I’m one of those DU professors who’s banned laptops in the classroom and, in the process, apparently angered students like Leslie Gehring.

Actually, mine is a regulated laptop policy. I hold frequent in-class sessions in which students use laptops for a variety of activities. I simply instruct them to bring laptops  on the days on which we need them. I’m not a crusty, anti-technology dweeb. I’m just a guy who’s trying to create a classroom environment in which everyone can learn productively.

I sympathize with Gehring’s frustrations, and I hear her in terms of her argument that if students surf during class, they will “pay the price” in terms of their grade. More and more students are spending more and more time surfing and texting during class.

Surfing distracts me – and other students. It disrespects  me, and, of course, other students if it’s going on when these students are contributing to class. In fact, the worst surfing problems often occur during student group presentations. I won’t claim to be absolutely fascinating 100 percent of the time. No one can be. But I do work very hard to keep my classes engaging, often, somewhat ironically, by using audio-visual aids such as YouTube videos, DVD clips, PowerPoint, etc. In the end, few of us can concentrate for a full 110 minutes, no matter how wildly entertaining and engaging a class and its professor.

Back in the day, we day-dreamed and doodled. Now, we post to Facebook and text. The tendencies are the same, the tools of distraction qualitatively different. Frankly, I’m not sure of the best way to address these changes.

So, here’s my revised policy (I think): Announce I will be watching to see if students are texting and surfing excessively. If they are, they get a zero for their participation grade. They’ll get one warning . Then, nothing – until they see that zero in their participation grade column in Gradebook  at the end of the quarter.

What do you think?