Spring Break
Texting: how to get the least out of your education
Patrick Fancher
Issue date: 2/2/09 Section: Forum
Student attention spans on college campuses are being killed, and the text message is the culprit. The act of learning has been brushed aside for key strokes on a device that has more functions than a Swiss Army knife.
Today's basic cell phone has Internet, cameras, videogames, texting, drawing tools, MP3s, and did I mention they also make and receive calls? As a child of the '80s, I'm still blown away by how cool and convenient cell phones are.
But I also realize how addictive and counter-productive they can be, especially when it comes to texting.
As an older-than-average student, I don't want come across as critical or preachy on this subject, because well … it would make me a hypocrite. I text as well, but try to regulate the times I do it.
My intention here is to stress a genuine concern about the negative direction texting seems to be taking students. Aren't there ample opportunities for us to text outside of the classroom, such as on the way to school, while watching TV or studying in the library?
Years ago, students were cautious when it came to texting during class, fearing they might get caught. The slightest gesture from an instructor would startle the student enough to put the phone away until the coast was clear. My Math 111 professor would always say, "If the phone rings during class and plays a song, you have to dance to it."
Those methods of proposed humiliation worked efficiently in the short time they were practiced, but now teachers don't seem to have the time or patience to attempt such bold moves. Or maybe texting has become so frequent that they view it as a student's loss and no longer care. I'm sure they would much rather see us retain the information than have to police us.
I realized how bad things had become when I read an instructor's syllabus that said, "Your essay should not look like a text message." At first, I couldn't believe it, until I saw similar guidelines on almost every class syllabus from that day forward.
Today's basic cell phone has Internet, cameras, videogames, texting, drawing tools, MP3s, and did I mention they also make and receive calls? As a child of the '80s, I'm still blown away by how cool and convenient cell phones are.
But I also realize how addictive and counter-productive they can be, especially when it comes to texting.
As an older-than-average student, I don't want come across as critical or preachy on this subject, because well … it would make me a hypocrite. I text as well, but try to regulate the times I do it.
My intention here is to stress a genuine concern about the negative direction texting seems to be taking students. Aren't there ample opportunities for us to text outside of the classroom, such as on the way to school, while watching TV or studying in the library?
Years ago, students were cautious when it came to texting during class, fearing they might get caught. The slightest gesture from an instructor would startle the student enough to put the phone away until the coast was clear. My Math 111 professor would always say, "If the phone rings during class and plays a song, you have to dance to it."
Those methods of proposed humiliation worked efficiently in the short time they were practiced, but now teachers don't seem to have the time or patience to attempt such bold moves. Or maybe texting has become so frequent that they view it as a student's loss and no longer care. I'm sure they would much rather see us retain the information than have to police us.
I realized how bad things had become when I read an instructor's syllabus that said, "Your essay should not look like a text message." At first, I couldn't believe it, until I saw similar guidelines on almost every class syllabus from that day forward.
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