Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Something to Think About

I was surfing the web recently as we were doing the laptop project and I cam across this article that had some professors ban the lap top in their classroom because they felt that the lap top served too much as a distraction. Anyway, Professor Oscar Madison in his blog seems to counter these suggestions. More interestingly, a student has responded to the debate (you can read more on the blog HERE) and this is what he / she has said:

"As a student, I am relieved to see Althouse, Conglomerate, Nina and Oscar inject some sense into this completely overblown mess. This seems to be either about egos and/or generational stubbornness. Dynamic and engaging teaching styles grab students’ attention lowering the appeal of in-class surfing. This teaching style is more common among young faculty, who from what I have been observing, enjoy as a group a lower-than-average rate of in-class wireless activity. Those who don’t, let’s be honest, feel disrespected. A clear choice: either make an effort to get in tune with your students or get over it, or more appropriately, get over yourself. Generational stubbornness? Maybe. The sentiment implicit in ‘pissed-off’ faculty complaining about wireless activity tastes just like the out-of-touch excuses we get from the administration when addressing laptop usage in final exams and faulty wireless in the law school building… again, get over thyself for the good of all of us.So what about wireless sinners “distracting other students.” Let’s be clear, there is nothing viable/enforceable that can be done. Let’s say the class agrees on some in-class standard or kind of wireless activity. Now let’s assume I break it, will I get kicked out, docked a point or two off my final grade? Nothing, that’s what will happen to me; nothing outside of the disapproval of my fellow students and professors. Unless of course some professors have their way and take us back to the days when spanking a student in front of the class was okay. Etiquette and decorum already determine the norm of in-class wireless behavior! Let’s all move on."

What do you think?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Its situations like these that make me wonder if teaching has really evoled.

Teaching at the core is nothing but sharing ideas that will could cultivate thinking in the student.

How far would I go to make an effort to get in tune with your students. Would lowering our standards to build rapport with students be good? Maybe.

I feel sometimes it is the student that should get in tune with the lecturer. The standards that we set should be upheld, and this way the student could surpass the teacher or at least have the same standards.

As teachers, we really need to examine our own teaching styles, use those that work and drop those that don't. To allow the student culture to dictate what are good teaching styles and what are not is a really poor way of choosing a style. I would rather thoroughly examine my teaching styles, student feedback and teach based on what would be the best for the student, be it with laptop or not.

Mark Nivan Singh said...

Ah Dennis, am glad you think that way. Very nicely and aptly put!