Keeping Students on Task

Scenario in Bugeja’s article “Distractions in the Wireless Classroom” really happens in our classroom for the wide use of laptops and improved wireless accessibility. Some teachers are quite annoyed by the abuse of laptop during their lectures. Generally, students feel comfortable learning with laptops, but many prefer doing other things with their laptops in class: surfing the Web, doing their email, talking in chat rooms, or instant-messaging with a friend. No matter what they may believe, they can't concentrate on two activities, neither of which is semi-automatic like driving, at the same time. Here are several ways to discourage this discourteous and distracting behavior:
1. Tell students to keep their laptops closed unless they are doing an online task that teacher assigned.
2. Set specific objectives for them to accomplish in their in-class laptop assignments, and hold them accountable—e.g., randomly ask students or teams to report their progress to the entire class.
Set tight time limits for these assignments.
3. Walk around the room and stand in the back to monitor their screens during these assignments.
4. Have students bring their laptops to class only on certain days, and tell them explicitly not to bring them the other days.