Disadvantages
Students have to carry a heavy
notebook computer into class. If you are thinking of using notebooks for only specific days -
you should give ample warning on the syllabus/timetable for the course.
Students become easily distracted and use the notebook computers for purposes other
than course-related activities. One way to prevent this from getting out-of-hand
is to have "screen-up" and "screen-down" times. The computers
go into a standby-mode when the screen is closed if the machine is still turned on
- so a screen-up/down strategy is fast.
You may be teaching in classrooms with inappropriate furniture. If there are no power
outlets, students can rely on batteries in their laptops... but they need to have
the where-with-all to charge their notebooks earlier. If the classroom you use does
not have appropriate desk surfaces, you should consult with the chair of your department.
A number of classrooms have or will be upgraded with new furniture to enable the
use of the notebooks.
Notebooks are not optimal for taking notes. If you are worried about this, but would
still like to use the notebooks in class, then consider giving your lecture notes
out ahead of class time, and then using in-class activities that build, exercise,
relate or test this knowledge. Great care must be taken to adequately alert your
students of this expectation. What happens when students fail to prepare earlier
by reading the class notes?
Insufficient software applications exist that take advantage of the mobile computing
environment. New software applications are becoming available - and the LTC is pioneering
and testing these programs for use at UD. Many of the popular software programs have
features that can be employed in useful exercises in the classroom, such as the Track-Changes
and Insert Comments feature of Microsoft Word.
Hardware failure issues occur, or students may come to class with inadequately charged
batteries. Unless the seating in the classroom makes it impossible, it is usually
possible for students to work in pairs to share notebooks. In many cases, faculty
may choose activities where teams of students work together at shared notebooks.
Students also need to learn the responsibility of maintaining their own computer.
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