Our generation has undergone a technological revolution. It has completely altered the way we communicate with one another, the way we perform everyday activities and the way we learn.

As with any societal change, there are benefits and detriments to technology in the classroom. But the potential for learning tied to academic technology far outweighs any negative repercussions.

I believe that classroom technology, like personal laptops or tablets, can open up learning opportunities for students in many important ways.

For instance, using technology to take notes allows students to take coherent notes and save them on the Internet, where the student won’t worry about losing them. Also, while in class, students are able to pull up supplementary materials on their laptops and look up definitions being discussed during lecture.

And teachers can now interact with students in a new way using technology.

It is possible for all the students in class to simultaneously contribute to a Google Document or follow along with the teacher in online processes. Teachers can even have online questions for students to answer as a form of taking attendance. 

But if we are going to use technology in the classroom, which I absolutely support, then we need to also accept responsibility for negating the distractions for students that technology often causes.

Too frequently, when students are allowed to use a computer in class, they use social media for the duration of the period.

Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to combat this behavior. Both students and teachers need to do more to ensure that students are fully engaged with academic material, rather than Internet distractions, in class.

I once had a phenomenal lecturer who mandated that all students with laptops had to sit in the first two rows of the lecture hall. That way, all the screens in use were clearly visible to the teaching assistants, who could then monitor students’ computer use during the lecture.

More lecturers should employ that practice. For the entire semester, I seldom saw a student on social media during that class.

In regards to smaller class sizes, I think TAs and professors should consider requiring students to use apps to limit what websites students are allowed to access in class. For instance, teachers could inform their students that the use of an app such as SelfControl is necessary during class. 

SelfControl allows the user to block websites for designated periods of time. During class, I often set it up so that my computer will not allow me to log onto Facebook for two hours.

Professors or TAs could take a few minutes at the beginning of class, or the passing period leading up to the start of class, to walk around and ensure that SelfControl was activated for all applicable students.

However, the app works only with Mac computers. And while it isn’t a solution for every screen in the classroom, it’s certainly a start toward curtailing student distraction while utilizing technology in the classroom.

And, of course, students who are capable of earning a degree at the University should also possess the self-discipline to make it through a class period without checking social media.

Most of us pay tuition for the opportunity to study here. It is absurd for students to waste that money on classes in which they do not fully pay attention because they are on social media sites. 

Although I reiterate that if using a laptop in class helps some students to learn and take notes effectively, then students should be given the opportunity to use that technology.

But steps do need to be taken to ensure that students are using the technology in a manner that will enhance their education. And it’s the responsibility of both the teachers and the students.

Yes, students should have the willpower to refrain from using social media during class. But the fact is that many students do visit non-academic sites during class.

Therefore, I believe some responsibility must also fall on the professors and TAs. Our computer use should be monitored to provide us with additional incentive to stay on task during classes. 

Alex is a junior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected].