Laptops are quickly becoming a staple in our classrooms - but also a plague.

They are fantastic tools with which you can access seemingly limitless information. Search engines make research easy. You don't have to go to the library to read books on trains for example, should you happen to have to do an essay about them.


But our generation is cursed with short attention spans. We're always moving on to new things and multitasking five projects at once, instead of taking the time to do one thing well.


Laptops don't help this problem whatsoever. You may think your teacher is blissfully unaware that you're on Facebook while he isn't looking, but he knows. So why doesn't he stop you?

The truth is, he'd be wasting his time to tell you to stop. Everyone else in the class isn't paying attention either, so why would he bother?


You can see why this becomes a hindrance to our learning. Laptops have been allowed into learning environments with the highest and best of intentions (also because it makes the teacher's job a lot easier), but do nothing except cause more problems.

Students don't want to take to the time to teach themselves and learn with computers when the option to slack off and play is right in front of them. Why? Because it's easier than having to do actual work.

Taking computers away from a school system would be catastrophic, yet there should be some sort of fun-prevention system implemented since students simply don't have the necessary self-discipline.

Every time you decide to browse YouTube for subscription updates or refresh Facebook for new statuses during class, you're only hurting yourself.

What also doesn't help is that teachers have given up on trying to get students to listen. It is impossible for a teacher to be fun and informative and keep the attention of their students away from their screens.

If a teacher wants an attentive class, he must be a strict hard-ass, but that too is a lot of work. A lot of work that a lot of people aren't willing to do.

Do yourself a favour – next time you're in class and you get the urge to see what your friends are up to, suppress it. Listen to your teacher. Your future-self will thank you for it.