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Technology Enhanced Learning & Research
Office of the CIO • Technology Enhanced Learning & Research • Office of Information Technology
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Mobile Learning


Managing Distractions

Although mobilie learning activities enabled by wireless access open the door to exciting new learning opportunities, use of new teaching techniques can lead to new challenges in the classroom. The web resources below provide practical advice on coping with classroom distractions related to wireless access.

Teaching with Laptops

http://dcit.clemson.edu/departments/ETS/laptop_ faculty/articles/Excerpts_on_Teaching_with_Laptops.php
This website includes excerpts from Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors (2nd edition). Topics covered include teaching with laptops, keeping students on task, the potential of laptops, and using a computer in class for non-class purposes.

Screens Down, Everyone! Effective Uses of Portable Computers in Lecture Classes (pdf)

http://www.ncsu.edu/effective_teaching/Columns/Laptops.pdf
In this article, Felder and Brent present implementation tips for faculty about using wireless computing in the classroom to work through tutorials, develop skills in software applications, and carry out web-based research.

Managing Laptops In the Classroom

http://twi.classroom.com/workshops/ftl/presentations/laptops_ftl_files/frame.htm
Created by Michigan Students Unplugged: Freedom to Learn, this workshop presentation addresses various topics related to management of laptops in the classroom. The topics include LaptopÕs Impact on Your School, Laptop Etiquette for the Classroom, Project Based Learning, and Examples of Online Projects/Activities.

Digital Distractions

http://www.unc.edu/cit/newchalk/ncv2n3.html
This issue of New Chalk focuses on some potential distractions related to the wealth of electronic and Internet resources available in the classroom and presents strategies for addressing them.

Wireless Browsing in Classes

http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicles/3.8.01/wireless_eval.html
This article from the Cornell Chronicle describes a study in which Cornell researchers observed student laptop use both in and out of class. Their findings suggest that a structured environment is key to the effectiveness of teaching with wireless laptops.

The Rules of Distraction

http://www.slate.com/id/2130600/?nav=tap3
From Slate, a Columbia University student offers his perspective on the distractions posed by wireless access in the classroom.

Laptops vs. Learning

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/06/AR2007040601544.html
A Washington Post commentary from a law school instructor who banned laptops from the classroom in order to reclaim student attention.