by Dan Gayle
Staff Writer

Clickety-clickety.Clickety-clickety-clickety.

The sound of students furiously tapping on their laptops in class is a sound that you’ll hear in quite a few classrooms here at SCC.

It has got to go.

You can choose to believe it or not, but I’m convinced that getting rid of laptop and/or unnecessary computer use will measurably help students focus more and pay attention in class. Shoreline Community College would be a better learning environment if sometimes - just sometimes – students could just turn the things off once in a while.

I know this because I am Exhibit A. Ever since I got my Apple PowerBook, I’ve used it everywhere: at the beach, at the park, on the bus, on campus, out of class and most importantly, in class.

That last place is the one that will get you every time. During Keith Taketchi’s Art History class, I would regularly use that time to catch up on my homework for another class (Sorry Keith). Or while sitting in one of my design classes, I would make good use of the YouTube capabilities of the computer monitor so graciously placed between my professor and me.

Teachers who instruct in classes with computers in them will attest to the fact that you cannot vie for everyone’s attention if the allure of MySpace or YouTube are placed within arm’s reach. Sure, they always manage to tell students to shut off their monitors, but it does no one any good. Someone in class, sooner or later, will eventually succumb to the siren’s call, and it is too late.

I can’t argue about the usefulness of the computer in class. Being able to take notes digitally and/or look up supplemental information during class has really made some of my classes quite fun.

However, did I make the most out of every opportunity to learn? Hardly. Was I always giving my professors the respect they deserved? Regretfully, no; I wasn’t.

Did I still gain knowledge out of the classes? Absolutely. When the time came to do actual work, I would put my laptop away or shut off my monitor.

But how many don’t?