Gail Durkin ‘26
Opinions Editor
Do you have a laptop? I’m willing to bet you do. In today’s day and age of exponential technology growth, it is pretty much a guarantee that any typical college student has access to some form of screen and uses it for completing assignments. We write essays on laptops, we take notes on laptops, I’m even writing this article on a laptop. With the prevalence of technology today, you would think we would be past teachers and professors banning the use of things like laptops or tablets in class. You would be wrong. This semester I experienced my first ever class, immediately followed by my second ever class, that placed a strict ban on screens in class. I went to a very tech-focused high school, and my freshman year at Holy Cross I relied on the same system I had used in high school– taking notes on a tablet and completing readings and other assignments in a PDF form on my laptop (how many times can I say the word “laptop” in this article?). But to kick off my sophomore year, I had to make quite a few adjustments in order to accommodate my two professors who do not allow screens in class. At first, I was a little upset. I mean, I’m not a fast writer- and my handwriting sucks. You honestly expect me to write down an entire lecture on pen and paper? What’s next? We start writing essays by hand too? But, after a few classes without a single screen in sight, I started to reconsider. Without screens, professors can guarantee that they have your undivided attention (unless you’re, like, staring out the window and tuning out for a whole hour). I know for a fact that some of you spend your class time shopping online, or playing 2048, or whatever it is that you choose to access with the internet at your fingertips. However, in a screen free environment, these options are removed, and the most interesting thing available is the lecture and the class material– which is good! After all, we do pay for the classes- it’s better that we actually learn something from them. I began to really enjoy how energetic the class discussion was, and how not having a game of Minesweeper in front of me made it easier to pay attention– shocker!!
So, after initial resistance and general grumbling, I have come to appreciate how not having my tech available actually improves my class discussion, note-taking, and my overall learning experience. Of course, there are some cons; for one class, I have to print out all of the assigned readings before class, which usually ends up being around twenty individual pieces of paper, even after I format it two pages per sheet of paper and make it double sided. Twenty pieces of paper, twice a week, for fifteen weeks, that’s… gimme a second, I’m bad at math… 600 sheets of paper?! Nature hates me. But what choice do I have? I need the readings for class, and they can’t be on a screen. That’s my biggest issue with this. Also, of course, my professor encourages us to recycle the readings once we are done with them to minimize environmental impact. But still. I’m going to run out of print credits. I didn’t even think that was possible, but I have a feeling it’s going to happen this semester. We shall see.
So, aside from the cons of having to print readings and dealing with deciphering my own sloppy handwriting when looking back at notes, I suppose this whole screen free thing isn’t so bad. Even if it isn’t a requirement in your class, I recommend giving it a try!
Feature image courtesy of BBC.
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