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Technology in the class not always conducive to learning
By Nathan Furumasu
J-Lab Staff Writer
Imagine– you’re sitting in class and actually paying attention for once. The professor is talking about a topic you find extremely interesting and you don’t want to miss a word of what is said. The professor is speaking; you’re listening and learning; suddenly, someone’s cell phone is ringing.
All attention is redirected to the student frantically fumbling through his/her backpack. Eventually silencing the screaming cell phone and giving an embarrassed and apologetic smile to the rest of the class, the student “single-ringtonedly” ruined the flow of learning for that day.
On more than one occasion, cell phones or technology in general has caused disruptions in the classroom.
“They bother me,” said Dr. Colette Tennant sarcastically. “They are not a big deal so long as they are off or on silent.”
“It annoys me when someone’s phone starts ringing,” Jessica Sprague said. “The least people can do is put their phone on silent. The worst is when someone is having an entire conversation through text messaging in the row in front of you,” she said.
Journalism Advisor Christena Brooks recalls a time when cell phones disrupted a meeting. “I was in a Bible study and the students were ‘texting’ right in front of us,” she said. Brooks was surprised at how blatantly rude the students could be.
However, not everyone has had such unfortunate encounters with cell phones.
“In my brief career as a professor, I haven’t found cell phones to be a problem yet,” said English Adjunct Kyle Archibald.
So why do students, who pay big bucks to attend this school, whittle away time in class on their cell phones when they should be trying to get the most out of their money.
Laptops in the classroom have also become more than just a tool to take notes.
“I had a guy playing Tetris,” Yearbook Advisor Ellen Kersey said. “After he knew I’d seen him, he apologized and didn’t use his laptop for that again – in my class!” she said.
Kersey said a student sitting in the back of the room clicking away at his/her laptop throughout the class was a sign.
“My lecture is usually not that noteworthy!” she laughed.
A student, who wishes to be unnamed, admits to surfing the internet, looking at pictures and even watching a movie.
“It is hard to focus in the current classroom format while the world, in which our generation is so technologically driven, sits at our fingertips,” said the student. “I have watched ‘Gone in 60 Seconds,’ ‘band of Brothers’ and other various movies during a class,” said the student.
With Instant Messenger, Facebook and video games easily accessible, students may find it difficult to focus in the midst of all the distractions.
Another anonymous student said, “I once played Solitaire for the majority of a two-hour class. I don’t really remember what was said.”
So, with all the problems technology can cause, is it still profitable to allow all the new “gizmos-and-gadgets” in class?
Many students who use their laptops responsibly and respectfully find it too hard to keep up with all of the material teachers have to cover from class period to class period.
“I can type faster than I can write, and often there is so much information that I wouldn’t be able to get it all if I were writing everything,” Matt Gossien said. “My handwriting is terrible anyway. I wouldn’t even be able to read my own notes,” he said.
So, even though they can cause a multitude of academic sins, cell phones and laptops can be completely harmless.
