Computers in the Classroom

   After class last week and reading the article by Nicholas Carr, I have been thinking about the prevalence of computers in our learning environments.  When I was a freshman here at Stevens, iPads and tablets were not that common.  Now as a senior, far more people have them and those who do not want to buy one.  Even in my hometown tablets were just approved by the Board of Education for classroom use in the high school - if a student owns a tablet, they are allowed to bring it to school to use as an 'educational aid' (I'm putting this into my own words).
    I may be old fashioned, but I really do not see the benefits of having computers in the classroom.  While they do make taking notes easier because most people can type much faster than they can write, let's be real ... no one is going to only take notes if they have their laptop on their desk and they are connected to wi-fi.  I usually do not bring my laptop to any class because I know I will be distracted.  Even when I look around at my classmates who do have their laptops in class, almost every single time at least 3/4 of the class has their windows split between Facebook and some other word processor to take notes.  Even though they seem to be taking notes, how efficient can they be if they have Facebook open and are scrolling through their news feeds or chatting with friends?
   Even when professor post their notes on Moodle in a PowerPoint, I find that I become a lazier student.  Why go to class when I can find the notes later today and go over them (I'm pretty sure I never actually go through them)?  I'll tell myself I don't need to take notes because I can access them later when I need to study for a test.  I know I'm not the only student that does this and I think it renders our classes pointless.  Everyone ends up tuning out because they know they can access the information later.  While there may be some benefits, I think I learn better when I am engaged listening because I have to rely on my handwritten notes.
    I believe that our society is in a period of transition when it comes to technology and education -- or hopefully it will be soon.  I think our education system needs to shift in order to accommodate technology so that it is a productive tool and not one that gives us shortcuts in our education.