Stephanie Villafuerte

Stephanie Vilafuerte

English 113B

Professor Ray

February 20, 2013

Laptops affecting Academic Progress

Technology is used everywhere, and many agree that we cannot live with out it. The past couple of years the education system has been insisting that technology will help students improve on their learning ability. Are laptops a reliable learning tool for high school students to be using during class? Students should be focused on what the teacher is presenting to them not focusing on their laptops. This issue is important because high school students are not learning but instead looking up random stuff on the Internet.  Laptops are an enormous distraction when it comes to students using them in class. Many articles and videos have been proven that laptops are not often being used for distracting but rather than distracting entertainment.

To often, students are using laptops for unnecessary research and activities. For example, in the article “Seeing no progress, some schools drop laptops” stated that students were downloading porn at school. Even if the district regulated the Internet a student managed to work his way around it and use any website the student pleased (Hu 1). I believe that laptops make the learning process much more difficult for students to focus on their studies. Is to show that students’ using their laptops to study has not improved their test scores. Winnie Hu stated “After seven years, there was literally no evidence it had any impact on student achievement — none”(Hu 5). High schools should not be spending money on something that is not showing any type of improvement in the education system. Although, laptops did not make any improvement in academics, it did make an improvement in attendance and detention. Students seemed to be attending school more often then usual and receiving less detention because they wanted to have the privilege of using the laptops. The use of laptops are improving attendance but still not showing an academic improvement. Laptops are being used for all the wrong reasons, but high schools that do not have the money and are trying to get computer programs do not know it is non-beneficial.

Schools are spending thousands of dollars on computer programs. Many schools are cancelling their computer programs because of poor academic progress. The education board is realizing how much money high schools are putting into programs that are not helping students learn. The largest school district in the country invested millions in assigning laptops to 6 thousand students. That same year they noticed they were spending 100 thousand repairing most laptops (Hu 12). In many other schools, they are turning their yearbook room into a repair room because the school has no warranty on any of the laptops. Not only are laptops not beneficial for academics progress but also it is hurting the pockets for many high schools and most importantly the education board.  Schools began to realize the difference between schools with laptops and without. A high school in Virginia removed a five-year laptop program because it did not show any type of academic strength. Not only did it not show any progress but it was going to cost 1.5 millions to continue the program (Hu 10)

Some professors have actually found the technology to spy on their students.  A professor installed a program called “Spyware” to view students laptop screens. Most students were found surfing the web, checking their email or on social networks while class was in session (Smith 3). According to Smith “the average student…whopping 65 new, active windows per lecture…”(Smith 4). Another study was done at a university and these students did not know they were being monitored; TA’s (Teacher assistants) were looking over students to view their laptops. What they found was more than half of the students were on unrelated websites, majority of them were older students in their second or third year. After that study the professor banned laptops for the rest of his teaching years (Smith 8). A video was found on teacher spying on their students and it showed that they would not use it for the right purpose of course like many other studies. The teacher did state an interesting opinion on students using their laptops for homework, “they feel like as long as their doing their work, there is nothing wrong with chatting, looking at themselves in the mirror as long as they get it done by the ex amount of time”(video). I talked to a couple of my classmates and many agreed to that state of mind as long as the work is done it does not matter what a laptop is being used for. Students have to learn how to use laptops in a more efficient manner.

In conclusion, laptops should not be used in high schools all they cause are distractions and money issues. One solution could have been blocking certain websites but even then some students will work there way around the Internet security. During my research I was using my laptop, I realized I was on Facebook, Pandora and distracted by other titles instead of focusing on my research title. I would randomly begin surfing the web watching videos that did not relate to my paper. I found a cartoon and it reminded me about situations in class. There are two boys and one boy is using his laptop and the other boy tells him the teacher asked him something and he tells him to stall so he can find the answer because he was not paying attention. This happens a lot in class students are playing with their laptop games or doing other unrelated stuff. A solution could be dropping all laptops and going back to an old fashion style. Laptops will always be there but teachers should teach with books and other resources instead of the Internet.

Work Cited

Hu, Winnie. "Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops." New York TImes. N.p., 4 May 2007. Web.

Smith, Catharine. "Laptops In School: How Students Are Really Using Their Computers During Class." Hunffington Post. N.p., 19 May 2011. Web.

Teachers Spying on Students through Laptop Webcams. Dir. Nawitus. Perf. Teacher. Youtube. N.p., 18 Feb. 2010. Web.

"When They Bring Laptops to Class." Cartoon. An Accounting Professor Ponders the Classroom. N.p., 7 Nov. 2010. Web.