By Devon Hoffmann
Over the past several years the advancements in digital media have made the transfer of information and news nearly instantaneous.
But the prospect of a near-limitless source of information at the tips of their fingers is proving too tempting for many students and faculty alike. Just as students can’t resist the urge to constantly check their mobile email or respond to friends’ texts, College faculty and staff can often be caught doing the exact same thing in campus training sessions and meetings. Some call it an addiction; others just see it as our new way of life.
This leads to the overwhelming question that faculty members are now struggling with. As years pass, how much more integrated will technology become with learning?
The answer is conflicted. While cellphone, laptop and tablet usage in the classroom provide teachers and students new means of learning, there’s also a notable amount of productivity lost when students are freely permitted to make use of their devices in a classroom. This age is one of communication, the prospect of being “disconnected” by putting phones aside is one most students prefer to avoid.
They simply want to be in the know all the time, at any time, no matter where they are or what they’re doing, a natural byproduct of the Information Age. How much time is really lost due to mobile devices?
A recent study conducted by the Computers & Education Journal found that 91 percent of respondents texted at least once during their schoolwork and 79 percent of respondents reported they went on their Facebook and email at least once as well.
It is the dilemma of teachers everywhere, how to make use of the devices that students are so insistent on having, without inviting a loss of productivity and attention. Some students and teachers have synergized well with the changing classroom environment. Others just want to escape it.
DSC Sociology Professor Jamie Dodge has plenty to say about technology in the classroom.
“I do believe the benefits of technology outweigh the potential negatives, it’s just a matter of focusing students.”
She explains that the ability to access information instantly is a luxury that should be embraced, not shunned. Dodge, however, noted the pitfalls of completely unrestrained usage
“It’s funny. I can tell when I’ve lost someone. I could be talking about the holocaust or some other terrible thing and see someone giggling in the corner on their laptop, that’s when I know I’ve completely lost them, they’re disconnected from the class at that point, and I need to find a way to focus students.”
She definitely thinks further integration of tech in the classroom is going to occur. “I think it’s already happening. What we need to take a look at is how we present technology to kids growing up, how we can socialize them to see their phones and computers as tools for learning, as well as entertainment and make it less of a covert thing.”
Whatever route society takes, Dodge is already preparing for the digital revolution in her classrooms. “I’m going to try to bring in more visuals for the class, as well as opportunities for students to use their technology together. I want them to be able to find information on the web and actually learn doing it; my main concern is everyone having access to the same devices.”
The greatest force of change behind the adaption to a new digital classroom is the student body. Melissa York, a student at DSC studying to be a teacher, shared her views on the subject.
“It would be impossible to do all of the work without technology, there’s really no stopping it,” she says. “As far as completely digitalizing the classroom though, I don’t feel like I get as much out of online courses as I do real ones. It’s so easy to cheat the system and there’s no human interaction, it just detracts a lot.”
Although it’s certain that more and more teachers will reach out to their classes with enhanced learning experiences and challenges provided by new tools available to the modern-day student, it still falls to students to use their cellphones to bring up their GPA, rather than just mindlessly posting updates on Facebook.