WSJ: The Laptop Backlash

Interesting Wall Street Journal article, The Laptop Backlash; Wireless Classrooms Promote Messaging and Web Surfing, Not Learning, Professors Say:

Bringing laptops and wireless Internet access into classrooms was supposed to enrich classroom discussions by, for example, allowing students to import information from the Internet and share it with the rest of the class. But instead some students are using their laptops to message friends, shop online, peruse Web sites and pursue part-time jobs. The result: There is a rising backlash against classroom computer use from professors and schools.

In a recent article, I acknowledge this backlash but argue that faculty should enlist new technology (wireless handheld transmitters) to re-engage students in the classroom. Taking Back the Law School Classroom: Using Technology to Foster Active Student Learning, 54 J. Legal Educ. 311 (2004) (with Rafael Gely). For New York Times coverage of the use of this technology in law schools, see here and here.