In the classroom, notebooks or Netbooks?

By Jayne Orenstein
Washington

From the examples given in your March 9 article “Web of diversions evicts laptops from lecture halls,” there seems to be no pressing reason for students to use laptops over a pen and paper. I fully support all professors who ban laptops from college classrooms.

There is nothing more annoying than the student next to you tapping away at her laptop, surfing Facebook, checking her e-mail, having a conversation on GChat ..... no wait, what was that on PerezHilton.com? Updating Twitter — “Sitting in class ....... ugh ..... soooooo boring. LOL” — while I sit quietly and take notes with my (gasp!) notebook and pencil. But this archaic method of note-taking does have its price: I can’t look up answers on Wikipedia or correct the professor on breaking news. But if I’m bored during class, I just do the crossword puzzle. In print.