All of you college students in here, please tell me something...

[MissVelvetDress_75]

This fall I will be returning back to the college campus as a student for the first time in over 3 years. So I don't feel way out of touch, is it common to see students using laptops during lectures?

 

[starsgoblue]

Only if you want them to point and laugh at you!



Just kidding, yeah you see that. Nobody'll think you're wierd.

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

So if I whip out my notebook and use a pen to take notes down, the kids won't throw spit balls at me? Because I do not feel like spending money right now on a laptop.

 

[starsgoblue]

Yea, that'll do the trick too. Just don't whip out a Trapper Keeper or people may wonder what kinda bus you rode in on.

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

hey, I loved trapper keepers.

 

[anitram]

I think it depends on what you're doing.

If you're in math/science/engineering, pretty much nobody has one because they're useless.

Even in the arts like English/History, it's my experience that a very small minority of students has laptops in class.

Go up to a professional program like law and then almost everyone has one.

 

[U2democrat]

that reminds me, i need to buy a laptop for school

move in 1 month from today

 

[starsgoblue]

hey, I loved trapper keepers.

We all did. IN 1985!

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

yeah you were 5 years old! you had no business carrying a trapper keeper to preschool!

 

[starsgoblue]

I was a child genius!

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

I remember when they went from a metal snap to velcro.

 

[Diemen]

my mom probably still has my old trapper keepers somewhere...

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

I went through those things like crazy.


I had a really pretty pink one with a unicorn on it.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

I wonder whatever happened to my Trapper Keeper. I thought it was so badass. The picture showed a tear in the sky with all these colorful hearts flying through it. The fourth grade was a big year for me.

As for laptops at school, it definitely depends on the class. I taught Latin at the college level, and it would have been ridiculous for anyone to bring one to my class. So much faster and efficient to write down grammar paradigms and correct translations than to try to type them up. I'd scope out your classes first, then maybe take one where it seems appropriate. If I remember right, some teachers in my department didn't allow them, so watch for that too.

 

[Sevikins]

I remembered those-- they were like, the iconic status of cool back in my classes in the 90s... practically everyone was willing to lose an arm/leg for one.

I finally got one in '99 lol. Blue with a zipper.


But on the subject of laptops, it's really common around my campus, and many uses them in classes... however, it's kinda spoiled them as they just play games and surf the web and whatnot while the professor's talking.

 

[indra]

my mom probably still has my old trapper keepers somewhere...

I hope you're kidding, because Trapper Keepers came around after my time, so if you aren't kidding either your mom was really young when she had you, or I'm damned old.

 

[Diemen]

You must think I'm older than I actually am, indra. my mom was around 30 when she had me.

(I'm 26)

 

[IWasBored]

it's not too common to see kids with laptops at school here. you might get one student with one in a class, but i've yet to see two. even in large lectures (although i usually can't stay awake long enough to count too high in those classes )


i had a trapper keeper in 3rd grade. it had some funky space-airplanes on it.

 

[Dismantled]

Trapper Keepers

 

[*BOOMCHAA!*]

I take my laptop to class if the class requires a lot of note taking and I don't want my hand to fall off. Also if the class is boring, I just mess around on the net instead of paying attention.

 

[Liesje]

We rarely have people using them in class. Most freshmen are now coming in w/ laptops instead of desktop and we see them a lot in the library and other buildings like the cafes where there is wireless, but not really in class. However, I go to a small school, so classes are pretty engaged - you have maybe 40 students max per class (except for the HUGE sections of BIO 141) and you're expected to contribute, ask/answer questions, etc or they WILL take points off your grade. So, a laptop is kinda useless unless you type word-for-word what the Prof. and everyone else says. They're not discouraged though and I have seen them in a few classes and never thought anything of it, I just found for myself the laptop and all it's gear is so much heavier than a notebook and pen.

 

[nbcrusader]

Are tablet PC's the new thing?