The Dark Side of the Laptop University

Earlier discussions of computer labs versus classroom computers, specialist computer teachers versus subject matter instructors have been leapfrogged. The technological juggernaut has overwhelmed us to present the "Laptop University." Now the attention of the academic community is firmly fixed on hailing the laptop as the worthy successor to white boards (no more chalk dust on blue suits), the overhead projector, the single concept projector, film, TV and the cafeteria's apple pie in plastic wrap. The technical matters such as short battery life and long logon times will be addressed in the coming years with instant logon, infrared connections, as well as other minor matters, such as the inappropriate electronic sharing of information (cheating).When the students activate their laptops, they are presented with choices: pay attention to the teacher or answer Instant Messenger, check the email on Yahoo, surf the net for music, stare at their favorite movie star's picture, or boyfriend or girlfriend or catch up with the homework from some class. These are matters that need other than technological solutions. We have provided students with a multimedia contraption, a magic lantern and an unspoken challenge: do you have the strength to avoid "amusing yourself to death," as Neil Postman put it, and the courage to step around this self destructive aspect of the dark side: recognition and self discipline are needed.Another aspect of the unanticipated is the social detachment of the learner. Unless there is a specific group assignment, the student with a few clicks is exploring the activities on his own. One only has to look into any computer lab or room full of students to see the intensity of attention displayed by the student. The laptop has exacerbated the devotion of the student to the computer to the exclusion of social interaction. Even email, chat rooms, and instant messages are elements that separate the individual from the social sphere. It is in front of the screen that social interaction occurs, sending and receiving short bursts of words. Body language and facial clues are eliminated from the dialogue. Attempts are made to put them back by developing symbols, e.g., ?, which with use become cliches. Students have discarded the art of conversation: the well-turned phrase, the wink, the hand gesture, and the accepting smile. It is this dual sense of isolation and community, tribalism and globalism, that produces the tyranny of the anonymous email writer who with one click addresses a universe.Amusement and social detachment are unlooked for components of the "Laptop University," since the computer's "raison d'etre" is its use as a tool: a communication device, a calculator, a paintbrush, a typewriter, or a library. How these tools are being used and how they a∂ect the mindset of the users constitutes the major area of the "reaction side" of the "Laptop University." Many students are dependent on a calculator, trusting in its authority and reliability to see them through; without the calculator they are often not able to work with fractions or decimals and standard deviations are devilish. …