Now that laptops and iPads aren’t a novelty in the college classroom anymore, you can multitask like nobody’s business, and by multitask, we mean check your e-mail, buy movie tickets, chat with friends and take down the occasional note. Playing on the Internet in class is a popular pastime for undergraduates and graduate students alike, but it’s not always a great idea, even if your professor is super boring. Your logic for only pretending to pay attention probably goes something like this, right? You can get all the stuff you really need to do online in class, and later devote your time to doing all the readings and finding the lecture notes that are posted on Blackboard, without having to miss a thing. You’re about half right, if your professor does upload notes to the Internet and sticks to the syllabus. But if you really care about learning anything or applying the concepts to real life, your other classes, or your upcoming paper, you’ll listen to at least some of your teacher’s personal stories and explanations that can bring boring subjects to life. And if you’re in an upper division or smaller class, then class discussion is probably more lively and interesting than large, introductory lecture classes, in which, we get it: productive Internet activity is tempting.
From a more practical sense, getting caught playing on the Internet can be really embarrassing and seriously damage your reputation in the teacher’s eyes. Professors love calling on students, and whether they’re doing it to jump start discussion or because they can tell you’re not really paying attention, what happens if your professor asks to see your screen, after you couldn’t answer? It’s too risky.
If you are going to play on the Internet during class, don’t Gchat with friends, shop, or read anything that’s too hilarious or engaging. You want to stick to short blog posts or better yet, actual tasks like fixing your to-do list or checking another class’ syllabus so that you can keep one ear on what’s going on in class. Avoid zoning out, because avoiding any eye contact with your professor is going to give you away. Try to type sporadically, as if you’re really taking notes, and not writing a term paper for another class. And always be ready with a copy of your actual notes so that you can switch over if your professor demands it.
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