Now, in MCDM, I take a laptop to all my classes, and on the rare occasions when I need a pen I often discover I’ve neglected to put on in my backpack. Paper isn’t the center of my education anymore.

During class I take notes in a text editor. I also keep up a side conversation with classmates in Twitter that generally is on topic, although sometimes veers into jokes and other chatter. I look up information online as it’s mentioned, instead of writing it down to forget about looking up in the library like I used to. I sneak in trips to Facebook to comment on the status of the old friends I’ve reconnected with after decades of failing to send them letters. I work out pressing logistical needs with my wife (“Can you get the kid to school tomorrow morning?”) via instant messenger.

The actual amount of attention I pay in class is no less than it was when I carried a paper notebook. In fact I’m probably paying more attention to the topic at hand, since when I’m not actively participating in the physical class I’m often accessing or exchanging information relevant to it. Even when I’m doing things that aren’t related to the class, the way I do them is far more efficient than it used to be. Maybe I shouldn’t pop over to Facebook at all, but I probably shouldn’t have been writing letters in my undergrad classes either. At least on Facebook I know I’ve completed my off-topic communication instead of letting it languish in my notebook because I’m out of stamps.

The problem in the classroom, if indeed there really is a problem, isn’t one of technology. It’s one of focus. I personally feel that I do a better job of focusing with a powerful information management tool at my fingertips than I used to with a piece of paper and a pen there. But really the biggest factor in maintaining focus is having a good teacher. The tools students use in class shouldn’t matter much.

As for your laptop-encumbered journalistic colleague, he may have been screwed in the situation you describe, but I can easily imagine other situations when he might have had a big competitive advantage over you. Real-time fact checking during a press conference is one that springs to mind.

There aren’t any absolutes here. Everything has trade offs. For all I feel I’ve gained in adopting the laptop lifestyle, I’ve given up some things that I miss too. My life is poorer now that I no longer sketch my little doodles. The laptop will never replace the satisfying tactile sensation of crosshatching shadows with a cheap Bic ballpoint pen.

Is it wrong that students may have wanted their laptops so they can do other stuff at the same time as class discussion other than just take notes? We are living in the time of multi-tasking, it is the culture.

Just because people use a tool to complete a task doesn’t make them dependent, it may just be how they do it. I’m sure some people in class would be shocked that you may not change your car’s oil and rely on somebody else to do it for you. Or maybe you make your margaritas using a sour mix, whereas I always make mine using fresh lime juice.