I felt bad for neglecting my blog, so I’m trying to write more often when I have random thoughts floating around in my head.

One thing I really like about college is that the majority of things are done online or on your computer!

Those days when you would have to wait for weeks for a returned exam are over. Many professors and teaching assistants are very good about grading as quickly as possible and posting the score online, along with your scanned exam. The anticipation for the scores to come out is terrible, but it is much quicker than waiting for your high school teacher to finish grading and hand it back to you in class.

Additionally, many teachers post up their lecture slides online. Very convenient for studying or clarification.

Syllabi are posted online as well. You no longer have to wonder “HMM, how much is this worth?” or “What are we doing next week?”

A lot of reading material and notes can be brought in with a laptop, so there’s no need to lug around books and lots of notebooks.

You can even record your professor’s lecture onto your computer! I did that once when I forgot my glasses so it was almost pointless staying in that class since I could not see. Plus I had an essay due the next period. So I just recorded the lecture while I wrote my essay. Haha.

And the thing that makes me happiest: you can bring your laptop to class (well…for most classes anyway)! It’s great because I love typing notes on my computer. I do much better typing than handwriting. It’s nice and neat, it’s fast, and I am free to edit as much as I want, any time I want. When I handwrite I have to look down at my paper; when I type I can just look at the projection screen. It’s really nice when I have my laptop and there is some downtime between classes. There’s not enough time to go and do something, so I can just browse on my laptop for a bit before class starts.

Downsides? Getting distracted in class, having homework due online (which means there is an exact time stamp and it can be due even if you don’t have class).

Overall, I like where this is going though. Hooray for technology in the classroom!