Are Laptops in the Classroom Beneficial or Harmful?

Technology has increased over the past ten years. Laptops are being used more often in school. In some schools, instructors allow students to use laptops in the classroom for several reasons. There are instructors who do not allow laptops in their classroom because they believe that laptops create distractions by providing access to the internet browsers that do not relate to the class such as Facebook and twitter. So do laptops useful in the classrooms or do they harm students’ learning? Despite these conflicting ideas about the effects of using laptops in the classroom, the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

There are studies that show that using laptops in the classroom benefits students’ learning. In a study titled “Let Them Use Laptops: Debunking the Assumptions Underlying the Debate over Laptops in the Classroom,” Kristen E Murray states that laptops should be welcome in classrooms because they provide substantial educational benefits to today’s law students (185). Murray also states that students who use laptops in the classroom can easily share notes with their classmates (190). Murray shows that students who use laptops in the classroom score higher on tests and quizzes than students who use notebooks (195). Students who use laptops during class are able to get all the information during lectures (197). Murray conducted surveys on how students used their laptops before, during and after class. These surveys show that laptops provide an opportunity to enhance learning (198).

Another study shows the important use of laptops in the classroom. One study conducted by the College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma examined student performance based on whether or not they completed assignments with or without la...

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... They are point out that since an instructor only has fifty minutes to teach the class, he or she does not have enough time to teach individual students, but if students have laptops readily they can do research on the information they need. Instructors should allow laptops in class to make studying easier for the students. This can enable both the teacher and the students to accomplish a meaningful, memorable lesson.

As we can see the benefits far outweigh the negatives because most of the research agrees that student should use laptop in the classroom. It provide them clear note, and quick access to the information that relate to the class subject. Also students with laptops in the classroom are able to score higher than students without laptops in test. Teacher should allow students to use laptops in the classroom because it benefits students in education.