It happens all too often that a teacher fiddles with a projector 20 minutes before it works or needs a student to show him or her how to turn the sound on for a video. They often say that we have it easy, as if we came out of the womb using a computer.
This gap between teachers and students understanding in technology is becoming noticeable.
“I feel like I am a little bit behind and I ask students in class to help with where to click and Mac applications; they know how to use keyboard accents better than I do,” Lesley Poteet, a professor in the French department, told The State Press
The frustration that emerges from this issue is not one-sided — the students are just as disheartened as the professors when this occurs. Often times this lull in class takes away from the productivity or disengages students.
Perhaps this is most apparent when professors outlaw the use of laptops, iPads and any other sort of electronic gizmo that can be used to take notes. If electronics are banned, then students cannot be on Facebook or Twitter in class, or so the sentiment goes.
But this paradigm needs to be admonished. Computers can also serve as learning tools — a vast majority of people can type faster than they can write, making taking precise notes much easier. When computers are used to enhance learning, in ways such as playing YouTube videos, helpful links to articles or info-graphics, the student and teacher can connect one more level.
Sometimes it is easier for students to be engaged if the teachers can interact with them in more than one way. A good grasp on technology can sometimes determine whether the class will be successful or not.
But, like all good things, technology in the classroom needs moderation. When teachers expect students to build websites in lower-division classes or take attendance using an app, they inundate students with it. The old teach methods are tried and true for a reason.
Lecturing in class has become the standard for a reason — students are in class to learn from the professor. When a professor talks, students listen and wisdom is imparted, or so it is supposed to go. Often the teachers that use technology the least are the professors that lecture the best.
These teachers are still around for a reason — they are awesome at what they do. To write them off because they have a hard time checking their e-mail would be foolish.
Certainly the extremes, a class with too much or too little technology, never goes over well, but when teachers and students are on the same page, class runs much smoother. Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
