Monthly Archives: February 2010

Be a Napster for Better Studying

You ought to take a look at this article on the LifeHacker blog: “Naps Can Seriously Improve All-Day Learning.” Here’s an excerpt:

Taking a 90-minute nap the day of a test or presentation sounds like a ludicrous luxury. But a recent study on the brain’s ability to recall facts found that napping at noon could mean a lot more brain power at 6 p.m.

Here’s the link:

Here’s a link to a similar recent article in Scientific American:

www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=to-learn-better-sleep-on-it-10-02-24

and one in Medical New Today: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/180304.php

Thoughts on Laptop or Notebook Computer Use in the Classroom


To help formulate my thoughts regarding student use of laptop or notebook computers during class sessions, I asked my colleagues at Southern Oregon University to respond to a survey regarding their own ideas and policies. I reported on the results of this survey in an earlier post.

With their input and my own experience over the last few years in mind, I have tentatively concluded the following.

  1. Laptop or notebook computers can be very useful in taking, storing, sorting, finding, and printing notes taken by a student during class sessions.  In addition to regular word-processing programs, a number of other applications have been designed to streamline note taking in class.
  2. Continue reading →

Survey Results: Student Laptop or Notebook Use in Class

A few weeks ago, I launched a survey asking SOU faculty about the student use of laptop computers in class. SurveyMonkey collected responses from fifty-four responders. Here are the summary results.

Do you allow students to use laptop/notebook computers in class?
Yes 82% No 18%

From six departments, there were zero “No” answers from BiologyCCJHPELHPSSSPC, and TheatreArt had the greatest proportion of “No” answers (2/3), followed by CPME (1/2), ES (1/3) Lang/Lit/Forgn (2/6, both in English), and  Psych (1/3).

If you allow laptop/notebook computer use in class, do you have specific policies regarding that use?
Yes 24% No 61% No Answer 15%.

23 out of 54 respondents reported they had specific policies regarding laptop/notebook use. Continue reading →

Tech Tip 1: Study Slides

Here’s an idea: use slides from your professor’s presentations as the “wallpaper” for your Windows screen.  Check out the Lifehacker article, “Set Study Slides as Rotating Wallpaper,” here: http://bit.ly/blCAXB.

Just imagine making this diagram (right) of a theoretical mercantile empire I prepared for my Colonial America course the background of your Windows desktop!  You’d have it down in no time!  You’d be inspired to dig deeper into the nature of Anglo-French-Dutch trade in the eighteenth century! You’d leap with joy when you learn the details of the Hat Act of 1732, or the Iron Act of 1750! You’d . . . . okay, just take a look at the article.