Back in the day, when one thought of college education, one would imagine rows of students sitting in a lecture hall or classroom with large textbooks in front of them; the professor would be writing on the blackboard or reading from an overhead and students would be vigorously writing notes in notebooks or on paper.

Today, however, the average college classroom is filled with laptop computers and tablets, and professors often have pre-prepared PowerPoints in addition to writing notes on the whiteboard. Students no longer write notes as intensely, as the phones in their pockets are ready to take a picture of the slides or board at any time.

This advancement in technology has been an almost entirely beneficial improvement to the learning experience of college and benefits both students and professors alike. While there are some concerns about laptops and other devices being distracting, the reality is that the responsibility to remain attentive falls on students, and when taken in aggregate, the benefit of technology far outweighs any distractions that occur.

One of the most obvious benefits is the fact that laptops and tablets eliminate the need to buy and carry around heavy and expensive textbooks. Buying books online is usually cheaper than a hard copy, and cutting the amount of weight you must carry each day is an unsung blessing in this day and age; your back will thank you later for keeping your backpack light.

Connecting the internet to learning has also allowed students and professors to communicate much more effectively, which provides students with the benefit of knowing what is happening in a class on a regular basis; it has also enabled students to access the wealth of knowledge available on databases and online archives to assist in their studies, as well as creating collaborative spaces for notes between other students to ensure better understanding of the material.

Finally, one of the most significant benefits is the ability for students to take notes on a laptop and to take photos of notes to maintain a permanent record of them. Gone are the days of worrying about when the professor is going to erase the board or move to the next slide, because you can always take a picture before that happens to reference later. Even better, some professors post the notes online before or after lecture, meaning that students are able to read ahead of time or focus on the present lecture more heavily.

While there is much to be said about preserving physical media (I am a big fan of paper books myself) and increased distractions coming from technology in the classroom, there are just too many benefits to including them in the learning experience that much be acknowledged. Technological advancement improves lives wherever it happens, and the college environment is one of those places.