Texting during a lecture, listening to headphones and surfing the Internet instead of taking notes are all things that most students may have done at one point in their college career.
Whether it’s to disengage from the day’s lecture or simply chat with friends, more and more students are using gadgets in the classroom.
Despite the many positive aspects of technology in the classroom, with it comes distractions, interruptions and annoyances.
While students may think that texting, listening to music, or surfing the Internet during class is something everyone does, most professors do not appreciate these activities and often find them to be disrespectful and disruptive.
Judith Hennessy, assistant professor of sociology, pointed out that professors notice when students are not paying attention and says they will be less likely to help students they know were not engaged in class.
“Cell phones are distracting because you are using them to communicate with someone outside of class,” Hennessy said.
If a student’s phone goes off in Hennessy’s class, the student must get up and dance to their ringtone.
According to Hennessy, laptops can be a helpful tool if they are being used for the right reasons like Googling a question and taking notes.
“I’ve had students who had their laptops look things up for me that came up during class,” Hennessy said. “That’s very helpful.”
While using computers is necessary in classes that are held in computer labs, many professors believe students still face distractions.
“It’s very clear when students are not paying attention because you can hear them typing at inappropriate times,” said Mike Harrod, assistant professor of sociology.
Some professors go to extreme measures to insure that there are no distractions in their classrooms.
Ian Loverro, associate professor of education, has a policy in his computer classes that is spelled out in his syllabus. If any student is found texting, surfing the Internet, or e-mailing during class time, their grade will be deducted by half a letter grade.
“I’ve never had to do it because the penalty is pretty severe,” Loverro said.
While most professors can agree that there is really no need to have music playing or cell phones out during class, that doesn’t seem to stop students.
“I’ve seen students text each other from opposite sides of the same classroom,” Harrod said.
Many students turn to their cell phones out of boredom or as a distraction away from class.
“If we aren’t doing anything important in class or are just sitting around doing group work I usually whip out my iPhone,” said Andrew Brannan junior physical education major.
Students are aware that professors do not appreciate the use of cell phones, iPods, and laptops, but many still choose to do it anyways, mainly because they know they are not the only ones doing it.
“It’s distracting to me and probably other people,” said Suzanne McIntyre, senior nutrition major. “I try not to do it very much because it’s rude to the teacher.”
Other students see the inappropriate use of technology in the classroom as not only disrespectful, but also as a waste of the student’s learning experience.
“Students who use laptops to go look on the Internet for fun don’t get it,” said Mike Yellam, senior construction management. “They’re wasting their money and time.”
Loverro points out the importance of giving your classes and professors your full attention.
“They want to be teachers themselves,” Loverro said. “How would they like it if instead of teaching class I went on Facebook?”
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