

Today, in the class I TA - I had about 5 students on facebook, another 2 texting, a bunch checking their email, 1 playing tetris, 1 reading the sports, and another reading the nytimes. It drove me mad. One on facebook was even looking at pictures of girls in their bras. After class, one student had the nerve to tell me he should be allowed to be on the internet in class because he takes good notes and has an A in the class (if he was in my section, trust me - he would no longer have an A).



All of this frustration (and I teach at an Ivy League school) - got me thinking, when I'm the head instructor - what can I do? Our university doesn't have the option to turn off the internet. Do I just ban laptops? Is there anything else I can do?

How do I keep my students off the internet during lecture?