The Laptop Ate My Attention Span Analysis

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In “The Laptop Ate My Attention span”, Abbey Ellin describes the advantages and disadvantages of the internet being used in the classroom. Although she does include different types of schools, the author focuses in on business school students. She explains to us that an increasing amount of college campuses are choosing what students can or cannot do with their laptop while in class. Ellin describes what students do use their computer for in school and while some students are starting their own business others are chatting away or just not spending their time wisely. With it being that these are the future leaders of america and the people with access to a higher education, Ellin would expect them to have some sense of manners when it comes to what they are using their computer for during class time. The author gives us an example that a student knows better than to walk out of a …show more content…

To understand why there would be a need for technology in the classroom you must put yourself in the student’s shoes. Let us imagine there is a student in a class full of two hundred plus people. This said student is listening to the prepared lecture for the day and the professor explains a concept. The student does not fully grasp the information so instead of adding to the numerous questions the other two hundred students are asking, she pulls out her laptop. Just a few clicks away is an explanation of the topic. She now understands and is able to continue paying attention to the lecture. If her professor had some sort of switch, similar to the one mentioned in Ellin’s essay, that stopped students from having internet access, she would have to continue the lesson confused. Instead of hindering our education, we should use our most valuable resource and progress. Technology seems to be both a blessing and a curse at times yet, college students should have the freedom to choose which one that should

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