The other day I was reading a blog entry from David Cole on the Britannica Blog called Why I Ban Laptops in My Classroom. This article illustrated a point that I comment on constantly. Anytime I have a discussion about studying and learning methods, I always say that students should NEVER bring their laptops to lectures.

Typing on a laptop isn’t nearly as effective as writing information down by hand. Students go into “stenographic mode,” as Cole says, when they type notes. Most college students can type deftly without processing the information they are recording. Think about this comparison: If someone watches a film adaptation of Phantom of the Opera and is asked the name of Phantom a week later, that person may or may be able to recall that fact. However if the same person takes a lead role in a play of the same story, they will instantly tell you that the Phantom’s name is Erik and they will probably remember that fact for the rest of their life. Handwriting notes versus typing them is similar. Physical writing requires that a student think about the topic at hand.

Also, a laptop is a huge distraction. A student with a laptop is tempted to surf the Internet, play Solitaire, chat on IM, play with Photoshop, watch TV and movies, etc. You name it. A piece of paper, on the other hand, offers no entertaining alternative to writing. You can doodle if you want, but even that only serves as a reminder that you should be taking notes. Students have a hard enough time paying attention and trying not to fall asleep without a large, bright screen begging them to do anything but pay attention.

Finally, a laptop is a distraction to the people around the user. If a person is using their laptop below me or next to me, the brightness of the screen encourages me to look at whatever they’re doing, which usually isn’t taking notes. Once I am pulled in, I stop paying attention to confidence intervals and start wondering if anyone left me comments on my Facebook. Even if I can’t directly see a laptop, the sound of typing above and around me is enough to be distracting.

Because of these reasons, I recommend leaving your laptop at home. Your productivity will increase dramatically and you will have to study less because you will remember more from lecture.

Do you bring your laptop to lectures?