/law-professor-bans-laptops-in-class/comment-page-1/#comment-238 walt Wed, 29 Mar 2006 19:55:04 +0000 http://www.davidleeking.com/2006/03/29/law-professor-bans-laptops-in-class/#comment-238 While I think the professor is misguided, I can say from my own experience that, depending on your own mental processes, there is a difference. I tried taking notes during programs using a laptop at one point, and although I'm a high-speed touch typist, I found I was distracted: I wasn't really "getting" the speech. On the other hand, handwriting notes doesn't seem to interfere with "getting" it (although reading my own chicken-scratches later on is another issue). I would guess that this might be a legitimate generational difference: I didn't start using a typewriter until junior high school, so it may not be sufficiently ingrained. People who grew up with computers might find them to be as non-distracting for notetaking as handwriting. I doubt that this is testable, in any case (you'd have to test recall and "knowledge", with and without notes, and that's tough to do). I think "that train has left the station" is the reasonable answer to the professor... While I think the professor is misguided, I can say from my own experience that, depending on your own mental processes, there is a difference. I tried taking notes during programs using a laptop at one point, and although I’m a high-speed touch typist, I found I was distracted: I wasn’t really “getting” the speech. On the other hand, handwriting notes doesn’t seem to interfere with “getting” it (although reading my own chicken-scratches later on is another issue).

I would guess that this might be a legitimate generational difference: I didn’t start using a typewriter until junior high school, so it may not be sufficiently ingrained. People who grew up with computers might find them to be as non-distracting for notetaking as handwriting.

I doubt that this is testable, in any case (you’d have to test recall and “knowledge”, with and without notes, and that’s tough to do). I think “that train has left the station” is the reasonable answer to the professor…

]]> By: walt http://www.davidleeking.com/2006/03/29/law-professor-bans-laptops-in-class/comment-page-1/#comment-25009 walt Wed, 29 Mar 2006 19:55:00 +0000 http://www.davidleeking.com/2006/03/29/law-professor-bans-laptops-in-class/#comment-25009 While I think the professor is misguided, I can say from my own experience that, depending on your own mental processes, there is a difference. I tried taking notes during programs using a laptop at one point, and although I'm a high-speed touch typist, I found I was distracted: I wasn't really "getting" the speech. On the other hand, handwriting notes doesn't seem to interfere with "getting" it (although reading my own chicken-scratches later on is another issue). I would guess that this might be a legitimate generational difference: I didn't start using a typewriter until junior high school, so it may not be sufficiently ingrained. People who grew up with computers might find them to be as non-distracting for notetaking as handwriting. I doubt that this is testable, in any case (you'd have to test recall and "knowledge", with and without notes, and that's tough to do). I think "that train has left the station" is the reasonable answer to the professor... While I think the professor is misguided, I can say from my own experience that, depending on your own mental processes, there is a difference. I tried taking notes during programs using a laptop at one point, and although I’m a high-speed touch typist, I found I was distracted: I wasn’t really “getting” the speech. On the other hand, handwriting notes doesn’t seem to interfere with “getting” it (although reading my own chicken-scratches later on is another issue).

I would guess that this might be a legitimate generational difference: I didn’t start using a typewriter until junior high school, so it may not be sufficiently ingrained. People who grew up with computers might find them to be as non-distracting for notetaking as handwriting.

I doubt that this is testable, in any case (you’d have to test recall and “knowledge”, with and without notes, and that’s tough to do). I think “that train has left the station” is the reasonable answer to the professor…

]]>