My profs. policy: No Laptops

[TheVrolok]

Digital is cleaner, and in most cases faster to produce, assuming a full size keyboard and not some crappy phone "keyboard". Takes me like 20 minutes just to type an email address on my phone, can't imagine taking notes on one!

Cleaner? How is taking notes dirty? I've never had to shower after taking a page of notes. I type around 90-95 WPM with 90%+ accuracy and there's no way that's faster than physically writing notes. Of course, my handwriting really isn't readable to anyone but me. The few kids in class that I've seen taking notes on laptops are definitely not typing 100+ WPM, not to mention, rarely a professor is every speaking above, what, 70? It seems like a lot of people just take notes on laptops for the sake of doing it.

 

[Oil]

This is thankfully not a problem in engineering classes as one needs to write equations and draw figures/graphs

 

[IGBT]

good. leave the fusking cell phones at home too.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

My professor allows laptops in his class.

To combat people looking at porn or facebook or anything not dealing with the class, he gives extra credit to the first person who spots this inappropriate behavior.

Snitches get stiches >:-(

 

[HybridSquirrel]

.. You could spend a few hundred on a tablet PC ... or just use paper and a pencil/pen? What is so wrong with paper? Is a digital version going to somehow make you learn better? I highly doubt that.

I don't do as well when i hand write notes because I can't search through them to find what i'm looking for as easy as word. Digital notes are more efficient and help me learn better because I can throw out all the useless crap I don't need to know, and if I need to know it later its still there, and clearly legible. Not like my handwriting that looks like a 4th grader.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Wow that sucks. YHou know what though, don't bother taking notes. I can't recall a single time in College where I had to refer back to notes I took. I always referred to the material given in class. But yeah taking notes by hand sucks. You could try to play the smartass and bring a netbook instead, but those are basically just smaller laptops so his policy probably involves those too.

You could always just voice record him too, but that might be against certain policies as well, I don't know.

Out of curiosity, what did you study RS? I find myself referring to my own notes in some classes a lot, while other classes almost not at all.

 

[Crusty]

they arent slides, they are actual outlines typed on paper, front and back printing will still take up 250 pages. and my laptop was a gift. so it didnt cost me anything.

the teacher also says he doesnt care if you show up to class, and if "everyone" spends their time on facebook...they aren't learning anything in class, and are essentially not "there" so why does it matter if we have laptops. since "everyone" who has one is essentially absent, which he doesnt care about?

Slides, outlines, notes.... the content doesn't matter. My point is that using 'cost of printing' as an excuse doesn't fly.

As far as "everyone" spending time on facebook... no.. that's wrong. Everyone that has their laptop or phone out during a lecture will browse to facebook during class, note.. not EVERYONE in the class.

The fact is, anyone that is in the classroom doing an activity not related to the class is a distraction from the class. If you're going to sit in class with a laptop and browse facebook/IM/porn then just stay home and do that there. Then you can't complain about the professor banning them.

 

[nutxo]

Meh. When I was young only gays and women could type anyway.

We took notes and the pros used shorthand.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

Slides, outlines, notes.... the content doesn't matter. My point is that using 'cost of printing' as an excuse doesn't fly.

As far as "everyone" spending time on facebook... no.. that's wrong. Everyone that has their laptop or phone out during a lecture will browse to facebook during class, note.. not EVERYONE in the class.

The fact is, anyone that is in the classroom doing an activity not related to the class is a distraction from the class. If you're going to sit in class with a laptop and browse facebook/IM/porn then just stay home and do that there. Then you can't complain about the professor banning them.

but thats not what I do, as i've stated several times before in this thread.. But everyone who agrees with banning laptops in the classroom says thats what everyone who brings a laptop does. and yes the cost of printing can be used as an excuse for me, because im a broke ass college kid with less than 10 dollars in my bank account.

 

[guyver01]

man.. when i was in school... the problem we had to worry about was whether or not the professor would allow us to use a recorder to tape the class.

i would bring in a microcassette recorder... tape the lecture.. then do my notes at home

 

[TallBill]

If you read, he only posts the outline to his lecture, and not all the important shit you need. So what I do is download the word doc, and fill it in with information.

Ugh, I have a professor that puts a fucking outline on the overhead that you have to hand write at the beginning of class, then take notes after. Gimme the fucking outline on paper at least, I don't mind handwriting notes from there.

I think that it is an excellent policy. Laptops and cell phones should be banned and the professors should be banned from doing lectures from Power Points as well. Neither one are conducive to the learning environment.

Banning shit from classrooms is fucking retarded. Lets not stifle professors, mkay? I have one who puts an awesome powerpoint online both online and on the overhead. You can either print it and add in handwritten notes accordingly or do it on your laptop. I really should get a netbook for taking notes.

 

[Crusty]

but thats not what I do, as i've stated several times before in this thread.. But everyone who agrees with banning laptops in the classroom says thats what everyone who brings a laptop does. and yes the cost of printing can be used as an excuse for me, because im a broke ass college kid with less than 10 dollars in my bank account.

So you are saying you've never done anything but take notes on your laptop in class? :whiste:

If this really is that big of a deal to you maybe you should go see your academic advisor and tell them you can't learn without a laptop...

 

[Kirby]

Out of curiosity, what did you study RS? I find myself referring to my own notes in some classes a lot, while other classes almost not at all.

That's what I was thinking. Some classes the teacher didn't hand out anything or even use the book I paid and arm and a leg for. Notes were the only way to pass. And the majority of teachers based their tests solely on their notes and stuff they wrote on the board.

 

[RapidSnail]

I think the better solution is for the university to block WiFi access to any non-university websites in the classroom. People can still bring stuff in from the other access points, but it's much less spontaneous and possibly less appealing.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

So you are saying you've never done anything but take notes on your laptop in class? :whiste:

If this really is that big of a deal to you maybe you should go see your academic advisor and tell them you can't learn without a laptop...

the exception was today, since it was the first day all he was doing was handing out the syllabus and literally reading over the entire 40 page syllabus, which i can do on my own time since it is also posted on the interwebs. and besides, my netbook blows dick and cant do shit but type up papers. youtube lags, messengers make it too unbearably slow, and facebook isnt that interesting at that time of day. so yeah, all i do is sit tehre and take notes on my laptop.

 

[SunnyD]

Well, you can either keep your students awake and possibly looking up related info on the tube, OR you can do what I did in school which was doodle all over the damn notebook while not paying attention and falling asleep half the time.

Either way... who cares.

 

[RapidSnail]

What kind of class is this? Sounds like a graduate course.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

What kind of class is this? Sounds like a graduate course.

its an upper division psych class.

 

[Jeff7]

I only really needed a laptop for taking notes in a single class: World History. All other classes required drawing of graphs, equations, mechanical sketches, or schematics.

WH was just a lot of plain text information, and I found that I was losing a lot of important detail when writing, simply because I don't write very fast. Luckily the professor did allow laptops, though she'd watch for suspicious patterns, like someone who never looked up from their computer, laughing, and other suspicious cues.

I had Word open, and nothing else. If she'd ask to see my screen, she could also easily see a reasonable chunk of text typed into the window.

I guess with the increasing popularity of Facebook, and the increasing idiocy of people who are too lacking in discipline to not be morons during class....well hey, thanks for screwing over those who have the capacity to be responsible and respectful.

 

[RapidSnail]

its an upper division psych class.

I can't fathom a 40 page syllabus. What the hell did he cram in there?

 

[TheNinja]

If I was a prof, I'd do the same $hit. It's bad enough with everyone in society constantly dicking around on their phones. It's damn annoying. I'd tell everyone to take notes on paper and they can translate to laptop....that way they can reread and organize their notes too.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

I can't fathom a 40 page syllabus. What the hell did he cram in there?

edit: i had a typo, i meant to say history, but typed pysch because i was ordering that text book, its an upper division history class. Its a 3000 level, which leads into the 4000 level medieval history class.

ill take a pic of the last page, its actually like 43 pages.

he detailed the entire course, day by day, school policy, random shit, writing guidelines, research tips, you name it its in there...

2nd edit:

 

[Hacp]

.. You could spend a few hundred on a tablet PC ... or just use paper and a pencil/pen? What is so wrong with paper? Is a digital version going to somehow make you learn better? I highly doubt that.

Yes it will, especially if you can record it and follow the professors train of thought when reviewing.

 

[RedArmy]

I've found that taking notes severely hampers your ability to actively listen to the professor to try and understand what he/she is teaching. All you're left with at the end of the class is pages of notes that won't make any sense to you a day later.

In most cases you should only be writing down the real important points, which will be self-evident if you're paying attention.

 

[TallBill]

I only really needed a laptop for taking notes in a single class: World History. All other classes required drawing of graphs, equations, mechanical sketches, or schematics.

WH was just a lot of plain text information, and I found that I was losing a lot of important detail when writing, simply because I don't write very fast. Luckily the professor did allow laptops, though she'd watch for suspicious patterns, like someone who never looked up from their computer, laughing, and other suspicious cues.

I had Word open, and nothing else. If she'd ask to see my screen, she could also easily see a reasonable chunk of text typed into the window.

I guess with the increasing popularity of Facebook, and the increasing idiocy of people who are too lacking in discipline to not be morons during class....well hey, thanks for screwing over those who have the capacity to be responsible and respectful.

I'm a history major in my junior year, so maybe that's why i see a lot of laptops being used for actual notes. I know for sure that it'd be helpful for me.