For college and university professors in a typical classroom, instead of lecturing while looking into the eyes of eager students it is increasingly common to face a sea of laptops in the classroom.  This can be a frustrating experience – we invest time and energy into creating an engaging learning experience for our students but then lose their attention to the latest news on Twitter or Facebook.  Let’s face it – it’s very difficult for one instructor to compete with a world of information online! 

Although I often advocate for the thoughtful use of technology in...