From the Director
Mary Stephen, Ph.D.
Director, Reinert CTE

For several years, issues of the Notebook have focused on teaching related themes. This issue is no different in that respect, however, our theme for this issue, use of electronic devices in the classroom, offers an excellent opportunity to provide a forum for a debate focusing on the use of handheld electronic devices, especially laptops, in the classroom. We had no difficulty finding Saint Louis University faculty members who after thoughtful consideration had landed firmly on one of two sides of the issue as well as a few faculty members who have found a middle ground in handling this issue, and we present their positions in this newsletter. The debate also rages nationally.

In a 2007 editorial in the Washington Post, Georgetown University Law professor, David Cole, cited two reasons why he banned laptops in his classroom: students taking notes on laptops tend to function like stenographers and record what is being said without taking time to process the information or engage in class discussions, and laptops encourage students to do non-class related activities which distract not only the laptop user, but others in the class. (David Cole’s recent posting (October 2008) “Why I Ban Laptops in My Classroom” and responses to this posting can be accessed at the Britannica Blog.)

Michael Wesch, assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University and the Carnegie Foundation Professor of the Year for research institutions, presents an opposing view at the Britannica Blog. “We can welcome laptops, cell phones, and iPods into our classrooms, not as distractions, but as powerful learning technologies. We can use them in ways that empower and engage students in real world problems and activities, leveraging the enormous potentials of the digital media environment that now surrounds us.”

On the same forum, Howard Rheingold, faculty member at Berkeley and Stanford, describes his strategy for student laptop use “One thing we deal with is mindfulness about how we use our laptops and deploy our attention during class meetings. When student teaching teams of three selected and assigned readings from my annotated list of readings for the different teaching themes . . . only the three students on the teaching team were allowed to keep their laptops open. . . . Students took surprisingly well to disciplining their laptop use. About half of them welcomed a chance to be rid of the distraction. The other half pushed back in the forum discussions — they insist that they need to take their own notes in real time to learn. . . . The discussion about norms regarding the use of laptops increased all of our mindfulness about what goes on in a Wi-Fi equipped classroom. . . . So now it is up to the students to decide when to open their laptops. And a norm developed — everyone who opens a laptop also closes the lid and puts it under their chair from time to time.”

Last updated 03.11.09

Volume 11: Issue 3

In this Issue

Learning How to Teach in the Technology Cloud
Kenneth Parker, Ph.D.
Department of Theological Studies 

Using Laptops to Engage Students
Elizabeth Fathman, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice

"Sharing Our Strategies"
In each issue, we'll present short, practical suggestions on the featured topic from Saint Louis University faculty

The Challenge of Large Lecture Halls
Mark Ruff, PhD.
Department of History

Address Issues
One On-One
Emmanuel Uwalaka, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science

Focus on Engagement
Daniel Finucane, PhD.
Department of Theological Studies

The CTE Staff Corner
Evaluating the Cloud
Sandy Gambill
Program Director, Learning Technologies

Changes in The Notebook
You will notice a major difference with this issue of the Reinert Center for Teaching Excellence’s newsletter, the Notebook. We have moved to electronic distribution of The Notebook. We announced the current issue using both electronic announcements and postcards sent through campus mail. In the future, new issues will be announced electronically only.

Moving to an electronic format offers several advantages, including the availability of two different formats for readers – a version for readers who prefer to print a text copy, and a web version for readers who prefer an online version, and the ability to include links that enable readers to easily connect to references and additional resources. An electronic format allows us to share our newsletter with our colleagues at the Madrid campus in addition to all faculty and staff in St. Louis.