It is an ongoing debate among college and university teachers: whether or not allow digital devices in the classroom. The opinion is fairly evenly divided between those who believe that they are distractions and therefore should be banned, and those who believe that students who access the reading material on their tablets and laptops (and increasingly, on their smartphones) should be allowed to do so. I read about one professor who asked students to drop cellphones on a tray at the entrance of the class and pick them up on their way out.
I have been in conflict about this and I can’t say I lean heavily one way or another; my approach has been to ask students not to use their phones for communication while in the class but recognise that they may want to refer to the texts we are discussing — and any measure that saves paper is welcome. I have never explicitly banned devices but do lay out expectations of attention and participation in class. By and large, this has worked.
Lately I’ve come to the realisation that, with certain rules in place, having connected devices in the classroom can help one’s learning experience. Of course, nosing around on social media is a complete no-no. As is browsing cat videos on YouTube or Instagram. But the access to the Internet can augment the discussion in significant ways. Instructors and course facilitators have always used technology to illustrate or extend the material in a lecture, but students are generally passive recipients in such cases. Occasionally, you may have to do an in-class group project for which you are asked to use the Internet. But how about accessing the Internet in a dynamic, integrated way as you listen to the lecture or participate in a discussion?
These days, there is a lot of talk about virtual reality and augmented reality. The first is about simulating an experience and the second is about adding layers of information to a given object or situation (thus ‘augmentation’). So what I am suggesting is the careful and limited use of the Internet to bring in new layers of information that can enrich the classroom experience. This is of course, only if the instructor already permits use of devices, or if you are able to convince her that it would be a good idea to do so, for the reasons that follow.
Keeping up: In most college and university classrooms, particularly in the social sciences, classes are organised around material or texts that you are expected to read before the class and which the lecturer will explain or discuss. Many students avoid bulky paper copies of articles or books and prefer e-versions. Whether you are using a laptop or a tablet or a phone, you can carry your entire reading list with you, and refer to texts easily. You can link related texts and look at materials across the term, to see how they build upon each other.
Clarifying: You can use the Internet to perform quick searches on terms that you do not understand or that are unfamiliar with. While it is always good to raise questions in class, sometimes it may happen that there is no opportunity to do so or it is just difficult to catch the teacher’s attention. In large classes, it may be difficult to have every doubt clarified by the teacher. For those who are shy or unwilling to be in the spotlight, it may be difficult to ask questions.
Extending: This is where true augmentation comes in. You can use the Internet to find out more about what is being discussed and bring the information into the discussion. Last week, I was in a seminar where a speaker was brought in on a live video feed (on Skype). As he talked about his project, students in the classroom were able to look at his website and gain a fuller understanding of his work. For instance, as he described the field site that he was investigating, students searched for the site online and learned a little bit not only about the geography but also the specific context of interest to their subject — in a way filling out the picture he was sketching. So, during the Q and A session, they were able to ask slightly more informed questions.
We have all grown accustomed to multi-tasking and parallel processing. We listen to music as we study, we flit from window to window doing a bit of this and that; we may be reading in one screen and writing in another. Why not put this facility to good use and allow connectivity to help us delve deeper into subjects even as we listen to lectures or participate in class discussions? I’m not suggesting that we take our attention away from the focus of a lecture, or from what the instructor wishes you to do — but instead, enhancing that attention by filling the gaps at the point they are perceived.
The author teaches at University of Hyderabad and edits Teacher Plus. Email: usha.bpgll@gmail.com
