Good Bye Student Focus, Hello Laptops

Last Wednesday, I was sitting on the Paly lawn with my group of friends. The sun was shining, the grass was green, and we were intensely discussing which senior deserved the coveted title of "best eyes" in the senior polls---an all and all typical lunch. Then, suddenly, Phil Winston, our principle, who I have yet to seen frown, approached my group from behind.

Winston informed us that Paly had just set up wireless internet for students and showed me  how to connect to the network though my iPhone.  Although Winston's enthusiasm was too tough an act to match, my friends and I did feel that it was a nice new campus perk. We definitely didn't dwell long on the matter----we had much weightier issues to discuss, such as which senior deserved the vote for "hottest hottie".

It was only later, when I was flipping though the New York Times Weekend Review, did I realize the possible significance of wireless internet access for students. One of the opinions was an advice column from graduate students to incoming college freshmen. In the column, the graduate students suggests that freshmen "ditch the laptop when they come to class", and instead give the professor complete focus.

It was then that I remembered how many, if not all, college students bring their laptops to class. I wondered if student wireless access at Paly was the first step in allowing students to bring computers to school?

A student can take clearer notes, more efficiently with a laptop, a very practical idea----in theory. The truth of the matter is that allowing a student access to a laptop in class would be the worse thing to hit public education since the No Child Left Behind Act.

Farewell, classroom discussions: students would be constantly logged in to Facebook, their email, or checking the latest sports stats. As a high school student, I see this every time students are given computers to complete assignments in class. The moment the laptop turns on, a student, almost reflexively, proceeds to log onto
Facebook. My iphone is already a constant distraction, and if cell phones were allowed in class, I'm sure I would be checking my email at the 75-minute mark of every class (Yes, that's right our classes are 90 minutes long).

If phones and computers were allowed in class, there is no way I would be able to resist its luring spell.

At home, there are so many distractions right at my finger tips when I begin an assignment on the computer. Whether it be the internet, or texting, it takes most of my will power to completely unplug myself from the outside world. 

When the homework gets rough, I immediately log onto Facebook to escape into a utopia of "emo" statuses and photos of drunk teenagers. If I had that tempting option in the classroom, it would be simply disastrous.

School should be a place where students are immersed in the material and engaged in discussions.  Even if college students are mature enough to handle a laptop--a dubious propostition--the truth of the matter is that high schoolers certainly are not. In class, I often discuss the material with peers that I normally don't get the opportunity to speak to, allowing me to hear new perspectives and ideas. I wouldn't want to miss the chance of hearing what a fellow student or the teacher has to say because I was zoned out on my laptop, googling how many licks it takes to get to the center of a lollipop (or something equally as important).

Students should be banned from texting, web surfing, listening to ipods, or using any technology that could pose a distraction. When students really need a break there's always the option of an occasional nap, doodle, or day dream--hey, it was good enough for our parents, it should be good enough for us.