Robert Talbert (and others) responded with Three issues with the case for banning laptops and argued instead that laptops (or technology in general) are not the underlying problem or distraction, but rather that the outdated pedagogy (= lectures) is distracting from learning. Furthermore, the whole notion of banning technology in the classroom may become moot with the proliferation of wearable technology over the next few years!
About 33 percent of our students reported NOT bringing their laptops to class because they are a distraction for them (and about 21 percent because their professor maintained a no-laptop policy in-class). You can find-out more about how our students use their laptops in Questions 12 to 16 of our Fall 2013 Student Technology Survey.
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Students certainly can become "the typing dead" if all they are expected to do in class is transcript information. Therefore, I trend towards Robert Talbert's point of view that pedagogy makes all the difference. If the purpose of your course is to have students share the exploration of the topic (in my case history) then your students will need to be actively involved in class. If, as it may seem to some college students, that repeating the information "covered" in class results in "learning," then they will misuse the technology. This being said, I make clear to students what my expectations are in terms of acceptable use in class. Also, I am firm on cell phones - if you're looking into your own crotch and smiling a lot, you're either texting or there is some larger problem in your life.
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