Technology in the classroom advice

[AENeuman]

Wanting to get some advice on how to handle technology in my classroom. I teach 11th and 12th graders at a community college. The students are what we call, "bright but bored."

The campus has wifi and we have no way of blocking it or content.

My problem is lectures and in class writing assignments, times where it is harder for me to see the monitors. Several of my students have dysgraphia and/or dyslexia and typing is clearly the best option (and mandated). But I also have many students who take better notes on their laptop and will write better and longer assignments if they use a computer.

the problem is, of course, they will be off task some to most of the time. They already joke how they just do facebook chat during their college classes.

i guess the questions is should i be ok with some off task computer use? to me i think there is little difference between a student checking their status update and a student watching the clock or doodling. both are distracted, one is just easier for me to get back on task

thanks.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Ultimately, it's your classroom, so it really depends on how much it bothers you. In any case, if the students are required to be in the room for the entire class session, if they finish their assignment early, I don't see the harm in them doing other things on the computer as long as it doesn't disrupt anyone else's work. It sounds like you can't even really police it, though, so how would you stop them if you decided you wanted to?

[cougarfreak]

Make them so busy they don't have time to be off of task. And make it due before they leave.

[miked]

I sometimes walk around the class and have thrown students out that are working on other things. I told them if Facebook is more important than taking notes, they can go do it at home or in the student center. Throw a few people out and it will greatly diminish further use :) One student was playing WoW or some shit, I tossed him and told him he could come back to the class without a computer.

[Rizon]

I took a class on computers (for part of my GE for my BS) earlier this year. You can do what our teacher did ... call out and embarrass anyone using a computer while you are speaking. This included a guy sitting next to me taking notes on his laptop. We both looked at each other and laughed at how absurd that was because she told him not to take notes on his laptop but instead take notes by paper (this is ... 2011, right?). Also do this throughout the class so that you're spending more time yelling at kids than teaching.

It had about a 1% effective rate, so eventually she just used a program that locked down student's computers.

[Pumpy Tudors]

also beat them

[JonInMiddleGA]

also beat them

At this point, doesn't that option kind of go without saying? I mean, that's appropriate in such a large majority of cases isn't it sort of overkill to single it out?

[duckman]

Two words: cattle prod.

[Pumpy Tudors]

At this point, doesn't that option kind of go without saying? I mean, that's appropriate in such a large majority of cases isn't it sort of overkill to single it out?
Good point, but some people won't do a damn thing until I tell them to.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Good point, but some people won't do a damn thing until I tell them to.

Well, there is that.

[chesapeake]

If you are comfortable with it, use the old Paper Chase trick. Challenge the students during lectures with pertinent questions. The threat of appearing like an idiot in front of their peers can be a good motivator.

[JediKooter]

Bring in some cobra snakes and tell them for each time they browse the internet that is not related to the class, one snake gets released each time, until you either run out of snakes or students.

Seriously though...
If this is a college prep type class, then treat them like they are in college, you snooze you lose. People pay good money to fail classes in the real world. A bit harsh, but, that's reality.

[JPhillips]

This won't help with students, but studies are showing that students with computers generally have less retention than those writing notes. The studies are small and shouldn't be overweighted, but they are interesting.

As for how you can stop that behavior in class, I'm not sure. I'd explain some data on learning, the problem with computer note taking and the general rule that you need at least three repetitions to get something into long-term memory, and then I'd let them make their decision. At the end of the day banning computers is unlikely to make them better students. If they aren't going to pay attention there isn't much you can do about it. Plenty of students doodle or write other things on paper. Technology doesn't make a student pay any more or less attention.

[Marc Vaughan]

The campus has wifi and we have no way of blocking it or content.
Would have thought it'd be fairly easy to 'cut off' wi-fi access within your class room if you wanted to.

Wi-fi signals degrade horribly so forcing it down to a level where it won't connect reliably shouldn't be hard - say something like:

How to block Wi-Fi signals (http://www.extensiontech.net/articles/howto/gs/wifiblock/)

or

Wireless Jamming - Forums (http://www.governmentsecurity.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=8674)

(which approach to take depends on the setup for wifi which is present really)

[DanGarion]

Wanting to get some advice on how to handle technology in my classroom. I teach 11th and 12th graders at a community college. The students are what we call, "bright but bored."

The campus has wifi and we have no way of blocking it or content.

My problem is lectures and in class writing assignments, times where it is harder for me to see the monitors. Several of my students have dysgraphia and/or dyslexia and typing is clearly the best option (and mandated). But I also have many students who take better notes on their laptop and will write better and longer assignments if they use a computer.

the problem is, of course, they will be off task some to most of the time. They already joke how they just do facebook chat during their college classes.

i guess the questions is should i be ok with some off task computer use? to me i think there is little difference between a student checking their status update and a student watching the clock or doodling. both are distracted, one is just easier for me to get back on task

thanks.
The only person they are hurting in the long run is themselves, by not using the time they are given for the work they are supposed to be doing. But it can also be a distraction for other students that really are using the time to learn.

[Ajaxab]

I think the litmus test is whether some students are preventing others from learning. If they want to take college classes and waste their time on Facebook, so be it, but don't go bothering those who actually want to be there and want to learn from you.

[Barkeep49]

I don't know have time to go super indepth now, but as a Technology Director at a school I would say two things.

1. In a world of distractions it's more incumbent upon you to be worth their attention. Cold calling (aka paper chase method) certainly has value. Better lectures also has value. When I look at the best teachers they're not necessarily having to be performers or entertaining to capture their students attention. They are merely offering something which is of clear value to the students and earns their attention.

2. Harness rather than fight. Consider creating an official back channel chat where students can gather and discuss content with each other. This can often draw out students who would never raise their hand. Creating the right culture in the back channel takes some effort, but so does creating the right culture in your classroom. Have polls that you send out in the middle of a lesson which checks for understanding and would allow you to adjust instruction based on the results. If you're creating value for the students and they go off exploring a topic you've discussed for a few minutes before returning to the class that might not be the worse thing in the world.

Having a situation where you have so little control over distractions is highly unfortunate, no doubt. I wish you the best of luck!

[Pumpy Tudors]

I can't speak for all universities or all departments, but before we advise a teacher to just let the students sink or swim, I do know that at least some universities evaluate the faculty based on how the students perform in the class. If a bunch of the students are failing, the instructor may have to answer to that. "They'd rather play on Facebook than learn" is probably not a good answer. :)

[Daimyo]

My university handles this in two ways:

Laptops are only allowed in the back-row so at least laptop users can't distract other classmates sitting behind them
Liberal use of cold-calling for students who aren't paying attention

[PilotMan]

I think that the key point is that he is teaching college level classes to 11th and 12 graders. If he was teaching to college students as long as they aren't disrupting the class, let them do what they want. They are paying for the class after all.

I lost an entire letter grade in a summer course (A -> B), because I cut class 1 day a week, without fail, even though I breezed through with A's on everything else. It made me mad because I earned the grade and I judged how much participation I needed. Now later in college, I became religious about getting to class, and had numerous grade bumps because I was there everyday.

These are high school students, and I can tell you from what my son says, what you are describing sounds like what go on in his classrooms already. Chat, txt, facebook, so at least they aren't treating you any different. Now, you could set higher standards because "This isn't High School." They should be made to understand that this class isn't available to everyone and that they are expected to be held to a higher level of behavior.

I think that you set your tone early on, call on people for answers a lot, and try and keep them engaged in the discussion. You should be able to pick out the slackers by then. Let them use the computers for notes and writing assignments, but don't give them any prepared notes for the lecture and make them take their own. You can cover the material in a way that you aren't waiting for everyone to copy an overhead and move on. When the grades come out, those who prepare and those who don't will be evident. The kids should get the idea that they need to be engaged in class or else their grades suffer, kinda like college.

[JediKooter]

You need to get you a big dude, like over 7 feet tall. Huge guy that carries a mace and wears a loin cloth. He walks up and down the rows and if he sees anyone not using their technology for the class, he takes that piece of technology, brings it to the front of the class and smashes it in front of everyone. And then he makes that student clean up the mess.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I think that the key point is that he is teaching college level classes to 11th and 12 graders.

I have to admit, that point slipped by me in my consideration. In re-reading I also made note of the description of "bright but bored".

Seems to me that, well, they're still bored. Probably isn't the subject matter (based on my experience with kids around that age) so much as a disconnect between the subject matter & how it's relevant to them. That subset of smart kids tends to tune out stuff they don't see a point in (and in fairness sometimes their perception of relevance is pretty good).

[Drake]

I took a grad course that met with its undergrad cognate a couple of years ago. Turned out I was the only student in the classroom who took notes on actual paper. (I'm no luddite, since I work in web development and type significantly faster than I write, but taking hand-written notes is part of my process. I have roughly 3x the recall from taking notes by hand.)

So, after about three weeks of the guy sitting next to me playing online poker all through class and the guy on the other side catching up on CNN, and the guy in front of *him* spamming Facebook, I asked the professor what the general consensus was among faculty about computers in the classroom. I wasn't ratting anyone out, because I honestly don't care if a bunch of undergrads are paying attention, but I was curious, because I found the behavior to be disrespectful. I mean, I can understand sleeping in class if you've stayed up all night writing a paper or something, or even working a night job to pay your way through school...I don't understand showing up and just choosing to do something else imagining that you're multi-tasking. When she'd call on the kids, it was obvious that they had no idea what was actually being discussed.

Anyway, she said that most of the profs in her department had decided not to make an issue of it publicly, but they *did* notice who was taking notes and who was fucking around. Their response was to raise the class participation portion of the grade from 10-15% to around 30%...and every time she observed a student on a non-relevant website during class, she made a note and gave them a zero in their participation grade for the day.

In her experience, she told me, it ended up costing students who were egregious about it roughly a letter grade over the course of a term.

[AENeuman]

Thanks all.

The one thing i know is that with kids and adults there is nothing more engaging than getting a message from someone. it does not matter what is going on: driving, 3D movie, sex... so i think saying: make every minute of every class more engaging and this won't happen is naive. i am not talking about surfing or engaging in a conversation, that can be pretty easily stopped.

what i am wondering is should i be fine with a student who is 90% engaged and participating and once in a while updates their status?

[JonInMiddleGA]

what i am wondering is should i be fine with a student who is 90% engaged and participating and once in a while updates their status?

If that's the specific question, I'd say realistically you probably need to be fine with it.

If you were getting 90% engagement in an adult work environment you'd almost certainly be above the curve & that's with people being paid to sit there.

[AENeuman]

Seems to me that, well, they're still bored. Probably isn't the subject matter (based on my experience with kids around that age) so much as a disconnect between the subject matter & how it's relevant to them. That subset of smart kids tends to tune out stuff they don't see a point in (and in fairness sometimes their perception of relevance is pretty good).

Did not figure you to be a Gen Y parent...

A parent who says, "my son is failing your math class because you are not making it relevant to his interests. By the way, from what i can tell, his interests are girls and pot."

it is my opinion that kids who require instant gratification and validation are setting themselves up for resentment and a career where they are merely followers. the main difference i have seen over the last 11 years between teaching in economically and academically poor schools and the super achieving ones is the ability of the students to delay gratification and have confidence in themselves.

On my best days i would say school is the third most important/interesting thing to a particular teenager at a particular time

[JonInMiddleGA]

Did not figure you to be a Gen Y parent...

A parent who says, "my son is failing your math class because you are not making it relevant to his interests. By the way, from what i can tell, his interests are girls and pot."

Eh, I wouldn't think it's so much that as having: been that bored smart kid at times, watching my own kid occasionally deal with it (to a pretty minor extent) and most prominently having spent time over the past couple of years with some exceptionally smart kids who tend to have attention drift at times (usually when I would like to see them be particularly focused).

the main difference i have seen over the last 11 years between teaching in economically and academically poor schools and the super achieving ones is the ability of the students to delay gratification and have confidence in themselves.

What I've seen, most acutely with the higher-end (economically & academically) teens I've dealt with most recently, is that they can be very demanding in terms of what's worthy of their attention.

Some of the sharpest seem to have been honing their b.s. detectors for quite a while, tuning out in a hurry if they fail to see how it's going to be applicable to their long-term goals, even moreso if those kids are laser-focused the way the sharpest ones often are. Truth is, I believe some of them are better at it than we'd ever like to give them credit for.

I'm not saying that their judgment is perfect, far from it at times, they're prone to making those assessments based on insufficient data as kids often do. I've got no idea whether you're trying to teach them ethics, macroeconomics, Algebra II or how to repair an Esdel.

I'm also now keying, right or wrong, on your description of them as "bright but bored". That's something that's definitely influencing the direction of my comments now, that has me thinking about a particular type of kid. edit to add I'm thinking about the kids who I see that could easily ace the SAT & qualify for pretty much any school they're interested in, will almost certainly do well at their eventual profession ... but who will completely zone out if the topic turns to something that isn't relevant to either of those things nor any of their recreational interests.

Just really throwing out some general thoughts here to bounce around, mostly like everybody else.

[AENeuman]

I'm thinking about the kids who I see that could easily ace the SAT & qualify for pretty much any school they're interested in, will almost certainly do well at their eventual profession ... but who will completely zone out if the topic turns to something that isn't relevant to either of those things nor any of their recreational interests.


Thanks for the input. It is a strange brew of kids wanting to be challenged but not wanting to work too hard.

[Ajaxab]

Another thing I wondered about is whether you can have them be self-reflexive about their use of something like social media. I don't know what topic you might be teaching, but is it possible to work in a discussion of Facebook and privacy? Or how it shapes interpersonal relationships? Their writing practices? Attention spans? What about the economics of Facebook? It seems there might be some different ways to get them thinking about this distraction in a productive way. It wouldn't guarantee a change in practice, but there's always that possibility.

[Marc Vaughan]

A parent who says, "my son is failing your math class because you are not making it relevant to his interests. By the way, from what i can tell, his interests are girls and pot."
You have $40. If you buy a bag of pot from a dealer for $15 and $20 on a cheap hooker, how much money do you have left for munchies afterwards?

(runs away giggling)

More seriously when in high school I had an economics teacher who tended to use condom factories and suchlike in his examples - worked reasonably well at waking us up ;)