Pro: Latops are legitimate

ANDREW FORTIN-CALDERA Sports Editor @afortincaldera

Computers are a central part of modern life. For students, this is doubly true—we all wrestled with the broken SIS and registered for classes through a computer, we access our coursework in Canvas through a computer, we write our papers on a computer, and so on and so forth. Laptops specifically, with their portability and convenience, are staples of the college environment. They are indispensable tools for academic success, and their use can, and should, extend to the classroom.

In class, during lectures, laptops provide a fantastic alternative to handwriting notes. According to an article from The Wall Street Journal, the average student handwrites notes at 22 words per minute, but can type their notes at 33 words per minute.

When you’re in class with a professor who glides from one topic to the other without pause, the faster pace of a keyboard will keep you from getting lost in a deluge of information. And, speaking for those of us whose penmanship is lacking, I prefer the complete legibility of notes appearing in a word document. It’s much easier to come back to and study from that, than it is to decipher chickenscratch handwriting.

Furthermore, with proper implementation, laptops serve to increase student engagement with course material.

When the professor is kind enough to make their powerpoint lectures available online before class, students can use their laptops to follow along with lessons, without feeling rushed to scribble down the professor’s information in addition to what appears on slides. afortincaldera.roundupnews@gmail.com allergy has risen in the last decade.

In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, it was found that courses which included interactivity between students’ laptops and the lecture subject matter led to students reporting higher than average levels of learning and engagement.

It seems that the primary misgiving regarding the use of laptops in the classroom is that they serve as a gateway to sites such as Facebook and YouTube, which some believe students are more likely to access instead of using their laptops as learning tools. However, if a student brings their laptop to class and is ultimately distracted by it, that does not speak to the ineffectiveness of the laptop as a resource that lends itself to academic success.

Rather, if anything should be taken to task in such a scenario, it should be the student who demonstrates so little investment in their education. To blame the laptop in the case of a distracted student is to absolve the student of any responsibility they have in their personal academic pursuits, disregarding their misuse of a valuable tool.

When used correctly, laptops are undeniably effective resources for students to utilize in their studies. Their usage in the classroom should not be denied because of some pretense that they serve as possible distractions. Rather, with the knowledge that laptops can serve to aid students’ understanding of material, students and professors should make conscious efforts to include laptops in their classrooms to better the learning experience as a whole.

Food allergies affect both diet and eating habits and can lead to sickness or allergic reactions. Food intolerances, celiac disease and serious allergies, which can result in anaphylaxis, are a danger to many and should be taken into serious consideration.

Many professors do not know the severity of certain medical issues that students face. Since many allergic reactions pose a threat to physical safety, people with reactions may carry supplies

ANNA CLARK Features Editor @AnnaClarkReport

Laptops are not only a distraction to both teacher and student, they have also been shown to decrease the amount of information a student processes and how such knowledge can be delivered.

Imagine a teacher tells his students to begin taking notes, and throughout the lecture, the students are quiet, considerate and go on to ace the test. The success of these students is contributed to the fact that the classroom has a strict no-laptop policy.

In May 2016, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a study that involved students using laptops in class. According to their findings, students who used laptops had lower testing scores.

In addition to lowering test scores, laptops take away a student’s ability to focus. These electronics are known for bright lights, loud keyboards, and maintaining the user’s attention, which can lead to a downward spiral of distraction. A classroom, a place of inspired learning, is no place for such devices.

While students claim to be able to center their attention on both the teacher and the laptop in front of them, it is not possible. Humans are known for not being able to focus on two things at once. A prime example of this is distracted driving. The world sees far too much of how distracted driving yields to tragic results.

Another example of distraction, is of anti-histamines, such as Benadryl, or an EpiPen. In the case of an emergency, students should inform their teachers if they are in need of further medical treatment. Students may not be in a position to help themselves at the time, so informing a faculty member of their reaction and what could happen at the start of the semester, would help everyone involved to better understand a plan of action.

*For advertising call Matt at (818) 710-2960 distracted learning. Teachers are often known to ask students for their undivided attention. “Eyes and ears, please,” is a saying that can be heard in classrooms across the world, and for good reason. A student should focus all of their five senses on what is important. In an educational environment, learning is most important, not the laptop.

When outside of the classroom, it is necessary to have the skills to engage in everyday activity or conversation without the use of electronics.

In a 2016 article in The Washington Post, California high school teacher Giles Scott wrote about why he doesn't allow electronics, including laptops, in his classroom. Scott addressed teachers by saying that laptops don’t always need to be in constant rotation.

“Education’s task is, of course, to teach them how to safely negotiate this world, but it is also our task to provide them with alternatives,” Scott said. “They need a space away from digital technology.” aclark.roundupnews@gmail.com

When the path of education ends, and it is time for a student to find a job, employers look past the skill of how to work a computer. Practices like eye contact and being able to hold a conversation far outweigh the importance of electronics.

Laptops should not be allowed in the classroom. With electronic-free learning zones, students can focus on the skills they will need for the real world and earn the grades to get them there, all while being distraction free.

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[OER courses from page 1]

The Academic Senate decided that the course will be terminated and an instructor will open a new section for that class.

Gediman said OER course options should be available for students when they register for classes.

“Say you have a budget for books, and you’ve already spent it on your psychology books, you might look at OER as an option,” Gediman said.

This presents a problem with faculty, Gediman said. Instructors may lose students because they chose a class that would save them more money on course materials.

Gediman also said students may select their professor of preference instead of the OER option.

“They’re not interested in that as much; if they like the instructor they will pay for the class,” Gediman said.

Gediman said OER courses will work well for faculty because they can drop the costs of the required class material, and students benefit from not having those expenses.

“I these courses will be very beneficial to students that are struggling with finance,” said ASO President Efren Lopez. “I’m sure some faculty feel bad that these students have to pay so much for books, but it isn’t good to promote any type of hesitance from what should be happening, which is providing students with resources.” azolezzi roundupnews@gmail.com rarenas.roundupnews@gmail.com.

Jeanette Madueña, who is a counselor and head of Undocumented Student Resources, spoke to the senate about reaching out to the undocumented students. She announced that the deadline to renew the DACA application is October 5.

About 800 undocumented students attend Pierce and this is a problem for these students, according to Madueña.

“We’re doing this in an effort to create a welcoming environment for our students, it’s a very scary time for undocumented students and there’s a lot of anxiety," Madueña said.