Online and In Class

We are all familiar with what  is considered the “traditional” classroom setting – teacher stands in the front of the room lecturing the class about the knowledge he has accumulated over the years, occasionally writing on the chalk board behind him. The class silently and obediently writes down everything they are told in a notebook. This is the system that has been continuously rehashed for years. However, technology has done what it does best – innovated. Through technology, a new doorway has been opened for a different type of classroom setting in which the class takes place partially or even entirely online. Students can now have access to the wealth of information available on the internet while simultaneously learning about the subject of their search directly from their teacher. This may sound like a dream come true, but like all new things, this new kind of class has its naysayers. Many people maintain that the presence of technology in the classroom is detrimental to the students’ learning experience. Others claim that the schools who continue to ban technology from classrooms are causing more harm than good by eliminating the world’s largest source of information from their academic experiences. So which side is right? Is technology good or bad for the classroom?

An oft recited saying is, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” The same could be said for traditional classrooms, couldn’t it? This is the system that America has followed for years and we’ve gotten along just fine. So why change it? According to Stacey Roshan, an AP Calculas teacher at Bullis School, the traditional education system didn’t work too well to begin with. Roshan explains that for her first three years of teaching at Bullis, her students were easily confused by the complex mathematics that she taught in lecture form. “[The students] often left class with more questions than answers.” However, Roshan implemented technology into her class and the results were extremely significant. Roshan began uploading her lectures to iTunes and assigned them as homework for her students. When in class, Roshan would devote class time to work on problems. As a result, the test results of her students greatly increased. An average of 3.59 out of 5 was recorded for her class taught in the traditional way. For her new class format, the average was 4.11. Technology was instrumental in increasing the good performance of these students. However, the involvement of technology took place outside of the classroom. What are the effects of bringing technology into the classroom?

There is an increasing trend of students who bring their laptop to class instead of traditional pen and paper. Computers can be faster, more efficient, and the information from the internet can do much to facilitate your understanding of a particular subject. However, sometimes the call of the vast digital world that lies within the internet pulls you somewhere far beyond the lesson at hand. There is always that subtle urge to check Facebook, update Twitter, look at artsy pictures on Instagram. Explains John Dodig of The College Voice:

Our generation is wired and well connected – that’s not a bad thing. But we’re creeping toward a point where college life is more about being social and less about being intellectually engaged. The whole point of having a laptop in class should be to expand scholarship and increase efficiency, but I’ve found that they’re having the opposite effect. Strangely enough, classes have become something to be tolerated rather than the reason we’re here.

Dodig brings up a good point here. Are laptops actually helping students? It is not implausible to think of laptops as a sort of barrier between the student and the teacher. With a screen separating them, how can students possibly engage themselves into the lesson?
 

According to a study by the PewInternet and American Life Project, the answer is, “Quite easily.” The study found that 79% of college Internet users believe the Internet has improved their college academic experience. 73% use the Internet more than the library for research. 72% check their email every day. 60% believe the internet has improved their relationship with classmates, 56% believe it has improved relations with professors. 46% say that emails allow them to express themselves to their professors in ways they could not – or would not – have done in class. It is clear that the majority of the students tested are in favor of Internet presence in their learning experience.

Opinions on the presence of the digital world in the classroom are extremely divided. Some strongly advocate its presence, some protest against it. Ultimately, I think that it should be the students' decision whether they have their laptops in the classroom. Technology offers many opportunities for information, entertainment, and communication and it is up to the user to utilize these resources responsibly. If the user decides to take advantage of these opportunities, that will be reflected in their GPA. But those who can and would use the Internet appropriately for their classes should have the right to do so.