I drew this stick figure recently when I showed a documentary during class. I usually take notes when I show a film during class. This time, I just felt like making a self-portrait. It also serves as commentary about different things that people might be doing during class. Simply put, our attention is divided. It always has been and always will be. Students can text, doodle, and daydream. I can ask students to put away their texting machines, but I can't ask them to stop daydreaming. I would like their attention, and I try to maintain it, but I can't command it.
I have tried different approaches during the texting era. One semester I asked students to help me craft a mobile device policy. The semester didn't turn out much differently than when I had a customary policy on my syllabus asking students not to use their devices during class. In other words, the semester was kind of like any other: some students didn't use their phones during class, others did.
I think Nathan Palmer makes a good point about this subject when he writes: "I’m not sold on the idea that the time and energy it takes to get students to put away their phones is really worth it." I agree with Nathan that I don't want to use up my goodwill by policing students' cell phone use. My views on this issue might change in the future. For now, I'm lenient about cell phones in the classroom and my approach is to let students figure out for themselves if its in their best interest to text during class. My judgment, at this time, is that the occasional use of devices during class for non-class purposes does not interfere in a significant way with the process of learning. And I like having the ability to prompt students to use their devices to investigate something we're talking about during a class session.
Research confirms what we already know if we spend any time at all in a classroom: students often use their devices during class for non-class purposes. We can try to prohibit the use of devices. We can be lenient about devices. We can encourage students to make use of their devices for class purposes. There are lots of things we can do. If we're lenient, it doesn't automatically mean that all device use is acceptable. There are cases when we might judge a student's use of a device to be too distracting to other people in the room.
@Studygirl_1 @pegodaaj distraction is the deal-breaker tho, any device use in class that becomes distracting to me or others is an issueI don't think there is a single answer or "best practice" for what to do about devices in the classroom. Instructors have to determine what they think is the best approach for the learning environment they want to create in their classroom.
— Rhonda Ragsdale (@profragsdale) October 27, 2013
@CreateSociology I don't mid stopping for a min so they can tweet something or look something up - it gives time 4 the learning 2 breatheI think it's good when students are exposed to a variety of policies. And I think it makes sense for instructors to experiment with different ways of handling the situation. It helps me to share information and compare notes on how we respond to students using devices during class time. I'm always interested in hearing what other instructors and students think about this matter. I hope instructors and students will add their comments to this post. I'm interested in what kind of policy you prefer: "strict," "flexible," or whatever else you have tried or experienced. I like to think we're doing the best we can to figure this out together.
— Rhonda Ragsdale (@profragsdale) October 28, 2013
I am currently trying a pretty strict cell phone policy. I am for a few reasons. For one thing, cell use distracts me while I'm trying to teach. In addition, I feel like it sends a message to other students that it's ok to not pay attention to what is going on in the classroom, demonstrating a lack of professional development on all of our parts.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, thanks for sharing your point of view. I do think a lot about the professional development point. It's very important to consider. I guess I've arrived at the conclusion that students will have to navigate the use of devices at their workplaces. Some jobs will require constant use of devices, others won't. But we all have to learn to how to deal with devices and distractions in our professional lives. I guess I'm thinking "start now, not later." Thanks again.
DeleteI try to incorporate sociology into my cell policy itself. I tell the students that it is profoundly disrespectful to be using their phone while someone is speaking to the class. But then I point out that this isn't just an issue with students or young people. I sit in meetings with 60 year old professors who are doing the same thing. The norms that guide our use of technology in everyday social situations don't seem to be keeping pace with rate at which these technologies are changing. We're in the middle of what Ann Swidler calls "unsettled times," and given the rate of constant change, one wonders if and how they might become settled once again.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I also sit in meetings with colleagues who employ their devices during meetings. It's actually one of the reasons I don't expect all students to not look to their devices during class time. It happens throughout the university. So true, all of this reflects shifting norms. I'll have to read up on what Ann Swidler says about "unsettled times." Sounds interesting.
DeleteAnother way to deal with distractions of any kind has to do with appealing to self interest. I told students that this might be the only time in their lives that they would be self-employed. It would be in their best interests if they absorbed what they had paid for, i.e. me. "I didn't ask you to take this course. You decided to do so. Why not let me share my experience with you." It worked for some, I'd like to say most. It did help MY self interest in that I felt I had put it on the line and they could either take it or leave it. My field was psychology.
ReplyDeleteHi Jacquie. Thanks for commenting. Very clever! I like the approach of getting it out in the open, framing it in a particular way, and letting students decide what to do from there.
DeleteIf students are texting during your lesson than the problem is with your lesson, not the student. When people are engaged they won't be distracted by a cell phone or the temptation to doodle. Teach differently and your students will react differently.
ReplyDeleteWe definitely help ourselves when we teach creatively and work hard to engage students. I like to think that's exactly what I'm doing. Still, there are many times when the class isn't 100% engaged. There are many factors that limit engagement. Teaching with innovation and energy matters a lot, of course, but there are other factors at play. For example, sometimes the content of a lesson just isn't very enticing. As another example, students are sometimes sick and/or dealing with personal problems. There are many factors that go into whether students are engaged. A professor can't control them all. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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