I've never encountered this. Is it annoying with everyone typing while you are trying to listen to the professor?

Most laptops are equipped with quiet keys.

I've noticed some students just recently bringing laptops to class. Mostly to take notes. However, there are those who just instant message their friends all through lecture.

I took mine to history every day. It really helped a lot... Like was said earlier, I doodled a lot less (though I still daydreamt a little). We only had about 3 people in that class to have them, though. Most of our school is not on wireless yet, or else you have to have the code to get on it (in the business building, at least) so IMing wasn't a problem. One of the guys did sit with his headphones and listen to music the whole time (why the teacher let him, I do not know!)

Re: Laptops in the classroom
 

They were allowed my senior year (thats when we went wireless). I took notes, but during down times I definately imed, emailed, etc etc. oh well. I still learned...and because I was a fast typer, my notes were much better than if I hand wrote them!

I've used my laptop to take notes in some classes.

In my Curriculum Instruction courses we often do smallgroup work, so it's convenient to type the notes for the group and email them to everyone.
One of my Pol Sci professors loves to switch overheads before anyone can get through copying down the info and doesnt review much of what he said, so I type notes there since I type faster than I can write.

Having a laptop is good for providing evidence when I've corrected instructors. :D Instant access to the data you need rocks.
That and there are days where it feels like I'm ADD or something- so having a background IM conversation during class keeps me sane.

It's not the keyboard keys that are annoying...it's women with long-claw like talons that make that "clicky clicky" sound (like a dog on a linoleum floor) which is annoying.

:eek: I went to a laptop middle/high school that didn't allow IM-ing during class... many still did though. They didn't get suspended! Sounds a little harsh. I mean, would anyone get suspended for passing notes in class? :rolleyes: At some point the school got a way to see who was using AIM, and almost an entire class of seventh graders got in trouble. [I don't think they even got detention though. I don't think my school even had detention. "Trouble" is just having the middle school dean come and give a lecture.]