I object to this for completely different reasons. Do whatever you like to learn the material, but when you're sitting in a lecture, please don't have a laptop

I object to this for completely different reasons. Do whatever you like to learn the material, but when you're sitting in a lecture, please don't have a laptop open -- it's terribly distracting for the other people in the room. You may stick resolutely to note-taking and have no messaging programs, games, or video playing. Even so, your constantly updating screen, your tapping keys, are a magnet for others' attention. And that's a best-case scenario by far. Few students are disciplined enough to stay off of Facebook during a lecture. Laptops have no place in a lecture hall.