Unplugged in the Classroom

I found the supplemental articles about computers in the classroom VERY interesting! I graduated from college in 2007 and went to a fairly small school. No one brought computers to class, and not many of us had laptops. For the most part, we all went to class, then went to the campus computer lab to do research and do a quick check of facebook, then home to do our school work. Who would have known that just 4 years later I would be back in school DEPENDING on my new “lifeline” the computer. Classes now require you to have your computer handy so you can pull up articles, take notes, search for quick answers you may have during a lecture, etc. Seeing the positive side to laptops in the classroom is easy, but reading these articles and, to be honest, being in a classroom where everyone has laptops and quick access to the internet, is quite a different story. I feel like I’m a pretty good student. I always do my homework, I turn in all assignments, I try to do things even if I don’t agree or necessarily like them to try and better myself. But…I have to admit, computers in the classroom ARE a distraction. I am not really into the whole facebook thing, so I don’t see that as a problem, but I am always thinking about assignments that are due, and find myself trying to “multitask.” A couple of the articles we read talked about people trying to multitask and how even though you think you may be multitasking, and doing a good job, in reality you are doing a worse job in both areas that you are trying to accomplish. Another interesting thing I read was about the self control settings that computers now have. Some students were saying that they would have to enable certain things on their computer that would make it so that they were unable to get onto facebook and other websites that they felt distracted them from doing their school work. Although this is a GREAT idea and I should be commending these students for taking control of their situation, I find it a little sad that we’ve gotten to this point. I do not want to be someone who depends on my electronic devices…cell phone, computer, internet connection, ipod…anything! I think we need to be able to just be…sit and listen and be engaged in what we are doing, not having our minds in 100 different places.