English tasks, reading and dictation

ILI University Preparatory English Program (UP) UP-A-AM - Week 2 - Quiz 2 - Reading

Whose cell phone is ringing?

Keeping the attention of a class has always been a challenge

for educators. Now it's even harder, but they must adapt

As the technological revolution continues apace, electronic devices have become increasingly available, inexpensive enough and sufficiently portable that many university students own them and carry them at all times, including into their classes. Faced with a body of students whose minds at times appear to be more on their gadgets than on the subject-matter of the course, professors have responded in a number of ways, including downright banning of wireless access and use of any electronic gadgets. However, the fight to continue to use the tried and true teaching methods of the 20th century is already lost and professors are going to have to adapt.

THE PROBLEM

Today's students have been raised with computer technology. It is part of the culture of the "country" into which they were born, a country which they thoroughly understand and in which they feel utterly comfortable. Professors for the most part are somewhat older - maybe a great deal older - and, as such, were not brought up with computer technology readily available to them, so they have had to learn how to use it. In a sense, they are the immigrants to the country, trying to learn the language and the culture, with more or less enthusiasm, but not always getting it right, and sometimes wishing they could return to the old familiar ways of their country of birth.

One of the consequences of these differences in familiarity and comfort levels where technology is concerned is that there is a disconnect between instructors and students as to the role of technology in the classroom. Often, the instructor's perception of the role of technology is as a tool provided by the university for the use of and control by the instructor with the goal of augmenting the instructional aspects of the course. The students, on the other hand, while appreciating, and even expecting, that devices such as Power Point slides will be prepared and customarily controlled by instructors as an aid to student learning, also view electronic gadgets such as smart phones as their own personal tools, controllable by themselves in the classroom for any purposes they wish, whether course or non-course-related.

TECHNOLOGY AS A DISTRACTION

In a news release, the University of Chicago Law School announced that it would be cutting off access to the Internet in its classrooms. According to the Law School, this was being done "to ensure the value of the classroom experience" (UChicagoNews, 2008, para 1) and because some students apparently overestimated their ability to multitask. In addition, the Law School noted that there had been complaints by students about others using laptops in class. The Dean of the Law School, Saul Levmore, stated:

What makes our Law School is its faculty. I think it makes sense to encourage focusing on them and on the classroom discussions... Our overarching goal is to have a terrific and interesting classroom experience - that is too important to allow diversions. (UChicagoNews, 2008, para 4&6)

The news release succinctly sums up much of the thinking of those who oppose student-owned technology in the classroom: the gadgets are a diversion, a distraction - something that takes students' minds off the professor and the subject matter of the class; students do not have the ability to combine serious learning with other activities; such distractions cause rudeness to and lack of consideration for other students. The strong implication is that students are not capable of being responsible for their own learning and that wireless access will lead to lower marks for students.

GADGETARY AND LEARNING

Studies on the use of student gadgets in classes have produced varying results. Research by Barak, Lipson and Lerman (2006), conducted over three consecutive semesters in a large class in a university lecture hall, showed an improvement in student-centered, hands-on, and exploratory learning, as well as meaningful student-to-student and student-to-instructor interactions. The students themselves were very enthusiastic about the use of laptops. Nevertheless, the study also illustrated that the laptops could be a distraction if used by the students during class for non-learning purposes.

Similarly, Li, Cui, Bai and Davis (2010) reported that university students' learning was enhanced by their access to class-related Web sites, but detrimentally affected by the browsing of non-class Web sites during class time. This research led to a recommendation that wireless access be restricted to course-related sites, as determined by the professor.

Meanwhile, Bain and Ross (1999) demonstrated that the integration of laptops into the classroom at a private high school, Brewster Academy in the U.S., produced average increases of 94 points in performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). At Brewster Academy, all students are provided with laptop computers and have access to a campus network.

STUDENTS AND MULTITASKING

It is of course not a new phenomenon to find that students are not concentrating on what their professors have to say. Non-academic diversions, such as internal daydreaming, looking out a window or doodling on a piece of paper, have been available to students for centuries. Maybe the real problem is that non-equipment-based lack of attentiveness is not as overt or as discernible as a physical gadget.

Indeed, some young people do not see texting as rude and are bewildered as to why professors would believe it disrespectful. In their view, they can still listen and take notes while they answer an important text message. Not all students agree: some deem it disrespectful to the professor and annoying for nearby students who can hear the clicking.

TECHNOLOGY IS NOT LEAVING

The fact of the matter is that technology is not going to go away and to try to ban it or to put unnecessary constraints on it is to behave like a Luddite, a member of that retrograde group of textile workers back in the early 19th century in Britain who destroyed machinery because they feared its effects on their jobs and their futures. Technology is part of the 21st century and professors cannot be immune to adaptation any more than the Luddites were. Technology and students will find a way around any measures perceived as unreasonably restrictive that universities and its professors take. As an example, technology has overcome the measure of cutting off wireless access to the Internet because mobile phones can be tethered or set up as mobile Internet hotspots, which allows people to access the Internet when wireless is not otherwise available.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Students are the clients of the universities and are adults. As such, it must be their choice whether they focus on the course matter or prefer to update their Facebook page ("I am sitting in class and am bored out of my mind."). It is their education, their - or their parents' - money, and their personal responsibility.

If students have not learned the consequences of their own actions by the time they reach university, it is time they did. Students need to learn the corollary of being distracted by technology. If the result of inattentiveness in class is poor marks, it is better to learn this at school rather than in a job. (1,176 words)

References

Bain, A., & Ross, K. (1999). School reengineering and SAT-I performance: A case study. International Journal of Education Reform, 9(2), 148–153.

Barak, M., Lipson, A., & Lerman, S. (2006). Wireless Laptops as Means For Promoting Active Learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38, 3.

Li, H. Cui, Y., Bai, X., & Davis, S. (2010). The impact of web browsing on classroom learning performance. Issues in Information Systems, Volume XI, No. 1, 460-466

UChicagoNews. (2008, April 11). University of Chicago Law School eliminates Internet access in some classrooms. Retrieved August 22, 2016 from https://news.uchicago.edu/article/2008/04/11/university-chicago-law-school-eliminates-internet-access-some-classrooms

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