News Bits: No Laptops in Lecture, New MacBook May 9th?, DisplayPort, Acer TravelMate 3020

Professors Banning Laptops in Lecture

What are college students really doing with their laptops in class? It appears that many aren't doing classwork - instead, some are playing poker, others are instant messaging, and so on and so forth. Professors have taken the 'unthinkable' step to stop this - banning laptops in class. At the University of Memphis, this seemingly drastic step has caused an uproar. One professor banned laptops for the reason that "they were turning her students into stenographers and inhibiting classroom debate."

Students have already responded by filing a complaint with the American Bar Association, but it was dismissed.

A professor from the University of Pennsylvania, Charles Mooney, has had laptops banned in his classes for two years already - this past year, he permitted students to use laptops as an experiment - his conclusion: don't allow laptops.

Students, on the other hand, have different views on the subject. One student said that the ban was unnecessary because of the "embarrassing possibility of being unable to answer a question posed by the professor." Thus, the students paid attention so as not to be singled out.

A chemistry professor at the University of Oregon says that "even students who are diligently taking notes with their laptops are missing out on social interaction and jokes the teachers make."

This is definitely a continually growing issue, and it will be interesting to see how it escalates.

Read More

DVI Successor Revealed-- DisplayPort

The VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) has revealed the final version of DisplayPort, which is slated to replace the current DVI. It will improve on DVI by integrating HD Audio and picture signals, support for higher resolutions and refresh rates versus what is currently available.

DisplayPort will support not only external connections, but also internal, so notebook manufacturers can use it to connect the LCD to the motherboard and make upgrades easier. The slimline DisplayPort is what will be used in notebooks, allowing graphics cards to use multiple ports.

The uni-directional four-lane link is capable of transferring data at 10.8Gbps, supporting 8- and 10-bit color.

Another proposal from a separate consortium proposed a different interface - the UDI, or Unified Display Interface. It will be compatible with both HDMI and DVI, which DisplayPort is not. But, it lacks audio capabilities. Different companies are backing UDI or DisplayPort - on the UDI side are Intel, Apple, and LG, and for DisplayPort are Dell, HP, Lenovo, and ATI. Some UDI supporters also support DisplayPort, including Nvidia and Samsung.

Read More

Apple Quietly Recalls Early MBP Batteries

It appears that early versions of the MacBook Pro are having battery problems - AppleCare recently said there was a known issue with some early MacBook Pro batteries, and is in the process of cross-shipping replacements to those experiencing the issues. Issues include battery charge levels dropping to 90% from a fully charge, the battery goes to one blinking LED or fails to respond period, and loss of capacity.

The issue(s) affect MacBooks with serial numbers up to W8608 - that means that the first two weeks worth of MacBooks could be problematic.

Read More

iBook Replacement Rumor -- the Apple MacBook to be ReleasedTuesday May 9th?

According to people visiting the siteMacRumors.com, boxes have been showing up in Apple Stores marked "do not open until May 9th" and store sales clerks have been told to push iBook sales this weekend in order to clear out inventory for a supposed new MacBook on Tuesday. The MacBook is rumored to be a 13.3-inch widescreen Core Duo replacement for the current iBook G4 notebooks.

(view large image)

Furthermore, a slip up on the Apple.com site in the iPod section showed a breadcrumb navigation for "MacBook", not "MacBook Pro" the 15.4" and 17" laptop released and that we already know about.

Read More

Acer Says Napa-based Notebooks to Account for 40% of Shipments, Release TravelMate 3020 in Asia

Acer's goal for the second quarter this year is to have Napa-based notebooks account for 40% of their shipments, according to Acer chairman JT Wang. Acer's Q2 revenues should be similar to the first quarter - $2.56 billion dollars.

Read More

Acer also released an update to the TravelMate 3010 12.1" series notebook in the Asia region. The only real difference between the 3010 series and this new TravelMate 3020 series is the fact the new release is painted white.

[li]Intel Core Duo T2300/ T2400/ T2500/ T2600 [/li] [li]Display:12.1-inch WXGA TFT[/li] [li]Memory: DDR2 533/667MHz (up to 2GB), two SODIMM extension slots (upgradable to 4GB)[/li] [li]HDD: 80/100/120GB SATA[/li] [li]Built-in camera:1.3-megapixel, 225-degree rotating[/li] [li]Dimensions:297.5 210 2 4.5/32.4mm[/li] [li]Weight: (3.3lbs)[/li]

[URL=http://digitimes.com/NewsShow/Article.asp?datePublish=2006/05/05&pages=A7&seq=37]Read More[/URL] [p] [p][B]AOL Still Struggling[/B] [p][img]http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/11832.png[/img] [p]Subscribers to AOL are continuing to leave the company - it has lost over three million customers in the past year. The number of subscribers fell to 18.6 million, down 835,000. Q1 results to March, AOL reported that revenues fell seven percent, about $152 million, to right under $2 billion compared to one year previously. AOL is also declining in Europe. In March, the total number of subscribers numbered 5.9 million, losing 147,000 on the previous three months. The number of subscribers was down 452,000 from the same period one year previously. [p][URL=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/04/aol_financials/]Read More[/URL] [p] [p][B]Other Recent Web Notebook Related Articles of Interest:[/B] [ul] [li]High-Capacity 2.5" notebook hard drive roundup - Xbitlabs.com: [URL=http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/storage/display/25inch-hdd-5400.html]XBitLabs.com[/URL] [/li] [li]Intel Core versus AMD's K8 architecture: [URL=http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2748]AnandTech.com[/URL] [/li] [li]Blu-ray debut delayed: [URL=http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060504-6748.html]ArsTechnica.com[/URL] [/li][/ul] [p][/p][/p][/p][/p][/p][/p][/p][/p]

 

I wonder if a Tablet PC is more acceptable for professors? They'd be less disruptive and more like taking regular notes.

A notebook that requires typing and hiding behind a screen is a bit disruptive I suppose, but it depends on the type of lecture. In a large lecture hall for some dry subject matter, I don't see the problem with students taking notes (I do see a problem with students IM'ing and not paying attention of course -- just go home if you're gonna do that). In a small class of under 20 students that's supposed to involve debate, well yeah, you don't want students burying their nose into an LCD screen.

 

That is total BS, I can type faster then right so I get more info in my notes. Yes, I may surf a little on the side, but as noted in the article, I'm afraid of being called on and not knowing what to say! Plus, if the teacher says something you want to know more about or don't have a clue about I can go to answers.com or wikipedia.org

 

Notebooks are a complete norm at my university. Never heard any prof complain. Maybe it is different at the graduate level, everyone is more serious and if you don't want to be in the class you are welcome to leave.

BUT it is weird to ban notebooks. All our lecture materials are online (I guess this is the case almost everywhere). Most students don't waste paper and print out the lecture notes they just follow on their notebook and add notes. I also noticed quite a few using MS One Note. I got a free copy the other day and have been wanting to give it a test drive, it seems pretty neat, records voice and can tag it into the notes.

I must admit, sometimes I get bored in those 3 hrs classes at night, and just start chatting to avoid falling asleep

 

I know of some schools that supply the machines for the students and they supply tablets. This reminds me when my school (jr high actually) would not let me bring my laptop to class (friend and I wanted to do this) so instead we just ditched class and hung out in the computer lab

 

I really don't think they should ban laptops from class, if people are IMing, etc. and not paying attention in class, that's their fault and their, or their parents', money wasted, no skin off the professor's knees..

However, if there is an active debate going on they should look up from the laptop and pay attention, if they don't, I feel they should be removed from the class.

This reminds me of the same thing that happened in my 5th grade class way back when... The teacher banned 'clicking' pens because they were disruptive to class when only a few people were doing anything wrong.

Punishing the whole because the few do wrong isn't the way to solve a problem.

 

Notebooks are practically the norm at law school, but I do suspect that much of this has to do with the environment and the culture in law schools; everybody uses a notebook, so you automatically do, too. I don't think they're essential to the study of law by any means, as I got through undergrad and grad school without ever bringing a computer to class, but I don't think they hurt productivity either. It's just a different style of learning.

What these professors don't realize is inevitability that students will be bored. And when they do, they will slack. There's a benefit to paying attention most of the time, but not always. When my Contracts prof calls on someone else and asks them to explain the facts of a case I've already read, there's no point in paying attention for the next few minutes. So that's when I go on eBay, or check on posts over here. Looking around, about 2/3 of the rest of the class is also slacking in one way or another. It was no different before I had my notebook in class; instead, I'd just doodle in my notes, or daydream. This way, at least my time-wasting activities might actually accomplish something else, albeit not law-related.

I believe as long as you pay attention when it matters, or when you've got something useful to say, you're being a useful and respectful member of the class, more so than the bozo who raises his hand only to re-summarize everything the prof just said in an attempt to demonstrate his intelligence. Now, the guy who spends all of his class time playing online poker, to the point where he's got his wireless mouse out, and often stays after class to finish a game? That's a guy who shouldn't have a laptop.

So in summary, I wouldn't really care if there was a blanket ban on laptops in class at law schools, but at the same time, I see no justifiable reason for imposing such a restriction upon everyone.

 

The biggest disadvantage of taking notes on my laptop is my handwriting has gotten alot worse than it was during highschool. Everyone at my school has a laptop. The school aided more than half in getting there Latitude 110Ls. They aren't really needed for my classes, we could get by without them, particularly in the lab rooms where we have Dell workstations infront of us anyways. But like I said before everyone has one to take notes on during theory classes, plus it reassures the school everyone has a computer because all work must be turned in typed and then there are the pesky online classes. Back during the fall quarter, I didn't have a laptop for half of it. Have you ever tried to keep up with everyone else writing notes on a laptop, when doing handwritten notes? (I gave up and started having friends print them out after class. So then I really wasn't doing much.) I can see the disruption to a debate class. My school has all the instant messagers (including AOL's website) blocked so none of that goes on. (actually Googletalk works for now) The same for most games. When I get bored in class, which is inevitable when the teacher is repeating something already covered or the material is just dry as a desert I tend to start typing things other than notes, doodle in paint, or check up on NBR. <<; To the teacher who said the students were missing her jokes by burying there faces into there laptops. Do you know how many teachers/profs think that they are funny and really just aren't?

 

College professors banning notebooks? Are they kidding? People PAY to go to college. The student is essentially the customer and if they prefer to use a notebook (like an adult) for note-taking (or skip a class or bypass a question for that matter) than the 'professor' should have to suck it up.

I had to (politely) tell a couple of professors that they were out of line and not teaching children in public schools and remind them of who and where we are (most already know how to control a room of students). I never went for that level student/teacher BS. Whether you are the pope, a garbage man or a college professor - respect is earned and must be mutual (it's not something that just comes with the job).

If the student is quietly and inconspicuously playing games and IMing during the class - he or she is foolish and wasting their own (parent's) money - but that's their own beef. However, if they are disturbing other students, then they should be asked to leave the class until they take the class seriously so others won't have to suffer for it.

This is 2006 - Notebooks are a needed tool not something 'cool' to bring to class. I also agree that sitting there and typing for 40-60 min will get you no where. But that's when the professor needs to say, "lets close the lids and/or put down the pens and discuss this topic for a bit". I can't stand when people go to extremes when trying to remedy a problem.

 

that is my opinion as well, which is why I always objected to mandatory attendance. If you choose not to attend and do poorly as a result, it isn't gonna harm them any.

that said, my class was the first at RPI to have laptops required, and as a result the professors for the most part had not modified lectures to use them. so people mostly used IM and watched movies instead. in my physics class the TAs would look for kids not paying attention and attempt to switch the computer of on them if they saw it.

taking notes on any laptop other than a tablet is not too practical for most engineering courses though, due to the need to draw figures.

 

This semester I had a professor ban me from using my laptop. I dropped her class immediately and wrote a letter to the school paper, which was not printed. I made an excellent argument as to why laptops not only should be allowed in the classroom, but why their use should be encouraged.

I am one of a VERY few number of students at my school who brings a laptop to class. Yet nearly every student owns one. It's so stupid. Why waste the extra money on a laptop (as compared to an equal or more powerful desktop), and always leave it plugged in on a desk? It makes me angry.

Obviously, the laptop approach isn't always appropriate (math class, for example), but in most classes, it should be an accepted practice. The school also doesn't need to provide unsecured wireless internet in academic buildings, if it's such a cause for problems.

Oh, and the thing that really got me about the prof who wouldn't let me use my laptop this semester (it was a philosophy elective -- I love philosophy, but not without my trusty toshiba) -- her argument had nothing to do with wireless internet or the other typical concerns. She wouldn't let me use it because "not everyone in the class has access to a laptop" There are two things I regret not doing at that moment -- asking the class how many of them owned laptops, and the ones who didnt' if they freely chose not to purchase a laptop. Then walk out of ****ing class. She looked just like Diane from Cheers.

 

I've never had the need to use a laptop during class. I have mine and take it with me a lot, but rarely ever actually take notes on it. It's mainly for doing programming or other non-school related fun things. I can take notes on traditional paper faster than what I can with a laptop. So, I don't see the need of it being there. I do see some students in class with their laptops and many of them are playing games, watching flash movies, or IM'ing each other. They're generally goofing off, but some people do actually use the laptop for notes, although it's rare. Normally, if I can't hear it or tell you're on the laptop, then I don't care.

The solution one of my profs has is to not make the notes available online. You can buy a copy of the notes from a previous semester for really cheap, but the actual notes that are valuable and get you through the course must be learned during class. You really have to stay into it since the textbook is supportive and so is the online content. The real meat of the entire course is in the lectures. They can be boring, but you need to know that stuff.

However, and here's the big problem, is that the laptops and students using the laptops are a huge distraction sometimes. It's annoying to hear people chuckling every few minutes at the funny link their friend sitting a few seats and rows over just IM'ed them. It's even worse when someone whips out a big P4 or Alienware monstrosity that's louder than the LCD/DLP projector on the ceiling. In my Java programming class a student had an Alienware and it would rev up and down, whine, and generally sounded like a hairdryer. It was extremely annoying and disruptive.

I can understand reasons for banning laptops and agree in some cases, but I really think it's a situational thing that needs to be evaluated in context. I don't have a problem with banning a laptop if there's a good honest reason (like sounding like a hairdryer). But I don't think a general blanketing ban or taking the ban out of context is appropriate.

 

Yeah I see no problem with taking your laptop to class. College students are grown ups. I think they know what is best. And if not they are screwed. lol
Tim

 

Does anyone know if any of the CalState universities have any problems with laptops or Tablet PCs?

 

It's like banning pen & paper because the student was caught doodling on the margins...

 

God forbid you should miss a zinger from one of your professors. That would really detract from the subject matter. How embarassing that this gem of an observation came from one of the "brilliant" faculty members at U of O.

 

Honestly, though, what student pays attention 100% of the time? I regularly see my fellow students sleeping through class. Only in high school did the teachers go out of their way to wake up those offending students. It's usually pretty obvious when a student is or is not paying attention, yet the profs only care when the offending student is behind a laptop.

 

I don't see the problem with banning laptops in SOME classes. For example, if you have a very small class (less than 20 students), and the teacher wants students to ask discussion type questions during the class, not just at dedicated time slots, then it makes sense not to have laptops. You really don't NEED notes on every single word that the teacher says; thinking what's behind the words during class, when you have the opportunity to contribute to the discussion, is a lot more important. However, with a laptop, it's easier to get carried away than with pen and paper.

I think they should try alternatives to banning laptops first, such as disabling Internet in the classroom. However, this particular prof did give it a try, and I'm sure he tried different things during that one semester, and the results still weren't as good as before. He is the only one able to make an assessment of whether or not laptops made a difference since he is the only one who has the facts. How can anyone who doesn't question his decision? He's obviously not a luddite, so he chose what he thinks is best for his students, which is the kind of decisions that profs are supposed to make. Unless he's a prick and made the decision out of spite. Which is highly unlikely.

Re students=consumers, that's not entirely correct. Do you apply to buy a pound of tomatoes at the grocery store, just to have the store tell you you're not good enough, and someone with better taste buds has been chosen to eat the tomatoes, since the store thinks they're better equipped to take full advantage of the tomatoes? Does the store say that you should have these perfectly good tomatoes for a quarter of the price while everyone else is paying full price because they don't want you suffering through the $1/pound tomatoes, and they think that with these, you might one day turn into a chef? Ok then.

Students are a big part of what gives a college its particular character, and other students choose to go there partly because of who's already there. So, if everyone's typing away on their laptops, and there's only one or two students who ever have anything to say in class, those two students are getting the short end of the stick. One might say, not getting their money's worth - or, if they're going for free, then incurring a high opportunity cost.

Malia

 

And what about the MacBook? I think it will be interesting to see a 13.3 with dedicated video (hopefully, an ati x1400 with 128mg) that would be an alternative to sony sz

 

Yes, students are like customers. So just like restaurants can ban smoking, colleges can ban the use of notebooks in class if they think it's disruptive. Whether the professors are allowed to ban notebook use in their classes should be up to the school, and not the students.

Just like you can go to another restaurant if you don't like it, you can go to another college if you don't like the policies of your college. Likewise, if a college doesn't allow professors to ban notebook use in their classes, they can quit and go teach at another college if they don't like it. It's up to the school to decide which risk they want to take.

 

Exactly. The college should be the one who puts such rules in line (IF it's warranted) - not the professor.

Again, any use of notebooks should be quiet and inconspicuous. If students do not follow these rules, they should face the same action against them just as they would if they were disrupting the class with other distractions (other than the use of notebooks).

In this case (and using your analogy), the waiters are taking it upon themselves (going over the restaurant owner's heads) by making ALL customers put out their cigarettes (due to some rude smoker puffing on a cheap cigar in the back) even though they are in a restaurant that does indeed permit smoking.

 

Except for the fact that a restaurant can cost a few bucks to maybe around one hundred and a college tuition is several thousand, as well as that the laptop isn't physically harming people like second-hand smoke does, that analogy isn't bad...

However, I see it this way, if they're willing to throw away their education and futures to play some online games or IM friends then it's their fault, they shouldn't even be in college in the first place... Slacking off every now and then will happen, even the best of us do it, but constant things like that, the consequences will just catch up with them in the end.

If it's really disrupting class, which is, to disrupt the learning process of those within, then the student doing such disruption should be removed from the class, this isn't grade-school, we don't take away the paper the kid was doodling on, we take the kid and kick them out until they can show they've matured enough to sit in a seat meant for higher learning.

 

lol Imagine if someone suggested a college boycott...yea, that would work...

 

Personally I only took my laptop to classes that were boring so I could do other stuff I just find it inconvenient to be taking notes on a laptop. And in classes where a lot of people have laptops, I find it annoying when there's people all around me, clickity-clicking keys all class. Its a very quiet sound, but when you get two dozen people all typing around you in an otherwise quiet room ...

 

It's the professor's class, and I think it's perfectly fine if he wants to ban laptops. Of course, in a notebook forum, I don't think there would be very many people happy with that decision. Objectively speaking, though, I think that laptops are actually quite counterproductive in a classroom or even lecture environment. By listening and selectively writing the most important points, the human brain is more able to learn as opposed to typing verbatim what the professor is saying. From personal experience though, I've noticed that almost no one who brings a laptop to lecture actually uses it for notes. Pointless? yes. I guess I'm still a big fan of paper and pen(cil).

 

I guess no one is surprised that the new Travelmate notebook 3.3 lb Core Duo powered notebook?

 

I guess not. I wouldn't buy anything but a dual-core right now. . benefits are substantial. I found it odd how Acer came out with a few new 17" notebooks based on the Celeron/Pentium M the other day, and not the Duo. It's to keep the cost down I assume, but the Duos really aren't more expensive than the Pentium M, the the Core Solo is a good substitute for the Celeron.

Actually, my favorite bit in this article was the DisplayPort . . can't wait to see what that will do. I'm wondering when it will begin showing up on graphics cards.

 

Banning students from laptops during class is a joke.

 

Extremely well said...you mentioned everything that I had in mind towards this topic.

 

Exactly what I wanted to say. Sure notebooks are cool to have, but when it comes down to it, writing notes down yourself is always the way to go. Maybe it's something I'd have to get used to, but I have always found taking a notebook to class to be a rather "clumsy" affair. Being a person who gets sidetracked easily doesn't help a lot either.