the issue at hand
as of late, i have had to think of where i stand on a few issues. as we all know, i teach for a living. i love my job. a lot. but when it comes to my students, i am forced to answer questions and take a stand on several matters that are becoming more prominent within the classroom, including mine.
i need to give you some background information so you understand where i am coming from and where the students are coming from. first, if you have never taught, then you may not know that teaching students at the university level dates you faster than anything else. having children freezes you in time with your children as the distance remains a constant. teaching only makes you older year after year, as the gap increases. this was further brought up and emphasized by david warlick's keynote address about the flat classroom.
this is only validated with language. they speak a different language than i do. and i am constantly forced to update my language and learn theirs and i force them to reciprocate. i think it only fair. but the students are also learning to live in a way that my contemporaries and i never did. they live in a very connected world. with cell phones, laptops, ipods, wifi, etc. they text message, they blog, they im, they email, they facebook, they myspace, they hook-up, and they phone. they do all of these things at the same time. and they do these things during class.
this is the dilemma:
do i shut them down?
i know you will each have your own take on this. but there is truly a problem with shutting them down and there is a problem with not shutting them down.
let me deal with not shutting them down first. they are inclined to do all of these things, but, and it is a big butt, the research has shown that students understand the material they need to learn less. they do poorly in classes, they are less engaged, they are distracted, and they distract others who have paid (or borrowed) just as much to be there. i cannot begin to explain how annoying and aggravating it is to hear the bla-bling or pachow! of an instant/text message in class. the ringtone that goes on and on. it distracts conversations and discussions. it's rude. not to mention it makes you wonder why the student is there in the first place if they are going to play world of warcraft during class.
but the reverse is this. even though it is annoying, i have been at the office and played bejeweled. i have talked on the cell phone while working. i have emailed and talked to a student. albeit, not very well. my students live in this world. one where they will transfer this multitasking structure into the work force whether we want it or not. and there is a large part of me that says i need to adapt to their needs, to their future, to their innovative style of existing, i need to adapt my information and get it to them in a new way that works for them. but how?
i am at a conference right now where discussion of technology in and out of the classroom abounds and it makes me think of these questions. thomas thinks i need to learn to adjust, that we all do. i agree. but at the same time, there is a part of me that thinks they need to learn to adjust too and i am not sure how to make that happen. i can learn their language, they can learn mine but are we really saying anything at all to each other?
what do i do?
I'm sorry - get text msgs while in class - and RESPONDING?
That's an issue of respect - and a clear lack of respect. Honestly - I wouldn't tolerate it at all. My students (community college) knew to put their phones on silent or vibrate or risk being asked to leave my class. It's disruptive - to them, to you, to the rest of the class - and isn't conducive to a productive learning environment.
Not like I have an opinion on it one way or the other, really. ;-)
erika, yes. i agree with you. completely. but, at the same time, people do these very things at conferences, during meetings (faculty, office, staff), etc. and my dilemma is that i know it is rude (now), but our students may force us to think of this differently (in the future). so, am i progressive? or am i not? or am i somewhere in between?
I think you're on the money--compromise needs to happen on both sides.