Laptop Multitasking Hinders Classroom Learning: Argumentative Essay

Introduction

Laptops are the most common gadgets that are used in university classrooms. There is a cost that is associated with laptops multitasking according to the cognitive psychology theory. Research shows that most of the student’s performance is affected by laptops multitasking during learning. The students who often use laptops when in ongoing lecturers are likely to score lower than those who do not multitask. Laptop multitasking poses a particular distraction for both nearby peers and users.

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Multitasking is a common practice in our daily lives. For instance, one carries out different activities simultaneously, such as sipping coffee, while attending a text message. Multitasking is there to increase efficiency, but there are certain limitations associated with it. There are consequences of multitasking, especially with the education sector. Laptop multitasking among school users degrades overall performance (Sana, Weston & Cepeda, 2013). Students are highly distracted since they tend to use their laptops and phones during class time. Laptops cause divided attention among the users and the nearby peers since their brain is interfered with and cannot process information effectively due to dual-task interference. The information given to the learners cannot be adequately processed, encoded, and stored due to the interruptions.

When one has to manage two tasks simultaneously, there is a need for a great deal of attention to give a quality product. Two tasks require simultaneous attention, and hence both have to compete for the limited resources. This applies to laptop multi-tasking users and nearby peers in classrooms since they take tasks simultaneously (Sana, Weston & Cepeda, 2013). When tasks compete for limited resources, there is a likelihood of lower performance among the laptop multitasking users. According to several experiments that have been carried out, performance tends to decrements where there is competition for limited resources while performing different tasks.

The empirical and theoretical findings based on multitasking in the classroom environment shows how students switch back and forth between non-academic and academic tasks. Such behavior among the students poses a lot of concern in learning. Most primary activities within the university classes involve the use of laptops, especially during lectures. The lecturers also use laptops to teach since most of the information is present in slides and notes. The primary tasks in most universities are to listen to the lectures and take notes (Sana, Weston & Cepeda, 2013). Personal computers are the leading cause of classroom distraction, although they are commonly used in universities. About 99% of students on the campuses own personal laptops, and most of them bring their laptops to classrooms. There are pros and cons associated with educational laptops about classroom technology.

On the one hand, laptops seem to be useful in academics since they help the learners approach teaching quickly. In this context, laptops promote success by assisting the students to take notes, and at the same time, they can access supplement useful resources for their learning. On the other hand, laptops have resulted in low classroom performance among the students who often use them (Sana, Weston & Cepeda, 2013). This is because students are easily driven to engage in a non-academic task, like playing games, watching movies, and messaging. Disruption in the classroom is a personal choice since some students are aware that they are not supposed to multitask during lectures, and they do it. The university students are mainly distracted and annoyed by the laptop multitasking.

Multitasking causes different effects depending on how difficult the task is. For instance, in cases where the primary task is quite difficult, there is a need for a greater degree of attention to ensure that the task is performed to the highest satisfactory level. Some students are lured into watching other students' screens while in the classrooms, which causes learning distractions among peers (Sana, Weston & Cepeda, 2013). When the secondary task is much simpler than the primary task, less attention is required to perform the task. According to research conducted, whether the secondary task is more straightforward than the primary task, there is always an aspect of divided attention hence leading to poor performance in the classroom.

Conclusion

Laptops multitasking among university users are highly associated with learning disruptions, and something significant should be done. Educators should not only focus on the importance of laptops in learning but also the consequences they have towards the learners. When laptops are used appropriately for taking notes, they foster the same results as written notes. Therefore, laptops should be used as tools for the modern classroom if only their use is strictly monitored to avoid any learning disruptions. Teachers should also take their time and discuss all the consequences of laptop use with the students. All educators should be responsible and enlighten the students about the entire negative outcome associated with laptop misuse. Teachers should compare their views to those of their students to develop the best solution to laptop misuse in classroom environments. Any classroom discussions require the proper implementation of technology etiquette rules that run throughout the semester control how laptops are used by students within the classroom environments to stop any disruptions in learning. Students should also be responsible for making informed choices instead of assuming that they are immune to multitasking deficits.

References

Sana, F., Weston, T., & Cepeda, N. J. (2013). Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers. Computers & Education, 62, 24-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.10.003