Responding to my recent little series on laptops in the classroom (see parts one, two, and three), I got a lengthy comment from Barry Goldenberg, one of my current students in Western Civilization (Circa A.D. 843 to Circa 1715) at UCLA. Barry’s comment was so thoughtful that I figured it deserved its own post. Some interesting things that I have learned about Barry is that he is on the UCLA tennis team (I gather he maintains their Twitter feed) and, in the fall, was an intern for a US Senator. Barry’s comments are a nice first person account of one undergrad trying to live in that in-between space of the technology generation, but also with some “old school” values (his words). So, without further ado, here’s Barry . . .

This is a great topic and one, as I continue to grow and change as a 3rd year undergraduate student, struggle with myself. Coming out of high school, it had rarely ever occurred me to use my laptop in classroom. Even though I came from a public school in St. Louis, Missouri, I had originally felt it was disrespectful to use laptops; I guess I was “old school” and felt that you take notes in your notebook, make eye contact with the Professor, do not wear hats, etc. Obviously, coming to UCLA from a suburb outside of St. Louis is–and continues to be–a culture shock and experience.

Regardless, I do not think I used my laptop my first year in the classroom, especially not in discussion. I effectively developed a “system” that worked to do well in college for me in terms of folders, color coded notebooks, my specific pen to takes with, and the works. And, quite frankly, I saw no reason to change. My old-fashioned notetaking (even amongst the large lecture halls) seemed to work as well as held to my beliefs about respect for my Professor (unfounded or not). This continued throughout my 2nd year at UCLA, until I specifically remember an instance in the Spring where I finally stopped being stubborn and thought about using laptops.

I spent all quarter furiously taking notes during Prof. Gelvin’s Israeli-Palestine conflict, in which his lectures were very dense, provided much information, as well as relevant practical information to debate with in the real world. Regardless, a student next to me sat next to me in the front row one day and with her Mac (I had gotten a Mac for the first time that year), opened up her Word document and typed in a “notebook-esque” way as the computer recorded the Professor speaking in line with her typing . . . I was amazed, I did not know I could do that! I thought to myself, “Why would anyone NOT do this?” The next day of lecture, I brought my computer and recorded my Professor while typing notes and I realized I would be foolish to not do so for a class that the Professor talks fast and provides a lot of information.

After that Spring quarter revolution, I now decide the format of the class use my computer (despite continuous peer pressure to always use one when the majority of the class uses it). In a class without a PowerPoint Presentation, I always take notes by hand because it provides me the best way for me to organize what the Professor is saying by ways of diagrams, arrows, stars, brackets, etc. When there is a PowerPoint, I still try to take notes by hand but if there is “too much” information presented, then I will think about using my laptop or if there is information in lecture that I want to repeat to in the future.

Overall, the laptop in my opinion, is a very powerful tool and sometimes I feel so foolish for insisting to always try to take notes by hand. To me, there is just “something” special and rewarding about having a notebook for of notes over a digital copy. But I know that notes on my computer will provide me easier access to information (as Pat mentioned about searching for specific things) as well as provide an invaluable recording of the lecture. However, if I don’t find it necessary to have either of those things in the context of the class and its structure, I still feel better taking notes by hand.

Above all, always sitting in the front row of every class, it just feels more respectful to do so for the Professor and especially in a discussion section; engaging in the material, making eye contact instead of staring at the computer screen helps me create a more personal experience/connection with the lecturer or class. However, I recognize how beneficial a laptop can be and have reached the point, at least now in my college experience, that I sometimes use them in class when I feel it will help me do better. As I continue my education, maybe I will have to/need to use them all the time inside the classroom, but for now, I usually do without.