Comments on: Surfing through class http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/ teaching in an e-world Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:16:50 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: sarah seager http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/comment-page-1/#comment-249 sarah seager Fri, 18 Nov 2005 21:59:10 +0000 http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/#comment-249 Surfing the web during a class has never really been a problem for me. I spend more hours a night talking online, shopping online, checking facebook, and reading xanga's than I would care to admit. It gets old after awhile! There are only so many things you can do, and once I'm in a class with a computer lab, I'm actually ready to get a little work done. My computer will always be at home if I need to do a little web surfing. Students might check e-mail once in awhile, but I really don't see the difference between that and not paying attention in a regular classroom setting. To check e-mail is probably less of a distraction than a child drawing pictures on their desk. Surfing the web during a class has never really been a problem for me. I spend more hours a night talking online, shopping online, checking facebook, and reading xanga’s than I would care to admit. It gets old after awhile! There are only so many things you can do, and once I’m in a class with a computer lab, I’m actually ready to get a little work done. My computer will always be at home if I need to do a little web surfing.

Students might check e-mail once in awhile, but I really don’t see the difference between that and not paying attention in a regular classroom setting. To check e-mail is probably less of a distraction than a child drawing pictures on their desk.

]]> By: Melissa Hanschu http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/comment-page-1/#comment-193 Melissa Hanschu Mon, 14 Nov 2005 19:45:58 +0000 http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/#comment-193 I agree with what a lot of people have already stated. I don't think that only labtops cause distractions. If a studnet doesn't want to engage in a lesson and pay attention, they don't need a laptop to keep from doing that. From personal experience, if I don't feel like paying attention or if my teacher is boring I will doodle on my paper or write a letter, work on other homework. I have never had a laptop so I have never been able to surf the net during class but I know that I don't always pay attention in class. I think it has more to do with a teachers teaching style. Some teachers know their subject area but they just don't know how to teach it in a way that keeps studnets engaged, it doesn't matter if laptops are involved or not. I feel that laptops are just a way to help enhance education and sure some distratctions might come with them but nothing that is so huge that we should try to take them away. I agree with what a lot of people have already stated. I don’t think that only labtops cause distractions. If a studnet doesn’t want to engage in a lesson and pay attention, they don’t need a laptop to keep from doing that. From personal experience, if I don’t feel like paying attention or if my teacher is boring I will doodle on my paper or write a letter, work on other homework. I have never had a laptop so I have never been able to surf the net during class but I know that I don’t always pay attention in class. I think it has more to do with a teachers teaching style. Some teachers know their subject area but they just don’t know how to teach it in a way that keeps studnets engaged, it doesn’t matter if laptops are involved or not. I feel that laptops are just a way to help enhance education and sure some distratctions might come with them but nothing that is so huge that we should try to take them away.

]]> By: Lindsey http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/comment-page-1/#comment-192 Lindsey Sun, 13 Nov 2005 22:13:38 +0000 http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/#comment-192 I think that this article raises important questions but it is true that those students who are not paying attention to the lecture probobly would not be paying attention with computers. I think that computers are also very useful in the classroom they enhance the learning experience and as in the case of the profesor in Houston I think it was he changed his teaching style to a more engaging one to minimize the use of computers for surfing. When you do this you also enhance the learning experience for most students because you make it interactive instead of simply a lecture. In this way using computers is not enhancing the teaching style but also improving it. I think that wile it is scary this is the way of the future and teachers simply need to come up with their own ways of combating students not paying attention. I think that this article raises important questions but it is true that those students who are not paying attention to the lecture probobly would not be paying attention with computers. I think that computers are also very useful in the classroom they enhance the learning experience and as in the case of the profesor in Houston I think it was he changed his teaching style to a more engaging one to minimize the use of computers for surfing. When you do this you also enhance the learning experience for most students because you make it interactive instead of simply a lecture. In this way using computers is not enhancing the teaching style but also improving it. I think that wile it is scary this is the way of the future and teachers simply need to come up with their own ways of combating students not paying attention.

]]> By: Tabitha Navarro http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/comment-page-1/#comment-185 Tabitha Navarro Sun, 13 Nov 2005 18:23:01 +0000 http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/#comment-185 When first reading this post i was thinking that having a laptops in the classroom is a big distractation. but thinking more about it and reading what others had to say laptops are not anymore of a distraction then anything else. i remember back in high school anytime we got to have the laptops everyone would just play games on it instead of work or listening to the teacher but one the other hand any other time we where all do something else well they were talking or giving us time to do our work. i think having laptops in classrooms are a great way to teach things in a new way and as long as the teacher keeps it interesting the students who get distracted with laptops would have without the laptops. When first reading this post i was thinking that having a laptops in the classroom is a big distractation. but thinking more about it and reading what others had to say laptops are not anymore of a distraction then anything else. i remember back in high school anytime we got to have the laptops everyone would just play games on it instead of work or listening to the teacher but one the other hand any other time we where all do something else well they were talking or giving us time to do our work. i think having laptops in classrooms are a great way to teach things in a new way and as long as the teacher keeps it interesting the students who get distracted with laptops would have without the laptops.

]]> By: Katie Kearney http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/comment-page-1/#comment-184 Katie Kearney Sun, 13 Nov 2005 17:27:32 +0000 http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/#comment-184 I was pleased to see that you had a post about this. This issue is one that is really popular right now. I can think of all the classes that I had where kids had laptops in them and I can't even count on my hands how many times the kids used the laptops for other reasons then class. Even the classes that I have had in computer labs kids don't use the computer just for class. They are chatting with friends, emailing, and what not. Kids just get so distracted these days. There are those students though that can multitask and still do real good at their class while multi-tasking on the computer. I know I can admit that I tend to chat with my friends when I have a class in a computer lab. I was pleased to see that you had a post about this. This issue is one that is really popular right now. I can think of all the classes that I had where kids had laptops in them and I can’t even count on my hands how many times the kids used the laptops for other reasons then class. Even the classes that I have had in computer labs kids don’t use the computer just for class. They are chatting with friends, emailing, and what not. Kids just get so distracted these days. There are those students though that can multitask and still do real good at their class while multi-tasking on the computer. I know I can admit that I tend to chat with my friends when I have a class in a computer lab.

]]> By: Sanika L. Todd http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/comment-page-1/#comment-180 Sanika L. Todd Sun, 13 Nov 2005 14:44:46 +0000 http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/#comment-180 This does get students off a little in class. Especially when they bring laptops to classes when the class is not technology base. This was a good point that was brought up in an article, but I agree with you Sean."professors who use the technology to supplement and enhance what they are teaching will find a more captive audience". Now I do believe that some students take things to far. I mean they like really pays no attention to class, and thats when I believe that it becomes a distraction. Then too those are probably the students who would not perform well anyways. This does get students off a little in class. Especially when they bring laptops to classes when the class is not technology base. This was a good point that was brought up in an article, but I agree with you Sean.”professors who use the technology to supplement and enhance what they are teaching will find a more captive audience”. Now I do believe that some students take things to far. I mean they like really pays no attention to class, and thats when I believe that it becomes a distraction. Then too those are probably the students who would not perform well anyways.

]]> By: Amber Altom http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/comment-page-1/#comment-179 Amber Altom Sun, 13 Nov 2005 14:28:08 +0000 http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/#comment-179 I really do think that this is a huge issue that has actually come up a lot lately in my life. There is a girl in one of my classes who always brings her laptop. Everyday in class she sits there looking at sites and talking to her friend next to her about what she is looking at. It gets very annoying for me who sits directly infront of them to hear these girls doing this every day. It really distracts me from learning and taking in what is going on during class. I think that every student should bring a laptop to class, or no one should be allowed to, because for some it can get really distracting. I think if I had my laptop with me all i would be doing would be surfing the net during my lectures! I think that professors just need to come up with ways to integrate the technology in the classroom, but keep the students busy with something that actually involves the lecture. I dont think that teachers will ever be able to stop kids from doodling or daydreaming, but they can stop them from surfing the net the whole hour. I really do think that this is a huge issue that has actually come up a lot lately in my life. There is a girl in one of my classes who always brings her laptop. Everyday in class she sits there looking at sites and talking to her friend next to her about what she is looking at. It gets very annoying for me who sits directly infront of them to hear these girls doing this every day. It really distracts me from learning and taking in what is going on during class. I think that every student should bring a laptop to class, or no one should be allowed to, because for some it can get really distracting. I think if I had my laptop with me all i would be doing would be surfing the net during my lectures! I think that professors just need to come up with ways to integrate the technology in the classroom, but keep the students busy with something that actually involves the lecture. I dont think that teachers will ever be able to stop kids from doodling or daydreaming, but they can stop them from surfing the net the whole hour.

]]> By: Melissa Bedell http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/comment-page-1/#comment-176 Melissa Bedell Sun, 13 Nov 2005 05:36:50 +0000 http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/#comment-176 I think Allison was exactly right. A student that is often distracted doesn't have to have a computer in front of them to do so. There will always be day-dreamers in class that are not paying attention, and it doesn't matter if they have a computer sitting in front of them. I think the best way to keep students interested and on task with computers is to ask a lot of questions, monitor whether they are following along, and keep whatever they are doing on the computer interesting. That way, even if people are daydreamers, they will have to be able to keep up and not get caught not paying attention. I think Allison was exactly right. A student that is often distracted doesn’t have to have a computer in front of them to do so. There will always be day-dreamers in class that are not paying attention, and it doesn’t matter if they have a computer sitting in front of them. I think the best way to keep students interested and on task with computers is to ask a lot of questions, monitor whether they are following along, and keep whatever they are doing on the computer interesting. That way, even if people are daydreamers, they will have to be able to keep up and not get caught not paying attention.

]]> By: Aaron Vonk http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/comment-page-1/#comment-173 Aaron Vonk Sun, 13 Nov 2005 00:40:28 +0000 http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/#comment-173 Kerri makes an excellent point. College is not just for the imparting of information upon students it's also finalizing the phase of life where students are becomeing independant. College is a totally different sphere of education as opposed to primary, or secondary. College is a choice that is made by the student. Therefore, if a student wants to be distracted by something...he or she will be, regardless of the media they choose to be distracted by (i.e. a book, doodling, napping). In my opinion, the laptop is a far too valuable tool to waste. Just because it is abusable, doesnt mean its disposable. That said, I think we as educators need to be sensative to laptops in our classroom. We should make sure that we are testing students understanding frequently (perhaps more than normal) in order to make sure there is not a problem. Kerri makes an excellent point. College is not just for the imparting of information upon students it’s also finalizing the phase of life where students are becomeing independant. College is a totally different sphere of education as opposed to primary, or secondary. College is a choice that is made by the student. Therefore, if a student wants to be distracted by something…he or she will be, regardless of the media they choose to be distracted by (i.e. a book, doodling, napping). In my opinion, the laptop is a far too valuable tool to waste. Just because it is abusable, doesnt mean its disposable. That said, I think we as educators need to be sensative to laptops in our classroom. We should make sure that we are testing students understanding frequently (perhaps more than normal) in order to make sure there is not a problem.

]]> By: Kerri Janousek http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/comment-page-1/#comment-172 Kerri Janousek Sat, 12 Nov 2005 23:39:30 +0000 http://atticmooses.com/blog/2005/10/17/33/#comment-172 I have heard about this argument before, and how many professors are becoming worried that labtops in classes, especially lecture halls, open up the possibility that students will not pay attention, and will talk to friends online or surf the web. While this may be true, it is also true that this is college and students are paying for their education. It should be up to them if they want to attend class, or pay attention because i personally feel that it only harms the student and they should know that. This isn't like high school where you feel like you're learning useless knowledge, we need the information we learn for our future. Also, labtops make taking notes faster and more efficient with fast-paced teachers. I also really liked this quote. "The University of Houston’s Adams, for instance, now peppers his lectures with enough questions to reduce students’ Web surfing. When he is discussing a particularly complex subject, he says, he tells students to close their laptops." I think that this is an excellent way to handle computer use in a classroom. I feel that if other professors follow this example, that the issue of labtops causing students to not pay attention will be dismissed. I have heard about this argument before, and how many professors are becoming worried that labtops in classes, especially lecture halls, open up the possibility that students will not pay attention, and will talk to friends online or surf the web. While this may be true, it is also true that this is college and students are paying for their education. It should be up to them if they want to attend class, or pay attention because i personally feel that it only harms the student and they should know that. This isn’t like high school where you feel like you’re learning useless knowledge, we need the information we learn for our future. Also, labtops make taking notes faster and more efficient with fast-paced teachers. I also really liked this quote. “The University of Houston’s Adams, for instance, now peppers his lectures with enough questions to reduce students’ Web surfing. When he is discussing a particularly complex subject, he says, he tells students to close their laptops.” I think that this is an excellent way to handle computer use in a classroom. I feel that if other professors follow this example, that the issue of labtops causing students to not pay attention will be dismissed.

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