essay about laptops

Essay on Laptop

Students are often asked to write an essay on Laptop in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Laptop

Introduction to laptops.

Laptops are portable computers that we can carry anywhere. They are lightweight and compact, making them perfect for work, school, or travel.

Components of a Laptop

A laptop has many parts like a screen, keyboard, touchpad, speakers, and a battery. The battery lets us use the laptop even when there’s no power outlet.

Uses of Laptops

We use laptops for various activities like doing homework, playing games, watching movies, and browsing the internet. They also help us connect with friends and family through video calls.

Laptops are an essential tool in our daily life, offering convenience and flexibility. They help us learn, work, and stay connected.

250 Words Essay on Laptop

Introduction, evolution and impact.

The evolution of laptops from bulky, expensive machines to sleek, affordable devices has made them accessible to a broader audience. They have transformed various sectors, including education, business, and entertainment. In education, laptops facilitate online learning, research, and collaboration. In business, they enable remote working, data analysis, and digital marketing.

Technological Advancements

Technological advancements in laptops, such as increased processing power, larger memory, and improved battery life, have enhanced their functionality. Developments in AI and machine learning have led to the advent of smart laptops, capable of performing complex tasks with minimal human intervention.

Challenges and Future Prospects

Despite their advantages, laptops pose challenges like cybersecurity threats and e-waste. However, manufacturers are addressing these issues through improved security features and sustainable practices. The future of laptops looks promising, with innovations like foldable screens, AI integration, and quantum computing on the horizon.

In conclusion, laptops have significantly influenced our lives, reshaping the way we work, learn, and interact. Their evolution, driven by technological advancements, has made them more powerful and versatile. Despite the challenges, the future of laptops is bright, underpinned by continuous innovation and development.

500 Words Essay on Laptop

A laptop, also known as a notebook, is a portable personal computer integrated with a touchpad, keyboard, and a thin LCD or LED computer screen. Its compact nature allows for easy transportation, making it a crucial tool in the modern world. Laptops have revolutionized the way we work, learn, and entertain ourselves, providing a balance of power and portability that desktop computers cannot match.

Evolution of Laptops

Components and functionality.

A laptop’s primary components include the Central Processing Unit (CPU), Random Access Memory (RAM), and storage (hard disk or solid-state drive). These components work together to execute operations, run software applications, and store data. Laptops also include various input and output devices such as a keyboard, touchpad, webcam, speakers, and ports for external devices.

Applications of Laptops

Laptops serve a broad range of applications. In education, they facilitate online learning and research. In business, they enable employees to work remotely, increasing productivity and flexibility. For creatives, laptops with high-end specifications provide the necessary power for graphic design, video editing, and music production. In entertainment, laptops are used for gaming, streaming movies, and social networking.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Future of laptops.

The future of laptops is promising, with continuous advancements in technology. We can expect even lighter and more powerful devices with longer battery life. Developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning may lead to more intuitive and personalized user experiences. Furthermore, the integration of augmented and virtual reality technologies could revolutionize how we interact with our laptops.

In conclusion, laptops have become an integral part of our lives, serving various roles in education, business, creativity, and entertainment. Despite some disadvantages, their benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. As technology continues to evolve, we can look forward to even more innovative and powerful laptops in the future. They are not just tools but extensions of our productivity and creativity, shaping the way we live, work, and play.

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Essay On Laptop

Currently, the laptops are the most favorite choice for students because of their portability and the ability to work on a variety of tasks. With the advancement in technology, however, there are now other types of laptops that are gaining popularity, such as ultrabooks. In this article, we will be discussing the different types of laptops and what factors to consider when purchasing one.

Table of Contents

Short Essay On Laptop

A laptop, also known as a notebook, is a portable computer that can be easily carried and used in a variety of settings. With the advancements in technology, laptops have become an essential tool for both personal and professional use.

Laptops are designed for ease of use and portability, making them a convenient option for those who need to work or study on-the-go. They come in a variety of sizes and specifications, making it possible for users to choose a laptop that suits their needs and budget. Laptops are equipped with a variety of features such as a touchpad, keyboard, and screen, which make them more user-friendly compared to traditional desktop computers.

In terms of performance, laptops are now more powerful than ever before. With the integration of powerful processors and graphics cards, laptops are capable of handling demanding tasks such as video editing, 3D modeling, and gaming. This makes laptops a versatile option for professionals in fields such as graphic design, architecture, and engineering.

Moreover, laptops have also made it easier for people to stay connected to the internet and communicate with others. With built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, laptops allow users to easily access the internet, send emails, and connect with friends and family through social media. This has also made it possible for people to work remotely, which has become increasingly important in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In conclusion, laptops have revolutionized the way we work, learn, and communicate. With their portability, performance, and user-friendly design, laptops have become an essential tool for people of all ages and professions. As technology continues to advance, we can expect to see even more powerful and versatile laptops in the future.

Long Essay On Laptop

A laptop is a portable personal computer that typically has a display size of at least 13 inches (33 cm) diagonally, and uses a mobile operating system. A typical laptop contains an Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, and either a NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M or AMD Radeon R7 M360 graphics card. Laptops are generally lightweight and have no moving parts, making them more durable than traditional computers.

Types of Laptops

There are many types of laptops available in the market these days. Here we are discussing some of the most popular types of laptops. These include:

• Laptops for Students : Laptops for students are usually lightweight and have a low price tag. They are perfect for students who need to take up few classes or do some light research work. Some of the best-selling laptops for students include Dell Inspiron 15 7000, HP Spectre x360, Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575G-57D4, and Lenovo Ideapad 330s.
• Ultrabooks : Ultrabooks are the latest type of laptop that has come up in the market. They are slim and have a very fast processor. They usually have high-resolution displays as well as high-end features like fingerprint readers and backlit keyboards. Some of the best ultrabooks available in the market include Dell XPS 13 9360, Apple MacBook Pro 2017 with Touch Bar (13 inch), and Asus ZenBook UX330UA-AH71TUX30US.
• Chromebooks : Chromebooks are becoming more popular these days because they offer great value for money. They run on Google’s Chrome OS which is a lightweight operating system that is easy to use and has plenty of applications available preinstalled on it. The best Chromebooks available in the market include HP Stream 11 G6 EE (Chrome OS), Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 (Chrome OS), and Dell Inspiron 13 7000 (Chrome OS).

Specifications of Laptops

Today, laptops have become one of the most popular tools for students, businessmen and other professionals. Many people are now buying laptops to replace their desktop computers. Laptops come in a variety of sizes, weights and prices. A laptop is a portable computer that is typically used for work or school applications. Some important specifications to look for when purchasing a laptop include the processor type, number of ports, RAM size and hard drive size.

Most laptops today come with either an Intel or AMD processor. The processors determine the speed of the computer as well as how many tasks it can handle at once. Laptops with an Intel processor tend to be faster than those with an AMD processor. Laptop manufacturers also offer different numbers of ports on their machines ranging from one to several dozen. This includes USB ports, DisplayPorts (for connecting external displays), Ethernet ports, audio ports and more. It is important to consider what kind of peripherals you will need in order to use your laptop – such as printers, mice and speakers – before making your purchase.

RAM (random access memory) is another important specification to look for when purchasing a laptop. Laptops with 8GB or more of RAM are usually able to handle multiple tasks at once without slowing down too much. However, 4GB or less is still adequate for most users’ needs. Some high-end models may even have up to 64GB of RAM! Hard drives come in a variety of sizes starting at around 1TB and going up to 4TB. It is important to decide how much storage you need and what kind of file types you will be using. Laptops with a larger hard drive are usually more expensive.

Laptops come in a variety of colors, weights and prices. Prices can range from around $700 to $4,000 or more. Some high-end models may even have features such as anti-theft systems and backlit keyboards that increase their cost. It is important to consider your needs when making a purchase – such as the processor type, number of ports, RAM size and hard drive size – so that you can find the perfect laptop for you!

How to Choose the Right Laptop for You

Different people have different needs when it comes to laptops. If you’re a student, you might need something light and portable. If you’re a businessperson, you might need something with more power.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the right laptop for you: what type of computer do you want it to be? how much money are you willing to spend? what features are important to you?

We’ve put together some tips on how to choose the right laptop for your needs, based on the kind of computer that you want and your budget.

When choosing a laptop, think about what type of computer it will be used for. Do you want a laptop that is primarily for entertainment or work? You’ll need to decide if a Windows or Mac platform is best for you.

Once you’ve decided which type of computer to buy, take into account your budget. Laptops can range from around $500 all the way up to over $2,000+. It’s important to figure out what features are most important to you and find a laptop that has those features at an affordable price.

Some other factors that should be considered when purchasing a laptop include battery life, weight and portability. Make sure the battery life is good enough so that you can use the device without having to plug it in frequently; also make sure the weight is manageable since laptops often take up more space than regular computers.

How to Use a Laptop

If you are looking to purchase a laptop, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. First, decide what you need the laptop for. Do you need a laptop for school, work, or entertainment? Second, decide what type of laptop you want. Do you want an Apple MacBook Air or something more budget-friendly like the Dell Inspiron 1525? Third, consider your budget. Laptops can range from around $300 to over $2,000+. Fourth, consider your needs. Do you need a laptop with a touchscreen or not? Fifth, consider your lifestyle. Are you someone who is constantly on the go and needs a lightweight laptop that can fit in your pocket or do you enjoy using a desktop computer at home and want to take that with you when travelling? Sixth, consider how much time you will be spending using the laptop each day and whether or not an operating system (OS) is necessary. Seventh, make sure to research which laptops have the features that are important to you. Eighth, test out different laptops before making your purchase so that you know which one fits your needs best. Ninth and finally, be sure to have insurance on your new laptop in case something happens while it’s being used!

The laptop is a very important part of our lives. It allows us to do many things that we couldn’t do before, including working from anywhere in the world. There are a lot of benefits to having a laptop, and it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. In this essay, we will discuss some of the main benefits of owning a laptop and how they can benefit your life.

Manisha Dubey Jha is a skilled educational content writer with 5 years of experience. Specializing in essays and paragraphs, she’s dedicated to crafting engaging and informative content that enriches learning experiences.

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Essay on Computer and its Uses for School Students and Children

500+ words essay on computer.

In this essay on computer, we are going to discuss some useful things about computers. The modern-day computer has become an important part of our daily life. Also, their usage has increased much fold during the last decade. Nowadays, they use the computer in every office whether private or government. Mankind is using computers for over many decades now. Also, they are used in many fields like agriculture, designing, machinery making, defense and many more. Above all, they have revolutionized the whole world.

History of Computers

It is very difficult to find the exact origin of computers. But according to some experts computer exists at the time of world war-II. Also, at that time they were used for keeping data. But, it was for only government use and not for public use. Above all, in the beginning, the computer was a very large and heavy machine.

Working of a Computer 

The computer runs on a three-step cycle namely input, process, and output. Also, the computer follows this cycle in every process it was asked to do. In simple words, the process can be explained in this way. The data which we feed into the computer is input, the work CPU do is process and the result which the computer give is output.

Components and Types of Computer

The simple computer basically consists of CPU, monitor, mouse, and keyboard . Also, there are hundreds of other computer parts that can be attached to it. These other parts include a printer, laser pen, scanner , etc.

The computer is categorized into many different types like supercomputers, mainframes, personal computers (desktop), PDAs, laptop, etc. The mobile phone is also a type of computer because it fulfills all the criteria of being a computer.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Uses of Computer in Various Fields

As the usage of computer increased it became a necessity for almost every field to use computers for their operations. Also, they have made working and sorting things easier. Below we are mentioning some of the important fields that use a computer in their daily operation.

Medical Field

They use computers to diagnose diseases, run tests and for finding the cure for deadly diseases . Also, they are able to find a cure for many diseases because of computers.

Whether it’s scientific research, space research or any social research computers help in all of them. Also, due to them, we are able to keep a check on the environment , space, and society. Space research helped us to explore the galaxies. While scientific research has helped us to locate resources and various other useful resources from the earth.

For any country, his defence is most important for the safety and security of its people. Also, computer in this field helps the country’s security agencies to detect a threat which can be harmful in the future. Above all the defense industry use them to keep surveillance on our enemy.

Threats from a Computer

Computers have become a necessity also, they have become a threat too. This is due to hackers who steal your private data and leak them on internet. Also, anyone can access this data. Apart from that, there are other threats like viruses, spams, bug and many other problems.

The computer is a very important machine that has become a useful part of our life. Also, the computers have twin-faces on one side it’s a boon and on the other side, it’s a bane. Its uses completely depend upon you. Apart from that, a day in the future will come when human civilization won’t be able to survive without computers as we depend on them too much. Till now it is a great discovery of mankind that has helped in saving thousands and millions of lives.

Frequently Asked Questions on Computer

Q.1  What is a computer?

A.1 A computer is an electronic device or machine that makes our work easier. Also, they help us in many ways.

Q.2 Mention various fields where computers are used?

A.2  Computers are majorly used in defense, medicine, and for research purposes.

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Essay on Computer

Here we have shared the Essay on Computer in detail so you can use it in your exam or assignment of 150, 250, 400, 500, or 1000 words.

You can use this Essay on Computer in any assignment or project whether you are in school (class 10th or 12th), college, or preparing for answer writing in competitive exams. 

Topics covered in this article.

Essay on Computer in 150 words

Essay on computer in 200-300 words.

• Essay on Computer in 500 words

Computers have revolutionized our lives, becoming essential tools for communication, work, and access to information. They have simplified tasks, increased efficiency, and opened up new possibilities. The internet, accessible through computers, has connected people globally, changing the way we socialize and access entertainment. Industries such as healthcare and finance have been transformed by computers, improving accuracy and decision-making. However, challenges such as cybersecurity threats and privacy concerns exist. In conclusion, computers have profoundly impacted society, enhancing productivity and connectivity. Their role in education, business, and research is undeniable. While enjoying the benefits of computers, it is important to address the challenges they present and ensure responsible and secure use. Computers are a fundamental part of our lives, shaping the way we live, work, and interact with the world.

Computers have become an integral part of our modern world. They have revolutionized the way we live, work, and communicate. A computer is an electronic device that processes and stores data, performs tasks, and enables us to access information from around the world.

Computers have transformed various aspects of our lives. They have simplified tasks, increased efficiency, and opened up new possibilities for creativity and innovation. From personal computers to laptops, tablets, and smartphones, these devices have become essential tools in education, business, entertainment, and research.

The internet made accessible through computers, has connected people globally, enabling instant communication, sharing of information, and collaboration across borders. Online platforms and applications have changed the way we socialize, shop, and access entertainment.

Computers have also revolutionized industries such as healthcare, finance, and transportation, improving efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making. They play a vital role in scientific research, data analysis, and simulations.

However, the rapid advancement of technology has also brought challenges. Cybersecurity threats, privacy concerns, and the digital divide are important issues that need to be addressed.

In conclusion, computers have transformed the world, making tasks easier, connecting people globally, and enabling advancements in various fields. Their impact on society is profound, with both positive and negative consequences. As technology continues to evolve, it is crucial to embrace its benefits while also addressing the challenges it presents. Computers have undoubtedly become an indispensable part of our lives, shaping the way we live and interact with the world.

Essay on Computer in 500-1000 words

Title: The Computer Revolution – Transforming Lives, Empowering Innovation

Introduction :

The computer has undoubtedly become an integral part of our modern world, revolutionizing the way we live, work, and communicate. This essay explores the profound impact of computers on society, delving into their history, evolution, and the transformative role they play in various aspects of our lives. From personal computers to smartphones and cloud computing, the computer has become an indispensable tool in education, business, healthcare, entertainment, and research. However, as computers continue to advance, challenges such as cybersecurity threats and privacy concerns arise, necessitating responsible use and the development of ethical frameworks.

The Evolution of Computers

The computer, as we know it today, has a rich history that dates back several decades. From the early mechanical devices to modern digital computers, the evolution of computers has been driven by advancements in technology and the quest for increased computational power and efficiency. Pioneers such as Charles Babbage, Alan Turing, and Grace Hopper laid the foundation for modern computing, introducing concepts like programmability and binary code.

Computing in Education

Computers have transformed the landscape of education. They have become essential tools for students, educators, and researchers. Computers facilitate online learning, providing access to vast amounts of educational resources, interactive tutorials, and collaborative platforms. They enable personalized learning experiences, adaptive assessments, and distance education, making education accessible to a wider audience. Additionally, computers enhance productivity, allowing students to complete assignments, conduct research, and communicate with peers and teachers more efficiently.

Computers in Business

The business world has been revolutionized by computers. From small startups to multinational corporations, computers have become indispensable for efficient operations, data management, and communication. They enable streamlined processes, data analysis, and decision-making. Computers have transformed various industries, including finance, marketing, supply chain management, and customer service. With the advent of e-commerce, computers have opened up new avenues for online businesses and global trade. The digitalization of business processes has increased efficiency, reduced costs, and facilitated global collaborations.

Computers in Healthcare

Computers have significantly impacted the healthcare industry, improving patient care, diagnostics, and research. Electronic health records (EHRs) enable secure storage and efficient retrieval of patient information, reducing errors and improving healthcare delivery. Computer-aided diagnostics and medical imaging technologies have enhanced accuracy and speed in detecting diseases. Telemedicine and telehealth have extended healthcare access to remote areas, allowing patients to consult with healthcare professionals virtually. Additionally, computers play a vital role in medical research, enabling data analysis, simulations, and drug discovery.

The Role of Computers in Entertainment and Media

Computers have transformed the entertainment and media industry. From digital streaming platforms to online gaming, computers have revolutionized the way we consume and create content. They enable immersive virtual reality experiences, computer-generated imagery (CGI) in movies, and interactive storytelling. Social media platforms provide avenues for self-expression, communication, and content sharing. Computers have democratized content creation, allowing individuals to create and distribute their work on platforms like YouTube, blogs, and podcasts.

Challenges and Concerns

While computers offer immense benefits, they also present challenges and concerns. Cybersecurity threats, such as hacking and identity theft, pose risks to individuals and organizations. Privacy concerns arise as personal data becomes more accessible and vulnerable to misuse. Additionally, the digital divide creates disparities in access to technology, limiting opportunities for certain populations. It is crucial to address these challenges through robust cybersecurity measures, privacy regulations, and efforts to bridge the digital divide.

Conclusion :

The computer revolution has transformed our lives, empowering innovation, enhancing productivity, and connecting people across the globe. Computers have revolutionized education, business, healthcare, and entertainment, enabling advancements and opening up new possibilities. However, as technology continues to evolve, it is important to address challenges such as cybersecurity threats, privacy concerns, and the digital divide. Responsible use, ethical frameworks, and continuous efforts to enhance cybersecurity and privacy safeguards are necessary to harness the full potential of computers. With responsible usage and thoughtful integration into various sectors, computers will continue to shape our world, fostering progress, innovation, and connectivity.

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130 Laptop Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Laptops have become an essential tool for students, professionals, and individuals in today's digital age. Whether it's for work, school, or entertainment, laptops offer convenience and portability that make them a popular choice for many. When it comes to writing essays, having a laptop can make the process much easier and more efficient.

If you're struggling to come up with a topic for your next essay, don't worry! We've compiled a list of 130 laptop essay topic ideas to inspire you. From discussing the impact of laptops on education to exploring the latest advancements in laptop technology, there are plenty of interesting topics to choose from.

The evolution of laptops: From bulky machines to sleek and portable devices

The role of laptops in modern education

How laptops have changed the way we work

The pros and cons of using laptops in the classroom

How laptops have revolutionized the creative industry

The environmental impact of laptop production

The future of laptop technology: What can we expect in the next decade?

The psychology behind our attachment to our laptops

Laptops vs. tablets: Which is the better choice for students?

The rise of gaming laptops and their impact on the gaming industry

How laptops have transformed the way we communicate

The benefits of using laptops for online learning

The impact of laptops on our mental health

The accessibility of laptops for individuals with disabilities

The influence of social media on laptop design and functionality

The security risks of using laptops in public spaces

The cultural significance of laptops in today's society

The role of laptops in the remote work revolution

The ethical implications of laptop manufacturing in developing countries

How laptops have changed the way we consume media

The impact of laptops on the traditional publishing industry

The relationship between laptops and productivity

The influence of laptops on our daily routines

The benefits of using laptops for research and data analysis

The impact of laptops on the music industry

The challenges of balancing screen time when using a laptop

The future of laptop batteries: Are we close to a breakthrough?

The role of laptops in disaster relief efforts

The impact of laptops on the global economy

The benefits of using laptops for language learning

The influence of laptops on political activism

The impact of laptops on the healthcare industry

The social implications of laptop use in developing countries

The impact of laptops on the environment

The benefits of using laptops for virtual reality experiences

The role of laptops in the fight against climate change

The ethical implications of using laptops in the workplace

The impact of laptops on the music streaming industry

The benefits of using laptops for online shopping

The role of laptops in disaster preparedness and response

The impact of laptops on the fashion industry

The benefits of using laptops for fitness tracking

The influence of laptops on the dating scene

The impact of laptops on the travel industry

The benefits of using laptops for remote healthcare services

The role of laptops in preserving cultural heritage

The impact of laptops on the global food industry

The benefits of using laptops for meditation and mindfulness

The influence of laptops on the gig economy

The impact of laptops on the future of transportation

The benefits of using laptops for financial planning

The role of laptops in promoting gender equality

The benefits of using laptops for social networking

The influence of laptops on the entertainment industry

The benefits of using laptops for remote work

The role of laptops in promoting sustainability

The influence of laptops on the fashion industry

The impact of laptops on the future of healthcare

The role of laptops in promoting environmental awareness

The impact of laptops on the entertainment industry

The influence of laptops on the global economy

With so many interesting topics to choose from, you're sure to find a laptop essay topic that sparks your interest. Whether you're exploring the impact of laptops on education, discussing the latest advancements in laptop technology, or diving into the ethical implications of laptop manufacturing, there's a wealth of ideas to inspire your next essay. So grab your laptop, start researching, and get ready to write a compelling and engaging essay on a topic that matters to you.

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Essays About Computers: Top 5 Examples Plus Prompts

Computers are helpful technology that many of us use on a daily basis; if you are writing essays about computers, use our essay examples and prompts below. 

We often recognize computers as the devices we use to browse the internet, communicate with others, and type down notes, but there is more to a computer than this. A complex set of processes, calculations, and operations performs everything we do on a computer. Without a doubt, computers make our lives easier and enhance our personal and working life.

5 Top Essay Examples

1. types of computers by brent dawson, 2. uses of computers in education by kristina barroso, 3. our dependency on computers by nora fox, 4. neural networks: is your brain like a computer by shamli prakash.

• 5. ​​The Human Brain vs. Supercomputers… Which One Wins? By John Staughton

1. The Many Uses of Computers

2. can computers take over society, 3. is computer science a worthwhile program to study, 4. pros and cons of computers, 5. can computers compete with the human brain.

“Calculations for things such as automotive design, weather forecasting, and aerospace use supercomputers. Embedded computers are used for functions in a larger product. They are located in things such as automobiles, consumer electronics and office machines. As we all know computers come in many shapes and sizes. They can be used for many different things and can be located anywhere. Technology has increased so much that the most unheard compact thing can be a computer.

Dawson stresses that computers can come in all shapes and sizes. There are different types of computers, such as personal computers, mobile computers, game consoles, and supercomputers, each with its own functions and specialties. He briefly touches on each type of computer and its uses. Technology has come a long way, as the most complex computers are everywhere, whether in laboratories, offices, or even our mobile phones or watches. 

“Critics argue that spell check and other computer features that automatically correct errors in spelling and punctuation make students too lazy to learn and apply the rules themselves. These features, however, help point out where students went wrong and offer valuable learning opportunities that can help students enhance their understanding of appropriate spelling and punctuation.”

In her essay, Barroso discusses the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating computers into education. They allow schools to maximize online resources, foster student engagement, and make it easier for teachers and students to perform school-related tasks. However, they may make students lazy to check mistakes, thinking that the computers will automatically check them. Ultimately, the pros outweigh the cons. 

“As far as I concerned, computer is a great invention and it is useful to human life. It should be impossible to live without computer as we get too much used of computers nowadays. However, we should use it wisely. We know the fact that the more we rely on computer, the more we will lose in our life. So, we should also find ways to make our dependence on computers less dangerous to us, so that we will not rely on computer completely.”

Fox discusses the state of society today where we rely far too much on computers. They help us greatly in our daily lives, but they have made us depend on technology for information rather than thinking for ourselves. And if something goes wrong, like the servers crash, the world is at a standstill. Computers are a net good for society, but we must avoid revolving our lives around technology. 

“In data science terms, this phase is somewhat akin to ‘Model Training’ — the more things a child is exposed to the more the synapses associated with it get built. A good example is language — the more a child is exposed to linguistics in early years, the more evolved the area of her brain that is associated with languages would get. Ditto for other cognitive and non-cognitive abilities.”

Prakash discusses the different ways in which our brains operate as computers. An information processing system has five components: input, output, storage, processing, and program. The human brain does have all of these components, which are used to perform our daily functions. She looks into how human intelligence can be “trained,” like computers are developed. 

5. ​​ The Human Brain vs. Supercomputers… Which One Wins? By John Staughton

“When the brain identifies a more efficient or effective way to compute and function, it can morph and alter its physical and neuronal structure, hence the term “plasticity“. Until we achieve true Artificial Intelligence (in which computers should theoretically be able to re-wire themselves), neuroplasticity will always keep the human brain at least one step ahead of “static” supercomputers.”

Staughton writes about how much more advanced computers have become in recent decades, with some of them being able to outsmart humans in tasks such as chess. However, he explains that our brains are very different from technology and are inherently superior to even the most powerful computers in terms of efficiency, adaptability, and many other factors. However, he keeps the door on computers, eventually developing beyond our capabilities in the future. 

5 Helpful Writing Prompts on Essays About Computers

Computers aid us in many tasks; it is undeniable that they make our lives easier. Think of the different uses of computers, both in your life and in general, and list them. Briefly explain each, and if you want, also explain how computers have been most helpful in your life. You can also check out these essays about the internet .

This is a question many have grappled with and is the subject of many science-fiction and dystopian stories. Many believe that only good can come from greater technological advancement, while others believe humanity will be subject to much conflict and suffering. Based on research, decide whether we should introduce computers into more aspects of our lives. You can cite articles, essays, books, or even movies to prove your point. 

In your essay, discuss how helpful an education in computer science would be. Research the course’s requirements, benefits, disadvantages, and expectations and, based on your personal opinion, write about whether it would be worth it to pursue this program. This essay is more suited for those with experience, but if not, consult online sources or interview people with experience for a solid evidence base.

Computers have many advantages as well as disadvantages. List down the pros and cons of computers you can come up with, and discuss a few of them in your essay. Then, based on the evidence you’ve provided, decide whether computers are a net good or bad for society in the long run. 

A few essay examples above have compared technology and artificial intelligence to the human brain, as they are both “computers,” so to speak. In your opinion, will technology ever come to a point where it will rival our abilities? Conduct research and cite credible sources for a strong essay .  

For help with this topic, read our guide explaining “ what is persuasive writing ?”If you’d like to learn more, our writer explains how to write an argumentative essay in this guide.

412 Computers Topics & Essay Examples

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Looking for interesting topics about computer science? Look no further! Check out this list of trending computer science essay topics for your studies. Whether you’re a high school, college, or postgraduate student, you will find a suitable title for computer essay in this list.

• Life Without Computers Essay One of the major contributions of the computer technology in the world has been the enhancement of the quality of communication.
• How Computers Affect Our Lives In the entertainment industry, many of the movies and even songs will not be in use without computers because most of the graphics used and the animations we see are only possible with the help […]
• The Causes and Effect of the Computer Revolution Starting the discussion with the positive effect of the issue, it should be stated that the implementation of the computer technologies in the modern world has lead to the fact that most of the processes […]
• Impact of Computers on Business This paper seeks to explore the impact of the computer and technology, as well as the variety of its aspects, on the business world.
• Computer Technology: Evolution and Developments The development of computer technology is characterized by the change in the technology used in building the devices. The semiconductors in the computers were improved to increase the scale of operation with the development of […]
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Computer Graphics Essay One is able to put all of his/her ideas in a model, carry out tests on the model using graphical applications, and then make possible changes.
• Computer Use in Schools: Effects on the Education Field The learning efficiency of the student is significantly increased by the use of computers since the student is able to make use of the learning model most suited to him/her.
• Impact of Computer Based Communication It started by explaining the impact of the internet in general then the paper will concentrate on the use of Instant Messaging and blogs.
• Print and Broadcast Computer Advertisements The use of pictures and words to bring out the special features in any given computer and types of computers is therefore crucial in this type of advertisement because people have to see to be […]
• Computers Have Changed Education for the Better Considering the significant effects that computers have had in the educational field, this paper will set out to illustrate how computer systems have changed education for the better.
• Dependency on Computers For example, even the author of this paper is not only using the computer to type the essay but they are also relying on the grammar checker to correct any grammatical errors in the paper. […]
• Computers vs. Humans: What Can They Do? The differences between a human being and a computer can be partly explained by looking at their reaction to an external stimulus. To demonstrate this point, one can refer to chess computers that can assess […]
• Apex Computers: Problems of Motivation Among Subordinates In the process of using intangible incentives, it is necessary to use, first of all, recognition of the merits of employees.
• Computer Hardware: Past, Present, and Future Overall, one can identify several important trends that profoundly affected the development of hardware, and one of them is the need to improve its design, functionality, and capacity.
• Impact on Operations Resources of JIT at Dell Computer JIT inventory system stresses on the amount of time required to produce the correct order; at the right place and the right time.
• The Use of Computers in the Aviation Industry The complicated nature of the software enables the Autopilot to capture all information related to an aircraft’s current position and uses the information to guide the aircraft’s control system.
• History of Computers: From Abacus to Modern PC Calculators were among the early machines and an example of this is the Harvard Mark 1 Early man was in need of a way to count and do calculations.
• Bill Gates’ Contributions to Computer Technology Upon examination of articles written about Gates and quotations from Gates recounting his early childhood, several events stand out in significance as key to depicting the future potential of Gates to transform the world with […]
• The Popularity of Esports Among Computer Gamers E-sports or cybersports are the new terms that can sound odd to the men in the street but are well-known in the environment of video gamers.
• Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction It is a scope of study that explores how individuals view and ponder about computer related technologies, and also investigates both the human restrictions and the features that advance usability of computer structures.
• Computer-Based Technologies That Assist People With Disabilities The visually impaired To assist the visually impaired to use computers, there are Braille computer keyboards and Braille display to enable them to enter information and read it. Most of these devices are very expensive […]
• Impact of Computer Technology on Economy and Social Life The rapid development of technologies and computer-human interactions influences not only the individual experience of a person but also the general conditions of social relations.
• How to Build a Computer? Preparation and Materials In order to build a personal computer, it is necessary to choose the performance that you want by considering the aspects such as the desired processor speed, the memory, and storage capacity. […]
• Computers Brief History: From Pre-Computer Hardware to Modern Computers This continued until the end of the first half of the twentieth century. This led to the introduction of first-generation computers.
• Viruses and Worms in Computers To prevent the spread of viruses and worms, there are certain precautionary measures that can be taken. With the correct measures and prevention, the spread of online viruses and worms can be controlled to a […]
• Computers in Education: More a Boon Than a Bane Thus, one of the greatest advantages of the computer as a tool in education is the fact that it builds the child’s capacity to learn things independently.
• The Concept of Computer Hardware and Software The physical devices can still be the components that are responsible for the execution of the programs in a computer such as a microprocessor.
• Solutions to Computer Viruses Efforts should also be made to ensure that once a computer system is infected with viruses, the information saved in it is salvaged.
• Computer Laboratory Staff and Their Work This will depend on the discretion of the staff to look into it that the rules that have been set in the system are followed dully. This is the work of the staff in this […]
• Human-Computer Interface in Nursing Practice HCI in the healthcare impacts the quality of the care and patients’ safety since it influences communication among care providers and between the latter and their clients.
• Key Issues Concerning Computer Security, Ethics, and Privacy The issues facing computer use such as defense, ethics, and privacy continue to rise with the advent of extra ways of information exchange.
• Mathematics as a Basis in Computer Science For example, my scores in physics and chemistry were also comparable to those I obtained in mathematics, a further testament to the importance of mathematics in other disciplines.
• Advantages of Using Computers at Work I have learned what I hoped to learn in that I have become more aware of the advantages of using computers and why I should not take them for granted.
• Use and Benefit of Computer Analysis The introduction of computers, therefore, has improved the level of service delivery and thus enhances convenience and comfort. Another benefit accruing from the introduction of computers is the ability of the world to manage networks […]
• Computers Will Not Replace Teachers On the other hand, real teachers can emotionally connect and relate to their students; in contrast, computers do not possess feeling and lack of empathy.
• Tablet Computer Technology It weighs less than 500g and operates on the technology of AMOLED display with a resolution of WVGA 800 480 and a detachable input pen.
• The American Military and the Evolution of Computer Technology From the Early 1940s to Early 1960s During the 1940s-1960, the American military was the only wouldriver’ of computer development and innovations.”Though most of the research work took place at universities and in commercial firms, military research organizations such as the Office […]
• Computer Hardware Components and Functions Hardware is the physical components of a computer, while the software is a collection of programs and related data to perform the computers desired function.
• How Computer Works? In order for a computer to function, stuff such as data or programs have to be put through the necessary hardware, where they would be processed to produce the required output.
• Computer System Electronic Components The Random Access Memory commonly referred to as RAM is another fundamental component in a computer system that is responsible for storing files and information temporarily when the computer is running. The other storage component […]
• Pointing Devices of Human-Computer Interaction The footpad also has a navigation ball that is rolled to the foot to move the cursor on a computer screen.
• Doing Business in India: Outsourcing Manufacturing Activities of a New Tablet Computer to India Another aim of the report is to analyse the requirements for the establishment of the company in India, studying the competitors in the industry and their experience.
• Computer Viruses: Spreading, Multiplying and Damaging A computer virus is a software program designed to interfere with the normal computer functioning by infecting the computer operating system.
• Ethical and Illegal Computer Hacking For the ethical hackers, they pursue hacking in order to identify the unexploited areas or determine weaknesses in systems in order to fix them.
• Overview of Computer Languages – Python A computer language helps people to speak to the computer in a language that the computer understands. Also, Python Software Foundation, which is a not-for-profit consortium, directs the resources for the development of both Python […]
• How Computers Negatively Affect Student Growth Accessibility and suitability: most of the school and student do not have computers that imply that they cannot use computer programs for learning, lack of availability of internet facilities’ availability also makes the students lack […]
• Computer’s Memory Management Memory management is one of the primary responsibilities of the OS, a role that is achieved by the use of the memory management unit.
• Computer Network Types and Classification For a computer to be functional it must meet three basic requirements, which are it must provide services, communications and most of all a connection whether wireless or physical.the connection is generally the hardware in […]
• The Usefulness of Computer Networks for Students The network has enabled us to make computer simulations in various projects we are undertaking and which are tested by other learners who act as users of the constructed simulations.
• Computer Technician and Labor Market When demand for a certain profession is high, then salaries and wages are expected to be high; on the other side when the demands of a certain profession is low, then wages and demand of […]
• Are We Too Dependent on Computers? To reinforce this assertion, this paper shall consider the various arguments put forward in support of the view that computers are not overused. This demonstrates that in the education field, computers only serve as a […]
• Computers and Transformation From 1980 to 2020 The humanity dreams about innovative technologies and quantum machines, allowing to make the most complicated mathematical calculations in billionths of a second but forgets how quickly the progress of computers has occurred for the last […]
• How Computers Have Changed the Way People Communicate Based upon its level of use in current society as it grows and expands in response to both consumer and corporate directives, it is safe to say that the internet will become even more integrated […]
• Computer Evolution, Its Future and Societal Impact In spite of the computers being in existence since the abacus, it is the contemporary computers that have had a significant impact on the human life.
• Challenges of Computer Technology Computer Technologies and Geology In fact, computer technologies are closely connected to any sphere of life, and it is not surprisingly that geology has a kind of dependence from the development of computers and innovative […]
• Computer Technology Use in Psychologic Assessment The use of software systems in the evaluation may lead a practitioner to misjudge and exceed their own competency if it gives the school psychologists a greater sense of safety.
• Use of Robots in Computer Science Currently, the most significant development in the field of computer science is the inclusion of robots as teaching tools. The use of robots in teaching computer science has significantly helped to endow students with valuable […]
• The History of Computer Storage Thus, the scope of the project includes the history of crucial inventions for data storage, from the first punch cards to the latest flash memory storage technology.
• Computer Security and Computer Criminals The main thing that people need to know is how this breach of security and information occurs and also the possible ways through which they can be able to prevent it, and that’s why institutions […]
• Ethics in Computer Technology: Cybercrimes The first one is the category of crimes that are executed using a computer as a weapon. The second type of crime is the one that uses a computer as an accessory to the crime.
• Purchasing and Leasing Computer Equipment, Noting the Advantages and Disadvantages of Each In fact, this becomes hectic when the equipment ceases to be used in the organization before the end of the lease period. First, they should consider how fast the equipment needs to be updated and […]
• Computer-Aided Design in Knitted Apparel and Technical Textiles In doing so, the report provides an evaluation of the external context of CAD, a summary of the technology, and the various potential applications and recommendations of CAD.
• Are We Too Dependent on Computers? The duration taken to restore the machine varies depending on the cause of the breakdown, expertise of the repairing engineer and the resources needed to restore the machine.
• How to Teach Elderly Relatives to Use the Computer The necessary safety information: Do not operate the computer if there is external damage to the case or the insulation of the power cables.
• Computer Network: Data Flow and Protocol Layering The diagram below shows a simplex communication mode Half-duplex mode is one in which the flow of data is multidirectional; that is, information flow in both directions.
• Personal Computer Evolution Overview It is important to note that the first evolution of a personal computer occurred in the first century. This is because of the slowness of the mainframe computers to process information and deliver the output.
• The Influence of Computer on the Living Standards of People All Over the World In the past, people considered computers to be a reserve for scientist, engineers, the army and the government. Media is a field that has demonstrated the quality and value of computers.
• Internship in the Computer Service Department In fact, I know that I am on track because I have been assessed by the leaders in the facility with the aim of establishing whether I have gained the required skills and knowledge.
• How Computers Work: Components and Power The CPU of the computer determines the ultimate performance of a computer because it is the core-processing unit of a computer as shown in figure 2 in the appendix.
• Computer Aided Software Tools (CASE) The use of the repository is common to both the visual analyst and IBM rational software with varying differences evident on the utilization of services.
• Globalization Influence on the Computer Technologies In spite of the fact that globalization may be defined as a serious problem in different spheres of life, it is wrong to believe that the future of IT may undergo negative effects; it seems […]
• HP: Arguably the Best Computer Brand Today With this age of imitations, it is easy to get genuine HP computers as a result. While this is commendable, it is apparent that HP has stood out as the greatest computer brand recently.
• Introduction to Computer Graphics: Lesson Plans Students should form their own idea of computer graphics, learn to identify their types and features, and consider areas of application of the new direction in the visual arts.
• Career Options for a Computer Programmer Once the system or software has been installed and is running, the computer programmer’s focus is on offering support in maintaining the system.
• How to Sell Computers: PC Type and End User Correlation The specification of each will depend on the major activities the user will conduct on the computer. The inbuilt software is also important to note.
• Computers: The History of Invention and Development It is treated as a reliable machine able to process and store a large amount of data and help out in any situation.”The storage, retrieval, and use of information are more important than ever” since […]
• Computer-Based Information Systems The present essay will seek to discuss computer-based information systems in the context of Porter’s competitive strategies and offer examples of how computer-based information systems can be used by different companies to gain a strategic […]
• Negative Impacts of Computer Technology For instance, they can erase human memory, enhance the ability of human memory, boost the effectiveness of the brain, utilize the human senses in computer systems, and also detect anomalies in the human body. The […]
• Computer Addiction in Modern Society Maressa’s definition that, computer addiction is an accurate description of what goes on when people spend large amount of time working on computers or online is true, timely, and ‘accurate’ and the writer of this […]
• Preparation of Correspondences by Typewriters and Computers On the other hand, the computer relies on software program to generate the words encoded by the computer user. The typewriter user has to press the keys of the typewriter with more force compared to […]
• Computer Components in the Future It must be noted though that liquid cooling systems utilize more electricity compared to traditional fan cooling systems due to the use of both a pump and a radiator in order to dissipate the heat […]
• Computer Science: Threats to Internet Privacy Allegedly, the use of the Internet is considered to be a potential threat to the privacy of individuals and organizations. Internet privacy may be threatened by the ease of access to personal information as well […]
• Computer System Review and Upgrade The main purpose of this computer program is going to be the more effective identification of the hooligan groups and their organisation with the purpose to reduce the violation actions.
• Strategic Marketing: Dell and ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Another factor contributing to the success of iPad is the use of stylish, supreme marketing and excellent branding of the products.
• Online Video and Computer Games Video and computer games emerged around the same time as role playing games during the 1970s, and there has always been a certain overlap between video and computer games and larger fantasy and sci-fi communities.
• Computer Communication Network in Medical Schools Most medical schools have made it compulsory for any reporting student to have a computer and this point the place of computer communication network in medical schools now and in the future.
• Computer Sciences Technology: Smart Clothes In this paper we find that the smart clothes are dated back to the early 20th century and they can be attributed to the works of artists and scientists.
• Human Mind Simply: A Biological Computer When contemplating the man-like intelligence of machines, the computer immediately comes to mind but how does the amind’ of such a machine compare to the mind of man?
• Boot Process of a CISCO Router and Computer An understanding of the processes that would help in setting up the configuration of a router and its various elements can lead to relating the booting process of the router to that of any other […]
• Computer Security: Bell-Lapadula & Biba Models Cybersecurity policies require the formulation and implementation of security access control models like the Bell-LaPadula and the Biba, to successfully ensure availability, integrity, and confidentiality of information flows via network access.
• Computer Forensics Tools and Evidence Processing The purpose of this paper is to analyze available forensic tools, identify and explain the challenges of investigations, and explain the legal implication of the First and Fourth Amendments as they relate to evidence processing […]
• The Drawbacks of Computers in Human Lives Since the invention of computers, they have continued to be a blessing in many ways and more specifically changing the lives of many people.
• Computers and Information Gathering On the other hand, it would be correct to say that application of computers in gathering information has led to negative impacts in firms.
• Dell Computer Company and Michael Dell These numbers prove successful reputation of the company and make the organization improve their work in order to attract the attention of more people and help them make the right choice during the selection of […]
• Computer-Based Testing: Beneficial or Detrimental? Clariana and Wallace found out that scores variations were caused by settings of the system in computer-based and level of strictness of examiners in paper-based. According to Meissner, use of computer based tests enhances security […]
• Computer-Based Communication Technology in Business Communication: Instant Messages and Wikis To solve the problems within the chosen filed, it is necessary to make people ready to challenges and provide them with the necessary amount of knowledge about IN and wikis’ peculiarities and properly explain the […]
• Purchasing or Leasing Computer Equipment: Advantages and Disadvantages When the organization decides to lease this equipment for the installation, will be on the part of the owners and maintenance, as well.
• Concept and Types of the Computer Networks As revealed by Tamara, authenticity is one of the most important elements of network security, which reinforces the security of the information relayed within the network system.
• Computer-Based Learning and Virtual Classrooms E-learning adds technology to instructions and also utilizes technologies to advance potential new approaches to the teaching and learning process. However, e-learners need to be prepared in the case of a technology failure which is […]
• Apple Inc.’s Competitive Advantages in Computer Industry Competitive advantage is significant in any company A prerequisite of success It enhances sustainable profit growth It shows the company’s strengths Apple Inc.explores its core competencies to achieve it Apple Inc.is led by Tim […]
• Dependability of Computer Systems In the dependability on computer systems, reliability architects rely a great deal on statistics, probability and the theory of reliability. The purpose of reliability in computer dependability is to come up with a reliability requirement […]
• Evolution of Computers in Commercial Industries and Healthcare Overall, healthcare information systems are ultimately vital and should be encouraged in all organizations to improve the quality of healthcare which is a very important need for all human beings.
• History of the Personal Computer: From 1804 to Nowadays The Analytical engine was a far more sophisticated general purpose computing device which included five of the key components that performed the basic of modern computers. A processor/Calculator/Mill-this is where all the calculations were performed.
• Recommendations for Computer to Purchase This made me to look into and compare the different models of computers which can be good for the kind of work we do.
• Computer Literacy: Parents and Guardians Role Filtering and monitoring content on the internet is one of the most important roles that parents in the contemporary world should play, and it reveals that parents care about their children.
• Graph Theory Application in Computer Science Speaking about the classification of graphs and the way to apply them, it needs to be noted that different graphs present structures helping to represent data related to various fields of knowledge.
• Computer-Mediated Communication Aspects and Influences The development of computers and the ease of internet’s accessibility have played a vital role in improving the efficiency of communication.
• Corporate Governance in Satyam Computer Services LTD The Chief Executive Officer of the company in the UK serves as the chairman of the board, but his/her powers are controlled by the other board members.
• The Future of Human Computer Interface and Interactions The computer is programmed to read the mind and respond to the demands of that mind. The future of human computer interface and interactivity is already here.
• Ethics and Computer Security The introduction of computers and the internet in the 1970s marked the end and the beginning of a new era where human labour was no longer required in the production of goods and services.
• Security of Your Computer and Ways of Protecting Authentication is used to mean that the information in the computer is only available and accessible to the authorized parties. This method is more effective as it can include hardware using multiple versions of software […]
• Computer Safety: Types and Technologies The OS of a computer is a set of instructions communicating directly to the hardware of the computer and this enable it to process information given to it.
• HP Computer Marketing Concept The marketing concept is the criteria that firms and organizations use to meet the needs of their clients in the most conducive manner.
• Social Implications of Computer Technology: Cybercrimes In reading the discussion above it becomes clear that the term cybercrime actually refers to computer-related crime; however, some consider computer crime to be a subdivision of cybercrime that warrants its own definition and understanding.
• Information Technology: Computer Software Computer software is a set of computer programs that instructs the computer on what to do and how to do it.
• Effects of Computer Programming and Technology on Human Behavior Phones transitioned from the basic feature phones people used to own for the sole purpose of calling and texting, to smart phones that have amazing capabilities and have adapted the concepts of computers.
• Writing Argumentative Essay With Computer Aided Formulation One has to see ideas in a systematic format in support of one position of the argument and disproval of the other.
• Levels of Computer Science and Programming Languages For the programmer to create low-level programming languages, computer architecture is very necessary for machine coding in the Central Processing Unit of a computer.
• Computer Systems in Hospital The central database will be important to the physician as well as pharmacy department as it will be used to keep a record of those medicines that the hospital has stocked.
• How to Build a Desktop Personal Computer The processor will determine the speed of the system but the choice between the two major types-Intel and AMD- remains a matter of taste.
• Networking Concepts for Computer Science Students The firewall, on the other hand, is a hardware or software that secures a network against external threats. Based on these a single subnet mask is sufficient for the whole network.
• Computer Problems I was referred to the these three websites by my peers who told me they had experienced problems with their computers in the past and were of the opinion that these websites could provide me […]
• Computer Financial Systems and the Labor Market This paper aims to describe the trend of technological progress, the causes and advantages of developments in computer financial systems, as well as the implications of the transition to digital tools for the labor market.
• Computer Technology in the Student Registration Process The registration process became more efficient due to the reduction in the number of registration staff because they are only tasked with the transfer of the students’ information to their respective departments.
• Melissa Virus and Its Effects on Computers The shutting down of the servers compromises the effectiveness of the agencies, and criminals could use such lapses to carry out acts that endanger the lives of the people.
• Hands-on Training Versus Computer Based Training From the above comparison of hands-on training and computer based training, it can be concluded that a company or an institution should choose its training methodology carefully.
• Microsoft Operating System for Personal Computers a Monopoly in the Markets Microsoft operating system has penetrated most of the markets and is considered to be the most popular of the operating systems in use today.
• Preparing a Computer Forensics Investigation Plan However, if the information is thought to be contained in the permanent storage, then a computer has to be shut down before transporting it to a laboratory for forensic analysis. The first step in the […]
• The Impact of Computer-Based Technologies on Business Communication The Importance of Facebook to Business Communication Facebook is one of the most popular social networking tools among college students and businesspersons. Blogs and Facebook can be used for the benefit of an organization.
• How to Build a Gaming Computer The first step to creating a custom build for a PC is making a list of all the necessary components. This explanation of how to build a custom gaming computer demonstrates that the process is […]
• Pipeline Hazards in Computer Architecture Therefore, branch instructions are the primary reasons for these types of pipeline hazards to emerge. In conclusion, it is important to be able to distinguish between different pipeline types and their hazards in order to […]
• PayPal and Human-Computer Interaction One of the strong points of the PayPal brand is its capacity to use visual design in the process of creating new users. The ability of the Paypal website to transform answers to the need […]
• Personal Computer: The Tool for Technical Report In addition to this, computers, via the use of reification, make it feasible to reconfigure a process representation so that first-time users can examine and comprehend many facets of the procedures.
• Altera Quartus Computer Aided Design Tool So, the key to successful binary additions is a full adder. The complete adder circuit takes in three numbers, A, B, and C, adds them together, and outputs the sum and carry.
• Computer Graphics and Its Historical Background One of the examples of analog computer graphics can be seen in the game called Space Warriors, which was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Hence, the entertainment industry was one of the main […]
• The Twelve-Cell Computer Battery Product: Weighted Average and Contracts Types There is a need to fully understand each of the choices, the cost, benefits, and risks involved for the individual or company to make the right decision.
• Computer Usage Evolution Through Years In the history of mankind, the computer has become one of the most important inventions. The diagnostics and treatment methods will be much easier with the help of computer intervention.
• How to Change a Computer Hard Drive Disk These instructions will allow the readers to change the HDD from a faulty computer step by step and switch on the computer to test the new HDD.
• Researching of Computer-Aided Design: Theory To draw a first-angle projection, one can imagine that the object is placed between the person drawing and the projection. To distinguish the first angle projection, technical drawings are marked with a specific symbol.
• Systems Development Life Cycle and Implementation of Computer Assisted Coding The potential risks the software must deal with are identified at this phase in addition to other system and hardware specifications.
• Why Is Speed More Important in Computer Storage Systems? While there are indications of how speed may be more significant than storage in the context of a computer system, both storage and speed are important to efficiency.
• Researching of Computer Simulation Theory Until then, people can only continue to study and try to come to unambiguous arguments regarding the possibility of human life in a computer simulation.
• Choosing a Computer for a Home Recording Studio The motherboard is responsible for the speed and stability of the system and should also have a large number of ports in case of many purposes of the computer in the studio.
• Computer Programming and Code The Maze game was the one I probably enjoyed the most since it was both engaging and not challenging, and I quickly understood what I needed to do.
• Computer-Aided-Design, Virtual and Augmented Realities in Business The usual applications of these technologies are in the field of data management, product visualization, and training; however, there is infinite potential in their development and integration with one another and this is why they […]
• Computer-Mediated Communication Competence in Learning The study showed that knowledge of the CMC medium was the strongest influence on participation with a =.41. In addition to that, teachers can use the results of this study to improve students’ experience with […]
• Anticipated Growth in Computer and Monitor Equipment Sales This presentations explores the computer equipment market to identify opportunities and device ways of using the opportunities to the advantage of EMI.
• Current Trends and Projects in Computer Networks and Security That means the management of a given organization can send a request to communicate to the network the intended outcome instead of coding and executing the single tasks manually.
• Acme Corp.: Designing a Better Computer Mouse The approach that the company is taking toward the early stages of the development process is to only include design engineers and brainstorm ideas.
• Computer Forensic Incident All evidence should be collected in the presence of experts in order to avoid losing data as well as violating privacy rights.N.
• Computer Science Courses Project Management Second, the selected independent reviewers analyze the proposal according to the set criteria and submit the information to the NSF. The project is crucial for the school and the community, as students currently do not […]
• The Computer Science Club Project’s Budget Planning The budget for the program is provided in Table 1 below. Budget The narrative for the budget is provided below: The coordinator will spend 100% of his time controlling the quality of the provided services […]
• How Computer Based Training Can Help Teachers Learn New Teaching and Training Methods The content will be piloted in one of the high schools, in order to use the teachers as trainers for a reaching more schools with the same methodology.
• Approaches in Computer-Aided Design Process Challenges: The intricacy of the structure that resulted in the need to understand this process was the reason for this study.
• Acquiring Knowledge About Computers One of the key features of A.I.U.’s learning platform is the use of the Gradebook. The best feature of the instant messaging tool is the fact that it is easy to install with no additional […]
• Future of Forensic Accounting With Regards to Computer Use and CFRA There are different types of accounting; they include management accounting, product control, social accounting, non assurance services, resource consumption accounting, governmental accounting, project accounting, triple accounting, fund accounting and forensic accounting among others.
• Computer Museum: Personal Experience While in the Revolution, I got a chance to see a working replica of the Atanasoff-Berry Computer, which was the first real model of a working computer.
• Computer-Based Search Strategy Using Evidence-Based Research Methodology In this case, the question guiding my research is “Can additional choices of food and places to eat improve appetite and maintain weight in residents with dementia?” The population in this context will be the […]
• Recovering from Computer System Crashes In the event of a crash, the first step is to identify the type of crash and then determine the best way to recover from the crash.
• Effective Way to Handle a Computer Seizure Thus, it is important to device a method of investigation that may enhance the preservation and maintenance of the integrity of the evidence.
• VisualDX: Human-Computer Interaction
• Computer-Aided Software Engineering Tools Usage
• Training Nurses to Work With Computer Technologies and Information Systems
• Computer Crime in the United Arab Emirates
• Computer Science: “DICOM & HL7”
• Majoring in Computer Science: Key Aspects
• Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria
• Advanced Data & Computer Architecture
• Computer Hardware: Structure, Purpose, Pros and Cons
• Assessing and Mitigating the Risks to a Hypothetical Computer System
• Computer Technology: Databases
• The Reduction in Computer Performance
• Advancements in Computer Science and Their Effects on Wireless Networks
• Choosing an Appropriate Computer System for the Home Use
• Global Climate and Computer Science
• Threats to Computer Users
• Computer Network Security Legal Framework
• Computer Forensics and Audio Data Retrieval
• Computer Sciences Technology: E-Commerce
• Computer Forensics: Data Acquisition
• Computer Forensic Timeline Visualization Tool
• The Qatar Independence Schools’ Computer Network Security Control
• Human-Computer Interaction and Communication
• Computer Sciences Technology: Influencing Policy Letter
• Computer Control System in a Laboratory Setting
• Property and Computer Crimes
• Current Laws and Acts That Pertain to Computer Security
• Computer Network: Electronic Mail Server
• Honeypots and Honeynets in Network Security
• The Life, Achievement, and Legacy to Computer Systems of Bill Gates
• Life, Achievement, and Legacy to Computer Systems of Alan Turing
• Building a PC, Computer Structure
• Computer Sciences Technology and HTTPS Hacking Protection
• Protecting Computers From Security Threats
• Computer Sciences Technology: Admonition in IT Security
• Research Tools Used by Computer Forensic Teams
• Maintenance and Establishment of Computer Security
• Computer Tech Company’s Medical Leave Problem
• Sales Plan for Computer Equipment
• Smartwatches: Computer on the Wrist
• Purpose of the Computer Information Science Course
• Technological Facilities: Computers in Education
• Computers’ Critical Role in Modern Life
• Malware: Code Red Computer Worm
• Sidetrack Computer Tech Business Description
• Strayer University’s Computer Labs Policy
• Computer Assisted Language Learning in English
• TUI University: Computer Capacity Evaluation
• The Effectiveness of the Computer
• “Failure to Connect – How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds and What We Can Do About It” by Jane M. Healy
• Computer Security System: Identity Theft
• Analogical Reasoning in Computer Ethics
• Dell Computer Corporation: Management Control System
• Computer Mediated Communication Enhance or Inhibit
• Technical Communication: Principles of Computer Security
• Why to Choose Mac Over Windows Personal Computer
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Is it worth it? The costs and benefits of bringing a laptop to a university class

Alison j. day.

Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America

Kimberly M. Fenn

Susan m. ravizza, associated data.

The data is available from the Open Science Framework database (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/8UCY9 ) The URL for the data cache is https://osf.io/8ucy9/?view_only=87b72bf959e34e069565ee8e0e6009ec .

Students often bring laptops to university classes, however, they do not limit their laptop use to class-related activity. Off-task laptop use occurs frequently in university classrooms and this use negatively impacts learning. The present study addresses whether potential benefits of class-related laptop use might mitigate the costs of off-task laptop activity. We used tracking software to monitor both class-related and off-task laptop use by undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory psychology course, and we observed how types of laptop use related to course performance. We found a positive correlation between class-related use and exam scores that was driven by viewing lecture slides during class. We also found a negative correlation between off-task laptop use and exam scores, but class-related activities did not predict an increase in off-task use. Thus, for students who constrain their laptop use to class-related activity, the benefits outweigh the costs. While a laptop may be beneficial for some, it is unclear which students are able to constrain themselves to class-related activities and whether the benefits of class-related laptop use obtained by slide viewing could be achieved by other means. Thus, students and educators should carefully consider the costs and benefits of laptop use in the classroom.

1. Introduction

Over half of college students bring their laptop to class at least once a week [ 1 , 2 ]. The ubiquity of portable devices has sparked heated controversy and, as a result, increasing pressure is being placed on college instructors to ban laptops from their classrooms (May, 2017). On one hand, portable devices are praised as providing more diverse ways of learning, increasing student participation, and improving retention in STEM fields [ 3 – 5 ]. Portable devices in the classroom, however, can also provide an engaging distraction because students use laptops to perform tasks that are not related to course activities [ 6 – 9 ]. Indeed, these off-task activities limit students’ ability to attend and deeply process class-related information and, unsurprisingly, are associated with reduced learning in lecture-based classrooms that are typical of university education [see 10 for a review]. The potential for distraction from a laptop may be so high that students succumb to off-task activities despite their intention to use their laptop only for class-related purposes such as taking notes and viewing slides. It is currently unknown, however, whether class-related use is related to a concomitant increase in off-task laptop activity. Moreover, very few studies have used objective measures to target different types of class-related use and their relationship to learning. Evaluating this cost-benefit ratio is critical to understanding how university students are using their laptop in a typical lecture-based classroom and, consequently, whether the cost to learning from distracting laptop activities is worth the potential benefit of class-related use.

Studies investigating both class-related and off-task laptop use in lecture-based courses have largely found costs to course performance rather than benefits. For example, allowing laptop use in lecture-based, university classrooms is associated with poorer course performance compared to classrooms in which laptops were prohibited [ 2 , 10 , 11 ]. These studies, however, did not separate laptop activity into off-task and class-related use which might have obscured potential benefits from the latter. In studies examining different categories of laptop activity (e.g., social media, online shopping, and note-taking), students reported high rates of off-task use and this measure was related to poorer performance on course exams [ 6 , 7 , 12 ]. Although Fried [ 12 ] probed students about class-related laptop use (i.e., note-taking activity), the author did not report the relationship between note-taking and course performance, so it is unclear whether some aspects of laptop use were beneficial. Thus, the extensive literature on self-reported, laptop use in lecture-based courses reveals consistently negative effects on course performance, but potential benefits of laptop use remain unclear.

In fact, only two studies have targeted potential benefits of unstructured laptop activity using objective measures, and both studies reported null results [ 7 , 8 ]. While these studies suggest that laptop use has no benefit to learning in lecture-based classrooms, the limitations of these studies prevent strong conclusions because the effects from different types of class-related laptop use were not measured [ 7 , 8 ]. Different types of class-related laptop activities might be related to learning in different ways; for example, viewing lecture slides might engage the student more in the lecture whereas Internet searches on course material might distract the student. Moreover, some types of class-related laptop use, such as taking notes with a laptop, might even be detrimental to learning [ 13 ]. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, neither study found a relationship, positive or negative, between class-related use and learning. Without measuring each activity separately, it is impossible to fully understand the relationship between class-related activities and course performance. The present study remedied this problem by tracking multiple types of class-related laptop activities including slide viewing, taking notes, answering in-class questions, and viewing reference materials.

Research touting the positive aspects of computer use for classroom learning has focused primarily on highly-structured computer use. Structured laptop use (e.g., instructor-directed use to complete assignments, or to engage in a class activity) has been shown to facilitate learning in primary [ 14 , 15 ] and higher education [ 16 ]. For example, incorporating laptops into classroom activities resulted in better grades than a typical lecture-based format [ 16 ] and providing students and teachers with laptops increased student achievement [ 15 ]. Note, however, that it is unclear from many of these studies whether benefits in learning are the result of laptop use per se, the active-learning format of the class, or changes in teaching practice and student engagement [ 15 , 16 ]. In other words, the effect of laptop use is often confounded with changes in teaching methods that occur in response to laptop availability. One study found that teaching practices were different between classrooms with and without laptops [ 14 ]. However, when the researchers controlled for these differences in teaching methods, they still found a positive relationship between performance and laptop use. Thus, when used for instructional activities, computers may improve course performance, but it is unclear whether laptops are beneficial in classes when they are used in an unstructured, student-guided manner as is typical in the university classroom.

College students have more autonomy on whether to bring a laptop to class than primary school students and, thus, most of their laptop use will be self-directed. It is important to know whether unstructured, class-related laptop use such as viewing instructor-provided slides, taking notes, and searching for more information on a topic may be beneficial to learning. As class sizes in university courses continue to increase, laptops may improve learning because they allow students to view the lecture slides on their computers. For example, students may have difficulty viewing the slides because they are sitting in the back of the classroom and/or their view is obstructed. In addition, slides often include images and text, and according to dual coding theory, information that is processed through visual and verbal modes is better remembered [ 17 , 18 ]. By viewing slides on their laptop, students can receive the benefit of both modes of information transmission, whereas if they were unable to see the slides (due to distance or obstruction), they would need to encode the information only verbally. While a recent meta-analysis found no benefit to learning from supplementing lecture with PowerPoint slides [ 19 ], the authors point out that many of the studies showed a positive effect of slide use when students had access to the slides. Similarly, a lab-based study revealed that students who were given printed lecture slides while viewing a lecture presentation performed better on a test of the material than students who were not given the lecture slides [ 20 ]. The present study measured whether viewing lecture slides on a laptop was positively related to course performance as suggested by previous studies and investigated whether seating position is related to a potential benefit.

Another way that laptops might impact course performance is through note-taking. It seems intuitive that taking notes on a laptop would be more efficient than taking notes on paper because typing is faster than handwriting. As such, it is possible that learning would be better when students take notes on laptops because they can more quickly record their notes and this would free up time and resources to listen and engage with the material on a deeper level. However, prior work has shown that when students take notes on a laptop, they tend to write verbatim phrases directly from lecture as opposed to processing and synthesizing the information [ 13 ]. This type of note-taking has two potential consequences. First, students may spend more time writing notes verbatim than they would if they were taking handwritten notes. In an effort to write down exactly what the lecturer says, an individual may attend too much to the specific phrasing of a sentence and fail to encode a subsequent sentence. That is, an individual may devote too much cognitive effort to verbatim note taking and fail to fully attend to the lecture. Second, if students are focused on transcribing text, they may not focus on understanding or integrating information. As a consequence, students may only shallowly engage with the material. Thus, individuals who take notes on a laptop may put too much cognitive effort toward verbatim note taking at the expense of attending to the lecture and may therefore engage in shallower processing of the material. These factors may lead to poorer learning [ 21 , 22 ].

Despite strong theoretical predictions, research into note-taking medium has yielded equivocal results. The first study to investigate this phenomenon found that students who were assigned to take notes by hand during a lab-based study showed greater learning than those assigned to take notes on a laptop [ 13 ]. In contrast, a different lab-based study found that laptop note-takers outperformed individuals who took notes by hand [ 23 ]. Finally, a third study found that the effects of various note taking media depend on whether students reviewed their notes [ 24 ]. Thus, the current literature is inconclusive about whether students should use laptops to take notes. Importantly, however, the field is limited in that all studies are laboratory-based, and the question has not been tested in a course when there are actual consequences associated with the style of note-taking (i.e., course grades).

Benefits of laptop use, if found, may be outweighed by the costs to learning from off-task activities. Despite their best intentions, students may not be monitoring the extent of their device use and underestimate the time they spend off-task [ 25 ]. For example, a study of notification alerts reported that it took participants 8–9 minutes to get back to their primary task after email and instant messaging interruptions even though they intended to get back on task as quickly as possible [ 25 ]. Not all students will be able to implement control processes to inhibit off-task use and it is possible that having a laptop will promote increased off-task use. Indeed, several studies have shown that impulsivity and an inability to delay gratification are associated with heavy technology use [ 26 , 27 ]. Thus, it is critical to understand if there is a relationship between class-related and off-task laptop activities.

To better understand the relationship between in-class laptop use and course performance, we monitored all laptop activities–both Internet use and the use of applications (e.g. word processing programs)–to a greater degree than has been previously possible and using verifiable measures. The current work addresses three questions:

RQ1. Do class-related laptop activities predict better learning? We predicted that laptop-based note-taking would be negatively correlated with course performance, as in Mueller and Oppenheimer [ 13 ], and that slide use during class may be positively correlated with course performance. Based on previous studies, we did not expect to see high levels of any of the other class-related activities and, thus, did not expect any reliable relationships.

RQ2. Will greater class-related laptop use be concomitant with greater off-task laptop use? It is possible that students bring laptops to class with the intention of using them in a productive manner, but that simply having the laptop is a source of temptation. Thus, we expect both class-related and off-task laptop use to increase, and therefore, be positively correlated.

RQ3. If benefits of class-related use are found, do they outweigh the costs associated with off-task use? The known detrimental effects of laptop use may not outweigh potential benefits. We predict that potential benefits of laptop use will be modest, if found, and that the effect size will be smaller than that between off-task use and course performance.

The current study advances the field by acquiring detailed and objective measures of student-directed, class-related laptop use in a typical lecture style classroom. As such, this study is ideally situated to find potential relationships between class-related laptop activities and learning. It addresses the limitations of the previous work by including subtypes of class-related use and how these types of class-related use are related to factors such as standardized test performance and seating position, as well as course performance. A more thorough understanding of the potential benefits of class-related laptop use is particularly important because restricting laptop use has been found to decrease class attendance [ 28 ] which is a reliable predictor of course performance [ 29 – 31 ]. The results of the present study will provide some insight into whether laptops are a useful tool for students taking lecture-based classes by investigating how class-related, student-directed laptop use relates to learning and off-task activities.

2.1 Participants

We recruited undergraduate students at Michigan State University enrolled in a large introductory psychology course held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:20 AM to 12:10 PM. We specifically recruited students who planned on taking a laptop to class regularly. Of the approximately 500 students enrolled in the course, 105 students consented to participate, and of those students, two later chose not to participate. The final sample consisted of 103 (73 women, 28 men, 2 unidentified) participants aged 18 to 25 (87.3% were 18 to 20, 12.7% were 21 to 25).

Given that our sample consisted of a greater percentage of women than would be expected of the typical university composition [ 32 ], we performed a binary logistic regression to assess whether laptop activity predicted gender. Using both class-related and off-task use as predictors, laptop use was not predictive of gender, χ 2 = 1.50 (2), p = .472. A second binary logistic regression was also performed to estimate the relationship between gender and 17 subcategories of laptop use (see S1 Table ). Jointly, these variables predicted gender, χ 2 = 42.12 (17), p < .001, with significant coefficients reflecting differences in the duration of reading the news, watching videos, and using a laptop to do work for other classes. Thus, while there were some differences in how women and men were using their laptops for off-task activities, overall durations were comparable.

The distribution of class rank for our sample was similar to the composition of the entire class. In our sample, 39% were Freshmen (first-year students), 36% were Sophomore (second-year), 17% were Junior (third-year) and 8% were Senior (fourth-year). In the entire class, 47% were Freshman, 32% were Sophomore, 15% were Junior, and 7% were Senior. The average exam score for our sample was higher than that of the entire class ( M = 82.29%, SD = 11.17 compared to M = 77.54.%, SD = 12.84). We could not formally compare our sample’s performance to that of the students who did not participate as we did not have consent to use individual test scores from non-participating students.

We recruited participants from one of the largest courses at Michigan State University and, therefore, was most likely to consist of a representative sample of university students relative to other classes offered at this institution. Students from a wide variety of majors (e.g. Kinesiology, Business, Pre-Med, Engineering) take this course as it is a requirement for many majors and serves as an elective course. Students were offered participation in the study if they planned on bringing a laptop to class, given the nature of our research questions. Students received research credit for completing this study. For this course, students were required to complete seven hours of research participation, and this study constituted four hours of participation. Thus, students were incentivized to complete this study because it was an easy option to complete their research hours (e.g. compared to going to a different building on campus and participating).

Sample size justification

No previous study has found a reliable relationship between class-related use and class performance so we based our power analysis on the average correlation (r = -.28) between off-task laptop use and exam score in our two previous studies [ 6 , 7 ]. We aimed to recruit at least 95 participants to provide a power of .8 and an alpha of .05.

This was an observational study in which numerous computer-based activities were measured as independent variables. We use tracking software to objectively measure class-related and off-task activities. Class-related activities were note taking, slide viewing, using the internet to search for class related material (references), and answering questions posed by the instructor. Off-task activities included reading email, online shopping, using social media, instant messaging, using news websites, working on homework for other classes, watching videos, playing games, listening to music, looking at photos, accessing the RescueTime website, and using PowerPoint or word processors for purposes unrelated to the class. Finally, we included a random use category to include any activities that could not be placed in one of the aforementioned categories. We measured these variables to assess the extent to which time spent on these activities predicts course performance as measured by average exam score. This was a within-subject design insomuch as participants always engaged in multiple laptop activities. We also controlled for performance on the SAT or ACT to account for some of the variance attributable to general intelligence.

2.3 Procedure

Participants downloaded the computer monitoring application, RescueTime, onto their laptops, and the application monitored their activity during every lecture (unless the student turned the application off or did not use his or her computer). Over the course of the semester, we emailed two survey links to each participant. We sent the first survey before the second exam and the second survey before the fourth exam. Participants completed each survey online, in their own time. All procedures were approved by the Michigan State University Institutional Review Board.

2.4 Ethics statement

We obtained written informed consent from each of our participants to record their computer activity during class lectures. At the same time, participants were always able to turn off the monitoring application if they did not want to be monitored while engaging in a certain task. In other words, they could relinquish consent by turning off the software and subsequently restore consent by turning the monitoring application back on. This way, participants were always in control and retained their rights to privacy.

When we received the recorded data through the RescueTime application, participant names were included in the data file. We retained the confidentiality of participant laptop-use data by replacing the participant names with participant numbers before sending it to the coders. This way, none of the coders, who may have been our participants’ peers, had knowledge of the participants’ identities. We stored this de-identified data on our password-protected server, and it is only available to members of our lab. Finally, we destroyed the document linking participant names to their numbers. Thus, participants can no longer be linked to their data.

2.5 Social desirability

We informed participants that a computer application would monitor their activity on their laptops during lecture but that this information would not impact their course grade or even be seen by their instructor until after course grades were submitted. Further, the students were told that the instructor would not know which students were participating in the study, and the instructor was not in the room when students volunteered to participate. These promises were fully honored.

Students received full credit if they used their computer at some point during 85% of the 19 class periods and completed both surveys. In other words, students could “check in” to the RescueTime application at any point during class, immediately turn the application off, and still receive credit for that class period (i.e. they did not need to use it for the duration of the lecture). Therefore, it is unlikely that participating in this study made students use their computers in an atypical manner, because if a student wanted to engage in an activity without being monitored, they could simply turn the application off.

2.6 Materials and measures

2.6.1 computer use.

We tracked participants’ computer use with the RescueTime application [ 33 ] which monitored computer applications (e.g. Microsoft Word), internet use, and utilities (e.g. calculator). More specifically, we received information about what applications or websites were being used; we did not receive more intrusive information such as conversations held on messaging applications. Participants configured RescueTime so that it would only track their activity during lecture, and we removed any activity that was tracked outside of class periods and during the ten-minute break during class. Thus, our data do not include time spent on class-related activities outside of class (e.g. viewing slides outside of the class period). RescueTime tracked the precise time that participants accessed a given application and the duration of time they spent using the application during the 100-minute class period (A sample of the data is available in the supplemental online materials). We collected data from every class period for which the participant was in attendance and logged onto the RescueTime application (maximum of 19 class periods; see supplemental materials for rates of attendance). Importantly, RescueTime only tracked time spent on an activity if participants were actively using that computer application. If the participant did not move the mouse or use the keyboard (inactive) for five minutes or more, only the time for which the participant used the mouse or keyboard was recorded. However, if the participant moved the mouse or used the keyboard before a full five minutes of inactive time had elapsed, all of that “inactive” time was recorded as active. In this case, it is assumed that the participant is still engaging with the material. From this information, we created our independent variables of interest as described in the Data Coding section (2.7).

2.6.2 Course performance

Students completed four exams each consisting of 50 multiple choice questions. All questions had 4 or 5 possible response options and each question was worth 2 points, for a total of 100 points per exam. The exams focused primarily on material that was discussed during lecture and were not cumulative, meaning that each exam covered only material that had been discussed since the previous exam. We assessed course performance by averaging the four exams. The exam average acted as our dependent variable. To ensure reliability of our measure, we assessed the correlation between exams. Importantly, each of the exams was highly correlated with every other exam. We also computed a measure of reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha, across the four exam scores and found very high reliability, α = 0.89.

2.6.3 Standardized test scores

We asked participants for permission to access their ACT and/or SAT scores and used these scores as proxy measures of general intelligence; performance on these exams is correlated with performance on general intelligence measures [ 34 , 35 ]. We used these scores in hierarchical regression analyses to assess the relationship between computer use and course performance over and above general intelligence. Note, however, that these scores are not pure measures of general intelligence [ 34 – 36 ], so we are likely not fully accounting for general intelligence. In the remainder of this paper, we will refer to these scores as proxy measures of general intelligence.

We obtained these scores from the university registrar. For the 14 students who had SAT scores but not ACT scores, we converted the SAT scores into ACT scores using an online score converter [ 37 ]. Scores were unavailable for an additional 14 participants. These participants were included in any analyses that did not include ACT score.

2.6.4 Surveys

We administered two surveys online using Qualtrics [ 38 ]. In these surveys, we asked participants to: a) indicate where they sat in the class, and b) how they typically took notes—in a notebook or on a laptop. The reliability of the question assessing note taking behavior is presented in the results section. We also asked about seating position to get a rough estimate of how far away from the front of the classroom students were sitting. Due to the nature of the question (click on an image depicting the classroom) it is unlikely that the students were fully accurate but also unlikely that the participants were so inaccurate that our results are not meaningful. Students also estimated how often they sat in this location over the course of the semester. Finally, to determine potential effects of monitoring, we asked participants to rate how their internet use in this class compared to their use in other classes on a five-point Likert scale from “I used the internet much less in this class” to “I used the internet much more in this class”. Full surveys are available in the supplemental online material. Fourteen participants did not complete the surveys, so their data was not included in any analyses of survey data.

2.6.5 Slide viewing

The instructor used Top Hat [ 39 ] to distribute lecture slides, and students primarily used this website to view the slides during class. Students could not access the lecture slides before class but could view slides presented during previous class periods. That is, slides presented during previous class periods remained available to students after each class period, but new lecture slides did not become available until the moment the professor discussed each slide. Thus, students could not look ahead in the lecture slides. They could view the slide that was currently being discussed in class and they could flip back to slides that had previously been displayed. The slides displayed on students’ computers automatically changed when the instructor moved to the next slide.

2.7 Data coding and analysis

RescueTime provided the application name or website URL and the document name (e.g. Application name: Microsoft Word, File name: PSY 101 notes; Website URL: wikipedia.com, Website document name: Ancient Greek Art) for each moment of laptop activity. From this information, we were able to sort each activity into one of many categories. We first coded the data based on the underlying activity that each application represented (e.g. word processors were coded as "note-taking" if the file name indicated that it was for this course; if this was not indicated, they were coded as "word processing" and were not included in the note-taking category; facebook.com was coded as social media). We further coded each data point as class-related or off-task (e.g. note-taking was categorized as class-related and social media sites were classified as off-task). If data could not clearly be categorized as class-related, we coded them as off-task. For the full coding scheme, see the supplemental materials. Our coding scheme was unlikely to be biased by our perspective given that class-related use was clearly defined as related to course material.

We trained two undergraduate research assistants to code the data. Each coder coded approximately half of the data, and we measured reliability by having each code three of the class periods that had previously been coded by the other coder. We compared the coding and found 94% reliability between coders. Coding was also checked for errors by the first author.

We computed an average duration for each category of use. To do this, we first summed the time spent on each category across the semester. We then divided by the number of lectures the participant attended to obtain the average amount of time spent on each activity per lecture (See the supplemental materials for attendance statistics). For example, if a participant attended 17 lectures and took notes 20–30 minutes each lecture, we would compute her note taking use at approximately 25 minutes per lecture. Scores were computed in this manner for each participant and then correlated with course performance.

Given our focus on class-related activity, we collapsed off-task activity across subtypes and correlated this measure with course performance (although, we provide subtype correlations in Table 2 ). For class-related activity, we performed four Pearson correlations between each class-related activity and course performance using Bonferroni correction to assess significance (.05/4 = p < .0125). For the relationships found to have statistically significant correlations, we additionally performed hierarchical multiple regressions to account for some of the variance in performance due to general intelligence, as measured by performance on the ACT and SAT tests. With this analysis, we can determine the extent to which each computer activity predicts performance beyond a proxy measure of general intelligence. We report Cohen’s d values and Pearson’s correlation coefficients (R 2 : Small = 0.04; Medium = 0.25; Large = 0.64) as measures of effect sizes [ 40 ]. All of these analyses were performed in SPSS version 25 [ 41 ].

Most of the word-processing activities classified as “off-task” were from students typing in Document1 – the default name for a Microsoft Word document. If we add these ambiguous documents to the note-taking category, the correlation with exam score changes from r = .002 to r = -.129, but is still not reliable, r(103) = -0 . 129 , p = 0 . 193 .

3.1 Does off-task activity relate to reduced learning?

The means and standard deviations of the durations for each activity are presented in Table 1 , and the correlations between each activity and exam score are presented in Table 2 . Students spent 28% of class time using their laptops for tasks that were unrelated to the class and, as expected, off-task computer use was negatively related to course performance [ 6 , 7 , 12 ]. Average duration of off-task activity was negatively correlated with exam score, r (101) = -0.23, p = 0.02 ( Fig 1 ). We also performed a hierarchical regression as we have done in the past [ 6 , 7 ]. We entered standardized test scores (as a proxy of general intelligence) in step one and off-task activity in step two and found that standardized test scores significantly predicted course performance F (1, 87) = 23.07, p < 0.001, ΔR 2 = 0.21. Furthermore, off-task activity accounted for an additional 4.8% of the variance in exam score, p = 0.02, similar to what we have found in our previous studies [6,7; Table 3 ]. As in those studies, ACT scores were not related to the duration of off-task activity, r (89) = -0.12, p = .91. The overall model accounted for 25.8% of the variance in exam score, F (2, 86) = 14.93, p < 0.001.

Durations are presented in minutes.

A. Means and standard deviations of durations (minutes) of class-related activities. B. Means and standard deviations of durations (minutes) of off-task activities.

Note. *p < 0.05,

**p < 0.001.

Changes in off-task use also predicted changes in exam score from the first to second half of the semester. The same hierarchical regression model as described above was implemented with the addition of off-task use and exam scores from the first half of the semester in the first step of the model. Off-task use in the second half of the semester was still a significant predictor of exam scores in the second half, F (1, 83) = 5.23, p < 0.05, ΔR 2 = 0.02.

Adding attendance to the hierarchical model, in addition to ACT, did not change the results (see supplemental results).

3.2 Do class-related laptop activities predict better learning?

There were four types of activities that were categorized as class-related: note-taking, viewing lecture slides, answering questions posed by the instructor online, and using references such as Internet sites to search for class-related material. We sought to investigate the extent to which each individual activity predicted exam score and found a positive relationship between the duration of viewing slides and exam score, r (101) = 0.25, p = 0.01 ( Fig 2 ). The other correlations were also positive, but none reached significance, r ’s ≤ 0.15 p ’s ≥ 0.13 ( Table 2 ). We next used a hierarchical regression model to determine if the amount of time spent viewing slides would predict exam score over and above standardized test scores, our proxy measure of general intelligence. We entered standardized test score in step one and duration of slide viewing in step two. Standardized test scores accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in exam score, F (1, 87) = 23.07, p < 0.001. Interestingly, slide viewing contributed significantly to the model, F (2, 86) = 15.87, p < 0.001, and accounted for an additional 6.0% of the variance in exam score ( Table 4 ). Thus, viewing lecture slides predicted course performance over and above a proxy measure of general intelligence. Indeed, ACT scores did not predict the duration of slide viewing, r (89) = 0.05, p = 0.652. Moreover, including attendance in the hierarchical model did not change the results (see the supplemental materials).

Note. *p < 0.01,

To further investigate the relationship between slide viewing and exam score, we examined the location in which participants sat in the classroom. We predicted that students who sat in the back of the classroom would be more likely to view the lecture slides on their laptops than students who sat closer to the front of the classroom because they may have had more difficulty seeing the material projected at the front of the classroom. It should be noted that the lecture hall had stadium seating so students in the back of the classroom had an unobstructed view of the screen, but they would naturally be further away than students in the front of the classroom. To examine this possibility, we asked our participants to indicate (on a map of the classroom) where they sat during a typical class period. The output of this question was in the form of continuous x-axis and y-axis variables. For seating front-to-back we used the y-axis variable where larger numbers indicated that the participants were sitting farther back in the classroom. All of the participants who completed this question indicated that they sat in this spot more than 50% of the time and 87.9% of these students indicated that they sat in this spot 90% or more of the time. Slide viewing did not correlate with participants’ front-to-back position in the classroom, r (90) = -0.14, p = 0.17, suggesting that students who sat in the back of the lecture hall did not spend more time viewing their slides during lecture.

3.3 Will greater class-related laptop use be concomitant with greater off-task laptop use?

Students who use their laptop more for class-related tasks may also be more tempted to use their laptop for distracting off-task activities. This question was addressed by examining the correlation between the two types of activities ( Fig 3 ). Note that our measures of class-related and off-task laptop activity were independent as laptop use did not take the entire class time. Thus, both positive and negative correlations were possible, and we predicted that class-related use would be positively related to off-task use. Contrary to our prediction, these variables were negatively correlated, r (101) = -0.44, p < 0.001. Thus, participants who spent more time using their laptops for class-related activities tended to spend less time doing off-task activities.

3.4 Do benefits of class-related use outweigh the costs associated with off-task use?

The negative relationship of off-task activity to exam score, r = -0.23, was similar to the effect size of the relationship between slide viewing and exam score, r = 0.25, z = 0.15, p = 0.88. Both effect sizes were small according to Cohen [ 42 ] and each accounted for 5–6% of the variance in exam score when accounting for general intelligence.

Thus, greater class-related use did not predict greater durations of off-task activities. Accordingly, total computer time (class-related and off-task use combined) does not contribute significantly to the model, Δ R 2 = 0.007, F Δ (1, 86) = 0.718, p = 0.399, in the hierarchical regression of ACT and exam score. This is likely due to the opposite relationships between performance and type of computer use.

3.5 Social desirability

Although the students were aware that their laptop use was being monitored, our data suggest that it is unlikely that students adjusted their computer use compared to their activities in other classes. When asked how their Internet use during this class compared to their use during other classes, about 46% of students said their use was about the same as in other classes, 27.8% said they used the Internet less, and 26.7% said they used the Internet more in this class. Thus, the data was normally distributed around the median (Median = 2; Internet use was about the same). Additionally, students’ off-task use was not significantly correlated with the time they spent on the RescueTime website where they could view reports of their computer activities, r (101) = 0.14, p = 0.148.

There was some evidence, however, that off-task laptop use changed throughout the semester in response to the surveys. Surveys were given before the 2 nd and 4 th exams and we compared performance in the time periods before (i.e. before the 2 nd exam and between the 3 rd and 4 th exams) and after (i.e., between the 2 nd and 3 rd exams and after the 4 th exam) the surveys. On average, the duration of off-task activities decreased significantly by about 7 minutes in the intervals after the surveys were given, t (102) = 3.95, p < .001. The surveys may have increased social desirability effects or made students aware of the extent of their off-task activities. In either case, this pattern would have little effect on our findings. While students may have increased or decreased their off-task laptop use, the relationship to performance would remain unchanged. Indeed, negative correlations with their respective exam scores were observed both before, r = -0.16, and after, r (101) = -0.18, students completed the surveys. In other words, social desirability effects may change the duration of types of laptop activities, but not the relationship between them and exam performance.

4. Discussion

The present study provides the first evidence that one type of class-related laptop use predicts better learning in a lecture-based class. That is, slide viewing during class was significantly related to better course performance. Moreover, in response to our second research question, the rate of laptop use for off-task activities was not related to the amount of use for class-related activities. In fact, the more students used their laptop for class-related purposes, the less they used it for off-task activities. The relationship between exam scores and off-task or class related use were quite similar such that the cost-benefit ratio will differ depending on how much students use their laptop for each activity.

4.1 Duration of slide viewing predicted better exam scores

We found that accessing lecture slides during class was positively correlated with exam scores and that this relationship was independent from general intelligence defined in this research as performance on standardized tests of college readiness (ACT & SAT). In the literature targeting online access to slides, there is some disagreement about the relationship between slide use and course performance. An early study found a negative effect of slide access on course performance [ 43 ], whereas more recent studies found slide access to be beneficial to course performance [ 44 ]. Note, however, that these studies examined access to slides prior to and after lecture rather than monitoring if and how long slides were displayed on students’ laptops during class. This is the first study to demonstrate that accessing lecture slides during class has a beneficial relationship to course performance. This finding is consistent with a laboratory-based study that found that having paper handouts of slides positively impacted learning [ 20 ]. Our results show that, in addition to accessing slides, the duration of viewing slides during class is positively related to course performance.

While we predicted that slide viewing would be positively related to exam scores, we thought that it would be beneficial primarily for those sitting far from the projector screen. However, we did not find a relationship between slide viewing and seating position. Thus, it is unclear why slide viewing was related to performance. One possibility is that viewing slides on a laptop may affect how students take notes during lecture. Often, lecture slides will contain both images and text such that students must choose to either write down key information that the instructor says verbally or write down all of the text on the slide, or some combination of these. Recent research has found that students who have access to lecture slides tend to take better notes than those without access [ 20 , 45 ]. Specifically, students with access to lecture slides wrote down more critical information and topic examples [ 45 ] and wrote fewer verbatim notes (notes copied directly from the lecture slides) than students without access to slides [ 20 ]. It is possible that when students have access to slides, they actively process information and engage with the material more deeply, instead of simply transcribing text or speech. These changes in note taking likely reflect deeper information processing, which leads to greater learning [ 21 , 22 , 46 ].

Alternatively, it is possible that students who spent time viewing slides during class also spent more time viewing them outside of class. Students did not have to be in attendance to access the lecture slides, although we only measured slide viewing that occurred in the classroom. Thus, future research could adjudicate between these hypotheses by examining the content of notes taken during lecture and the amount of time spent viewing slides outside of class.

Another related and open question is whether viewing lecture slides before class might reduce the relationship between viewing slides during class and exam score. If students have access to lecture slides before class and actively encode them, viewing slides during class may not provide any added benefit for learning the material. Based on previous work that found a positive effect of hard copy lecture slides on exam performance, we do not think this likely.

4.2 Cost-benefit ratio depends on the student

While there was a modest benefit to exam scores related to the duration of viewing slides, we also observed a cost related to off-task laptop activities. Indeed, the time spent off-task predicted course performance even after accounting for performance on standardized tests, consistent with previous findings [ 6 , 7 , 12 ]. This result is likely due to the negative consequences of multitasking. If students engaged in off-task use while simultaneously listening to a lecture, their attention was divided amidst multiple tasks. Dividing attention leads to poorer learning [ 47 – 49 ]. Thus, students who spend class time doing off-task activities may not have given their full attention to the lecture and this was related to poorer learning.

In deciding an evidence-based policy about laptops in university classrooms, it is important to determine whether potential benefits will incur an equal or greater cost to learning. We predicted that students would be more tempted to use their laptop for off-task activities if using it more for class-related tasks. Instead, we found the opposite; that is, using a laptop for class-related activities was related to reduced use of distracting activities. For those using their laptop primarily for class-related use, there is a modest benefit to exam score which does not incur an equal cost to performance because of an increase in distracting laptop use. On balance, those students have a low cost-benefit ratio because they are less likely to use their laptops for off-task activities.

Conversely, students who are mostly using their laptops for off-task activities are getting little benefit associated with class-related activities and are incurring a high cost to their exam score. It cannot be determined from our study which students will be distracted by bringing their laptop to class. One possibility is that individuals with poor impulse control may have trouble resisting off-task activity if they have access to a laptop [ 26 , 50 , 51 ]. Future studies should investigate the relationship between class-related and off-task use amongst participants with high and low impulse control.

If laptop use could be restricted to class-related tasks, then there might be some benefit from bringing a laptop to class. In a higher education setting, however, this would be very difficult to enforce without invasive software or diligent monitoring. Moreover, there is no evidence that slide viewing needs to be done on a laptop for benefits to be observed. A previous study reported that having access to paper handouts of the lecture slides resulted in fewer verbatim notes than not having access to these handouts [ 20 ]. On the other hand, printing slides might be more wasteful and costly than a digital copy unless students are also taking notes on the paper copy. More research is needed to understand why slide viewing is helpful in class and whether slides need to be digital.

4.3 Limitations

This is a correlational study and we therefore cannot determine causality from our methods as we could with an experimental design. It is therefore possible that a third variable could underlie our primary finding. For example, an alternative explanation of the relationship between slide viewing and test scores might be that attentive students were both more likely to spend time looking at slides and to do better on tests. In other words, our findings could be a product of our sample as opposed to a product of class-related computer use.

Moreover, the characteristics of our sample raise concerns about generalizability to other student populations. Our sample slightly outperformed the rest of the class on the exams and consisted primarily of women. Due to our small sample size of men, it is unclear whether men’s computer use would correlate with course performance in the same way as it does in our entire sample. However, computer activity and course performance averages did not differ between women and men suggesting that each group engaged similarly with their laptops.

Our sample consisted of ~20% of the class who were willing to have their computer use monitored. It is possible that our sample was biased towards students who intended to use their laptops for class-related purposes. If so, off-task computer use may be underestimated compared to the general student population. Moreover, five students turned off the tracker in one class session each for an average of 36 minutes (range 2.3min– 98.5min). As it is likely that the tracker was turned off to perform off-task activities, the durations of these activities are probably underestimated for these students. Nevertheless, we observe substantial off-task activity and replicate our previous findings that such activity is inversely related to exam performance (Ravizza, Hambrick, & Fenn, 2014; Ravizza, Uitvlugt, & Fenn, 2017).

We adopted a conservative coding strategy to ensure that no off-task computer use ended up in the class-related category. For example, it is possible that students used instant messaging applications to discuss the class materials with their peers (this activity performed outside of class time has been found to improve learning; [ 52 ]). However, our data did not include information about conversations held on instant messaging applications, so we could not include any of this use in the class-related category. Although we do not think it is likely that participants used the instant messaging applications to discuss class material, if participants were engaging in this activity, it might weaken the correlation between instant messaging and learning; however, a significant negative relationship is still observed between instant messaging and exam performance, r (101) = -0.198, p = 0.045. Additionally, some social media and video use could have been class-related, but there was not enough information to code them as such. When we removed instant messaging use and ambiguous video and social media use from the off-task use category, this correlation, r (101) = - 0.21, p = 0.03, did not differ statistically from the original correlation between off-task use and course performance, r (101) = -0.23, p = 0.02, and remained significant. Thus, this use does not significantly inflate our off-task use correlation. Nonetheless, it is possible that we did not assess all of the class-related use in our data.

This study did not assess the benefits and costs of laptop use for people with disabilities or for those who have an accommodation due to poor vision or motor injury. Therefore, we cannot draw any conclusions about the utility of laptops in higher education classrooms in these populations.

5. Conclusion

This is the first study to show that the duration of class-related laptop use is related to better course performance. Importantly, class-related laptop use was negatively related to off-task use, suggesting that simply having a laptop in class does not increase distracting behaviors. However, the modest benefit of class-related use to exam scores was counterbalanced by the equal relationship of distracting activities to performance. If students constrain their laptop activity during class to class-related activities such as viewing lecture slides, then contrary to prior findings, laptops may be beneficial to student success in a lecture-based, university classroom. It is unclear, however, which students would benefit from bringing a laptop to class and which students would suffer. Moreover, it is unclear whether class-related tasks need to be performed on a laptop to incur the benefits. Given our results, one might consider whether the benefits of bringing a laptop to class outweigh the costs.

Supporting information

Acknowledgments.

The authors would like to thank Robby Macdonell (CEO RescueTime) for providing assistance with the RescueTime software and Mari Dowling and Islam Said for their assistance coding the data.

Funding Statement

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF; https://www.nsf.gov/ ) Early Development CAREER Award (grant number 1149078) given to Susan Ravizza. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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• Essay on Computer

Long and Short Computer Essay

The term computer was once used to refer to a person who did computation, unlike today. The development of early prototypes that led to the modern computer is credited to many individuals throughout history. A series of breakthroughs, beginning with transistor computers and then integrated circuit computers, resulted in the development of transistor technology and the integrated circuit chip, causing digital computers to largely replace analogue computers. 

In this essay, we will discuss the various components and types of computers and talk about their uses in various fields.

Long Computer Essay in English

A computer is an electronic tool that manipulates data or information. It can store, retrieve, and process information. We can type documents, send emails, play games, and browse the Web using a computer. It can also be used to edit spreadsheets, presentations, and even videos, or create them. 

Early computers were conceived only as devices for calculating. Simple manual devices such as the abacus have helped individuals do calculations since ancient times. Some mechanical devices were built early in the Industrial Revolution to automate long, tedious tasks, such as guiding patterns for looms. In the early 20th century, more sophisticated electrical machines performed specialized analogue calculations. 

Common Components of Computers

All those parts of a computer that are tangible physical objects are covered under the term hardware. The hardware includes circuits, computer chips, graphics cards, sound cards, memory (RAM), motherboards, displays, power supplies, cables, keyboards, printers and "mice" input devices.

 There are five main hardware components: 

Input Devices: 

These are devices that are used to enter data/information in the central processing unit. Example- keyboard, mouse, scanner, document reader, barcode reader, optical character reader, magnetic reader etc.

Output Devices: 

These are devices that provide the processed data/information into human-readable form. Example- monitor, printer, speaker, projector etc.

Control Unit: 

The control unit handles the various components of the computer; it reads and interprets (decodes) the instructions for the program, transforming them into control signals that activate other computer parts.

Arithmetic Logic Unit: 

It is capable of performing arithmetical and logical functions. The set of arithmetic operations supported by a specific ALU may be restricted to addition and subtraction or may include functions of multiplication, division, trigonometries such as sine, cosine, etc., and square roots.

Central Processing Unit: 

The ALU, control unit and registers and together called the CPU. It is sometimes called the computer's brain, and its job is to perform commands. We send instructions to the CPU whenever we press a key, click the mouse, or start an application.

Software refers to computer parts, such as programs, data, protocols, etc., that do not have a material form. In contrast to the physical hardware from which the system is built, the software is that portion of a computer system consisting of encoded information or computer instructions.

It is sometimes called "firmware" when the software is stored in hardware that can not be easily modified, such as with a BIOS ROM on an IBM PC compatible computer.

Computer hardware and software require each other, and neither of them can be realistically used on their own. There are four main components of a general-purpose computer: the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), the control unit, the memory, and the I/O (collectively called input and output) devices.

Uses of Computer

Computers are used in various fields, such as homes, businesses, government offices, research organizations, educational institutions, medicine, entertainment, etc. because of their features and powerful functions. They have taken sectors and companies to a whole new level.

Science- 

Computers are best suited for the collection, analysis, categorization, and storage of data in science, research and engineering. They also help scientists to exchange data both internally and internationally with each other.

Government-  

Computers in the government sector are used to perform various functions and improve their services. In most cases, data processing tasks, the maintenance of citizens' databases, and the promotion of a paperless environment are the primary purposes of using computers. In addition to this, computers play a key role in the country's defence system.

Health and Medicine- 

They are used to preserve information, records, live patient monitoring, X-rays, and more from patients. Computers assist in setting up laboratory tools, monitoring heart rate and blood pressure, etc. Besides, computers allow physicians to easily exchange patient data with other medical specialists.

Education- 

They help people get different educational materials (such as images, videos, e-books, etc.) in one place. Also, computers are best suited for online classes, online tutoring, online exams, and task and project creation. Also, they can be used to maintain and track student performance and other data.

Banking- 

Most countries use online banking systems so that customers can access their data directly. People can verify the balance of their account, transfer cash, and pay online bills, including credit cards. Besides, banks use computers to execute transactions and store client information, transaction records, etc.

Short Computer Essay in English

A computer's a programmable device that accepts raw data(input) and processes it as output with a group of instructions (a program) to supply the result. It renders output after performing mathematical and logical operations and can save the output for future use. The word "computer" derives from the word "computare" in Latin, which means calculating.

Types of Computer

Computers are of different types based on different criteria. Based on their size, computers are of five types:

Micro Computers- 

It is a single-user computer that has less capacity for speed and storage than the other types. For a CPU, it uses a microprocessor. Laptops, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, and smartphones are common examples of microcomputers. Microcomputers are generally designed and built for general use, such as browsing, information search, the internet, MS Office, social media, etc.

Mini Computers- 

Minicomputers are also referred to as "Midrange Computers." They are multi-user computers designed to simultaneously support multiple users. Therefore, they are generally used by small companies and firms. 

Mainframe Computers- 

It is also a multi-user computer that large companies and government organizations use to run their business operations as large amounts of data can be stored and processed. Banks, universities, and insurance companies, for example, use mainframe computers to store data from their customers, students, and policyholders.

Super Computer- 

Among all types of computers, supercomputers are the fastest and most costly computers. They have an enormous capacity for storage and computing speeds and can therefore perform millions of instructions per second.

Workstations-  

It is a single-user computer with a comparatively more powerful microprocessor and a high-quality monitor compared to a mini-computer.

Benefits of Computers:

It increases productivity.

It helps in connecting to the internet.

It helps in organizing data and information.

It allows storing large amounts of data.

Fun Facts About Computers

The first electric computer that was invented weighed around 27 tons or even more than that and took up to 1800 square feet.

There are about 5000 new viruses that are released every month.

The original name of Windows was Interface Manager.

It is surely known that the life of humans would not have been so easy if computers were not a part of human life. This is also supported by a lot of pieces of evidence where we can even see in daily life how the computer is not just present in an organization but is also available right in the pockets of everyone. Thus, the computer has surely made it easy while also spoiling a lot of people's lives. 

FAQs on Essay on Computer

1. What are the disadvantages of computers?

While the computer has surely made life easier, it also has a lot of disadvantages. The disadvantages of the computers can be provided as follows:

People spend too much time sitting and doing nothing but watching the content on computers.

People staring at computers for a long time also tend to strain their eyes, and as a result, they need spectacles to understand what is being written in front of them.

Attention span is decreasing with an increase in the use of computers. 

With computers being AI-powered, it is now easier for people to do all the tasks on a computer and not work on it themselves. This has made a lot of people lazy.

2. What is the process of working on a computer?

A computer is an electronic machine and it needs information to be added in as raw data to function well. It has a flow that determines the accessing of data. The following steps take place before the results are obtained:

Information is taken in by the computer in the form of raw data. This process is also called the input.

Then the information that is not needed will be stored while the information that is needed is passed onto the next step. The storing of data is called memory.

Then the information that is required is crushed or it is split and this process is called processing.

The last step is where the results are obtained. This process is called getting the output.

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Essay on Computer | Computer Essay for Students and Children in English

February 14, 2024 by sastry

Essay on Computer: A computer is an electronic device which can perform many tasks like messaging, calculations, data storage, printing, etc. Computers were developed in the 1940s. These days computers are used everywhere—homes, schools, colleges, offices, hotels, railway stations, airports, shops, etc.

There are various kinds of computers like pocket computers, laptops, personal computers, etc. Also there are various colours and sizes of computer. I too have a computer at home, which has a keyboard, a mouse, a CPU (the brain of computer), a screen or monitor and a UPS.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Short Essay on Computer 200 Words for Kids and Students in English

Below we have given a short essay on Computer is for Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. This short essay on the topic is suitable for students of class 6 and below.

I am learning computers in my school and have learnt drawing and typing on computer. I like playing games on computer. My mother helps me making my school assignments quickly and nicely on computer. My elder sister also makes her projects on computer. My parents do their office work on computer.

We also use computer to chat with our cousins in USA over Internet. The Internet is the computer network which allows computer users to connect with other computers world over, and it facilitates e-mail, exchanging live videos, etc.

Computer is a very helpful device. We can learn many new things through Internet and can also do our work easily and quickly on computer.

We should not overuse computer. It can adversely effect our health. Computers are there to help us, we should not misuse them by only playing games or chatting or surfing Internet.

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Essay on Computer

500+ words essay on computer.

A computer is an electronic device that performs complex calculations. It is a wonderful product of modern technology. Nowadays, computers have become a significant part of our life. Whether it is in the sector of education or health, computers are used everywhere. Our progress is entirely dependent on computers powered by the latest technology. This ‘Essay on Computer’ also covers the history of computers as well as their uses in different sectors. By going through the ‘Computer’ Essay in English, students will get an idea of writing a good Essay on Computers. After practising this essay, they will be able to write essays on other topics related to computers, such as the ‘Uses of Computer’ Essay.

The invention of the computer has made our lives easier. The device is used for many purposes, such as securing information, messages, data processing, software programming, calculations, etc. A desktop computer has a CPU, UPS, monitor, keyboard, and mouse to work. A laptop is a modern form of computer in which all the components are inbuilt into a single device. Earlier, computers were not so fast and powerful. After thorough and meticulous research and work by various scientists, modern-day computers have come up.

History of Computers

The history of computer development is often used to reference the different generations of computing devices. Each generation of computers is characterised by a major technological development that fundamentally changed the way computers work. Most of the major developments from the 1940s to the present day have resulted in increasingly smaller, more powerful, faster, cheaper and more efficient computing devices.

The evolution of computer technology is often divided into five generations. These five generations of computers are as follows:

Uses of Computers

Computers are used in various fields. Some of the applications are

1. Business

A computer can perform a high-speed calculation more efficiently and accurately, due to which it is used in all business organisations. In business, computers are used for:

• Payroll calculations
• Sales analysis
• Maintenance of stocks
• Managing employee databases

2. Education

Computers are very useful in the education system. Especially now, during the COVID time, online education has become the need of the hour. There are miscellaneous ways through which an institution can use computers to educate students.

3. Health Care

Computers have become an important part of hospitals, labs and dispensaries. They are used for the scanning and diagnosis of different diseases. Computerised machines do scans, which include ECG, EEG, ultrasound and CT Scan, etc. Moreover, they are used in hospitals to keep records of patients and medicines.

Computers are largely used in defence. The military employs computerised control systems, modern tanks, missiles, weapons, etc. It uses computers for communication, operation and planning, smart weapons, etc.

5. Government

Computers play an important role in government services. Some major fields are:

• Computation of male/female ratio
• Computerisation of PAN card
• Income Tax Department
• Weather forecasting
• Computerisation of voters’ lists
• Sales Tax Department

6. Communication

Communication is a way to convey an idea, a message, a picture, a speech or any form of text, audio or video clip. Computers are capable of doing so. Through computers, we can send an email, chat with each other, do video conferencing, etc.

Nowadays, to a large extent, banking is dependent on computers. Banks provide an online accounting facility, which includes checking current balances, making deposits and overdrafts, checking interest charges, shares, trustee records, etc. The ATM machines, which are fully automated, use computers, making it easier for customers to deal with banking transactions.

8. Marketing

In marketing, computers are mainly used for advertising and home shopping.

Similarly, there are various other applications of computers in other fields, such as insurance, engineering, design, etc.

Students can practise more essays on different topics to improve their writing skills. Keep learning and stay tuned with BYJU’S for the latest update on CBSE/ICSE/State Board/Competitive Exams. Also, download the BYJU’S App for interactive study videos.

Frequently asked Questions on Computer Essay

How has the invention of the computer been useful to students.

Easy and ready access to information has been possible (internet) with the invention of the computer.

How to start writing an essay on a computer?

Before writing an essay, first plan the topics, sub-topics and main points which are going to be included in the body of the essay. Then, structure the content accordingly and check for information and examples.

How to use the computer to browse for information on essays?

Various search engines are available, like Google, where plenty of information can be obtained regarding essays and essay structures.

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