Rather than resist the use of laptops in class by students, Samantha Brooks uses the opportunity to keep students plugged into the lecture topic. As her lecture unfolds, she asks students questions whose answers can be informed by the data retrieved by internet searches. If the answer is surprising, or doesn’t seem quite right, the veracity of the source is examined. Not only are the students addressing Equine Biology and Management questions, they also critically think about the source of their information. This is a valuable skill for information literacy and self-directed learning, and can be applied throughout the student’s tenure at Cornell.
