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6
15
yes no
Debate Score:21
Arguments:21
Total Votes:21
Ended:11/13/09
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 yes (6)
 
 no (15)

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(for Eng. V) Have laptops in school increased your intelligence and academic ach

You have all had access to laptops and software programs for your high school career. Many students have to go to a computer lab or library to have internet access or even the ability for word processing. Has the use of these laptops increased your intelligence and academic achievement?

 

Due by midnight Friday, Nov. 13th

yes

Side Score: 6
VS.

no

Side Score: 15
Winning Side!
1 point

Yes it has. It makes class run smoother and its not as much paper. Even though it can also hinder you by sidetracking you from the task at hand. For me personally I have no time to get sidetrack. Its like a database of information always at hand. If you don't understand a topic just get on the computer and look up information. Its a helpful assest to school in general.

Side: yes
1 point

Having the access to technology in the classroom has definantly increased our academic achievement, especially now that every student has a laptop so no waiting in line for a public console. Would we have been able to do our multi-genre research paper efficiantly without laptops? Perhaps we would have been fine using books, but some people are unable to find transportation to the library or find enough resources. I'm going to throw out the possibility that maybe those siding with "No" all have internet at home? I know for many research papers and even essays that I've used a word processer like Word or online databases, and that even without the laptop I would have to use technology at some point to aid in my work.

Of course, students will use the laptops for thier own fun at times, but the benefits of the classroom, such as online class discussions, e-mailing of assignments, endless resources and keeping up with the technologically advancing age we live in, cannot be ignored and taken for granted.

Side: yes
1 point

To be able to have any type of computer is a privilege that many do not appreciate because in many other places people do not have the resource to have computers. Because of the opportunity to have computers students have the ability to learn from mainly the Internet resources. When students have questions during homework their able to get answers with the help of the computers, also students can use computers as a form communication between teachers, students and classmates.

Side: yes
1 point

The world is being sorrounded by the advances in technology every day. As technology keeps growing it will be included more and more in our lifes. In our school we use them in all of our classes to do much of our work. We do learn many things from our laptops as we use them as one of our main resource to get the information we need. We also learn many strategies and tricks from using our laptops. We can create many outstanding things like designs for anything we want by just using the programs we are provided with.

Side: yes
1 point

Laptops do have the potential to increase your intelligence because of the endless amounts of information available when online. In addition, they do make assignments having to do with research a lot easier as well as essays. Laptops have also made learning in the classroom a lot more efficient through powerpoints and being able to download those powerpoints as well as notes whenever you desire them. Plus, a person can have the classroom experience online due to laptops. Lastly, for the people who said "No", what you do with a laptop is your choice, if you chose to study then you will increase your intelligence; if you chose to get on Facebook then you won't. The laptop is basically a tool and you cannot criticize it for the choices that you made.

Side: yes
1 point

In this age, computer skills are no longer an option in the job market. Laptops and/ or desktops are neccessary for classroom instruction regarding databases, spreadsheets, word processors and animation programs. In addition, online forums/clasrooms discussions, such as this one, offer a diffusion of ideas which can lead to some new piece of knowledge. Many new competitions now encourage a good understanding of computers. For example, DECA has competitions, like in software engineering or robotics which requires knowledge of algorithims and a generally strong background in math and science. So, lapotops can help develop intelligence in this new modern age and be the precursor to a many merits and awards.

Side: yes
1 point

Having this labtop to use on a daily basis doesn't immediately improve the intelligence of a person. Just because the labtop is carried and used in certain classes doesn't mean that when given the opportunity students go to academic sites. I know when i get home i'm either on myspace, facebook, or doing college applications. Last year at my different school, we didn't have labtops to give to the students and i don't feel any smarter now that I have one.

Side: No
1 point

I don't think that laptops have helped development concerning my academics or intelligence. If anything, it has enabled me, except for google, because if I don't know something, I can google the answer to it. But then again, I do that more at home than at school. My school laptop is great, but I don't use it very often for school related purposes. I guess that computers as a whole have increased my intelligence, but the school laptops alone have not.

Side: No
1 point

lapt0ps suk. d3y hav3 n0t mad3 mah smarts go up

i lik3 b00ks caus3 d3y quit3

lapt0ps mak3 t00 much n0si3 and d3y t00 distracting wh3n y0u tryin t0 d0 work

Side: No
1 point

The laptops are merely convenient. They have nothing to do with intelligence or achievement and, in fact, may have negatively affected achievement. With the internet and a myriad of proxy providers, most students use 'research time' in class as an excuse to jump onto forums or play video games especially with Wikipedia and copy and paste at their fingertips.

Side: No
1 point

I don't think it has increased my intelligence, but more like just aided me for research and essays. Honestly, I think most of the time most students just use the laptop as a game consol or to access internet websites. So in a way it made us more lazy rather than actually help us academically. Overall the laptops just ease the work for us not necessarily help into gaining more knowledge.

Side: No
1 point

Laptops in school have not helped students achieve more or become any smarter. While the reasoning behind laptops in schools seems sound it is much less effective in practice. Most classes don't even use the laptops and on the occasion that they do it is not always more effective than using paper and other non-internet sources. In fact, laptops often serve as a distraction such that little to no work is actually being done. One of the main reasons laptops at schools is not so revolutionary and helpful is because most people have computers at home and access to similiar electronic resources. Laptops are a bigger distraction than they are a beneficial resource to learning.

Side: No
1 point

Would you be as willing to debate this orally? If so, would everyone participate or just the most vocal students? What about this very webiste? Hasn't it provided us with some interesting perspectives? How could this be as effective of a debate without laptops where everyone had to weigh in and could dispute the comments of others, but not necessarily the person?

Side: yes
1 point

Laptops have not helped me increase my intelligence and academic achievements. The school laptop distracts me during school, after school, and at home. I listen to music instead of doing homework, and I log on to my facebook account instead of doing college applications. I know that these laptops can be beneficial, but they are more of a distraction.

Side: No
1 point

Deborah you said it all!

I think these laptops are an easy way out and very distracting. I don't even bring mine to school anymore because I know I'll end up on skype. The laptops are very expensive and so many kids abuse them, I think they are wasteful for our district.

Side: No
1 point

I have enjoyed having a laptop at school because I can easily do my homework and play games or listen to music. However, the laptop has not increased my intelligence. The teachers who give me schoolwork on the computers are usually the lazy teachers who don't teach in class; They just give out computer work that doesn't make me use my brain. The teachers who actually teach and give me homework assignments, although their classes aren't the easiest, are the teachers who have increased my intelligence the most.

Side: No
1 point

Laptops are an excellent utility to complete research or a project. However, while they facilitate productivity, our laptop’s use is limited to being just that: a tool. Computers’ ease of access to information and ability to arrange that information rapidly is undeniably invaluable, but to say they are intelligence-boosters would be a misnomer. Like the others have said, oftentimes I find them to be a distraction.

Side: No
1 point

No, I do believe laptops in school have in any way increased or ameliorated intelligence or academic achievement. In-class laptop use may be regulated as some websites are restricted, but students have a propensity for finding ways around the system. When a class is given an assignment, I rarely see students actually partake in research or programs that are relevant to the class. Mostly, these students are browsing Facebook, playing games, etc. Before laptops, students had few options which would often force them to pay attention and be studious. Nowadays, that practice has diminished with the use of school laptops.

Side: No
1 point

No, I do not believe that laptops in school have increased my intelligence and academic achievement. Laptops are definitely a valuable resource and are great tools for many things, but I do not believe that students should have laptops at school. In my experience, most teachers use laptops to escape from teaching. The Epic program, for example. I can literally say that I have learned little to nothing from Government this year, simple because my teacher more or less has no reason to teach because it is all online. Anyways, half of the time people aren't even doing their work on their laptops. I believe that computers have great advantages and benefits and are great tools, but also that they do not belong out of a computer lab in schools.

Side: No
1 point

Laptops are more of an enhancer than an intelligence booster. While they remain a useful tool, they are a privlege from the district. If IISD found them to be "cutting edge", I believe that we would have invested in programs other than a cheap way out such as Open Office. While I use my computer for researching and saving paper, these do not increase my intelligence. They make access to knowledge easier. Thus, retaining information is lessened.

Side: No
1 point

No, laptops are merely distractions in the classroom. They are windows to games and blog spots such as myspace and facebook, to be honest who wants to pay attention when they can chat with their friends? However there are some benefits to laptops, though they are marginal. My main concern is that laptops allow the use of less paper, this is more environmentally friendly. Also, it is very convinent to be able to have access to the internet right in your backpack. Beside that I don't believe that it has in any way advanced me academically, with most students you will either put in the effort to educate yourself or you won't, having or not having a laptop won't change that.

Side: No