Thursday, September 05, 2013

My ever-evolving technology policy

A colleague is upset because a student took a photo during class and posted it on social media. 

An international student wants to use a translator during exams.

A student just ordered an iPad and wants to use it to take notes in class.

Another student wants to put on earphones and listen to music while working on in-class writing assignments.

A struggling student wants to use his smartphone to take a photo--of another student's paper.

Technology used to be so easy: pencil, pen, overhead projector. As students' command of technology expands, I have to keep rethinking my in-class technology policies to deal with situations never before imagined. 

The easy way out would be to outlaw all technology in class, but I'm not ready to go that far. I outlaw texting, shopping, or using social media in class, but if an unfamiliar word comes up and I don't want to serve as Dr. Dictionary, I'll ask students to look it up on their smartphones just to give them some practice in using technology for academic purposes.

And I'll confess to some inconsistency in enforcement. I'm far more strict, for instance, in freshman writing classes because I know they're easily distracted; however, in an upper-level writing class, it's often helpful for students to have laptops in class so we can try out various writing techniques and see immediate results.

Other cases are quickly resolved: no translators during exams--ever. (They can do a lot more than translate!) I prefer that students not take photos in class and post them online without permission, but on the other hand, I don't have time to be the Social Media Police. If a student takes a video of something I say during class and posts it online without any context in order to make me look like a fool, I'm sure I'll hear about it; otherwise, ignorance is bliss. (And if a student ever outs me online as a raving lunatic, I'll take refuge in one word: tenure!) 

Taking notes in class on an iPad? I'm okay with this in a literature class (as long as it's not distracting to other students), but I'm leery of allowing iPads or laptops in freshman classes. One of my goals in freshman classes is to help the students develop effective study skills, which means eliminating distractions. Therefore, no earbuds, headphones, or music during class. 

Then there's the student who wants to photograph another student's paper. She had trouble completing the assignment and wants to see "the right way to do it." (Never mind that I had already offered an example.) If a student wants to get up at the end of class and photograph the stuff I scribble all over the whiteboard, I'm not going to stand in the way, even though I believe the student would be better served by taking notes during class. However, taking a photo of another student's paper (without that student's permission) seems different. Why not just ask the other student for a copy of the paper? Why sneak around doing the spy thing with a smartphone?

A few weeks from now my freshman writing students will be reading an article from Slate about the dangers of divided attention while studying (read it here), and I'm sure I'll get some pushback from students who believe they can't learn without a dozen different devices demanding simultaneous attention. I can't regulate how they use technology outside the classroom, but inside the classroom I can be a real pain: Turn it off--all of it--and put it away or I'll put it away for you. Allow me to introduce you to an essential piece of technology: the pencil or pen. It's portable, versatile, welcome in just about any setting, and never needs to be plugged in. And best of all, it won't distract you from the task at hand--learning.

  

 

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