Adam White reports that dumping his laptop in class has made him pay more attention to class discussion, in part because of his "unobstructed view."

I have to say that today was the first day I barely lifted my head. When I write notes, I have to look at the page. My writing turns into unintelligible soup if I don't. On the other hand, when I'm using my laptop (which wasn't one of those ridiculous huge monsters that blocked the light of day from my face), I'm able to pay attention to the discussion better and hear more, partially because I can turn my head and look at whomever is speaking. I don't look at my screen unless I'm formatting things because I don't need to. Moral of the story? If you don't have carpal tunnel problems and want to use a laptop in class a) get a tiny laptop and b) learn how to touch type.

p.s. To track the whole laptop debate from a few months ago (I think I have most of the links), start here!