The last decade has witnessed a steady increase in the usage of internet and this seem, in my view, to have endorsed an overriding conviction that knowledge is about information and getting information translates to getting power. This semester I am a teaching assistnt in a course on “Introduction to Christianity in Africa.” It is the first time I will be a teaching assistant in the US. In the last class, ninety-six (96) students (from different disciplines) were in attendance. At some point, I made my way through the room to ensure everyone got an opportunity to pen down their names and Net ID on the attendance sheet. I realized a great number of the students who were supposed to be listening and/or taking notes were not using their laptops decisively. For example, while some were face booking, others were either Skyping or watching movies and/or listening to music. Many conversed away. My colleague who lectured on behalf of the Professor noticed the many distractions from students. In one instance, he saw a gift pack with cake being passed. And he asked, “Is it someone’s birthday today?” The answer was, “Yes.” The students continued the conversation but he comported himself and continued with the lecture.
This was not the first time I was experiencing this. In spring 2013, I was in another Religious Studies class, and the practice was the same. My friend who was the TA along with others usually moved around to ensure “adult” students were using their internet purposefully during lecture. I have been very concerned and think this is very distracting and disturbing.
My firsthand experiences in these classrooms make me ask many times, “where are we going from here?” And I cannot but agree more with April Deconick’ position when she stated that “we are scattering our attention. Like our devices, we do two or three things at once.” See her blog titled “Humanities and technology,” http://forbiddengospels.blogspot.com/ I am concerned because these students were in class, yet they were not committed to neither the lecture nor what they had divided their attention for. They were held in the clutches of their “I’s” phone, pads, Facebook, etc. “So addicted that unplugging even during lectures is problematic,” as Deconick noted.
Now my questions, is the invasion of the classroom with internet connectivity not making the teacher less of a human being? For instance, the teacher was just chatting away his “life” with so much effort and enthusiasm and yet more than half the class was in a different planet – social media planet? Is it not the case that the invasion of classrooms with laptops (that are misused) is robbing either the student or the teacher of something? Does the life, time and talking of the teacher still count in the technological age? Is the value of knowledge not going down the drain for what we desire to replace with information? And I join John Duhring in asking, “Do you think teachers should move their lectures online?” See link http://www.hastac.org/blogs/duhring/2013/09/03/will-teachers-move-their-own-courses-online Largely, this pattern is changing the manner we perceive of traditional pedagogy? Can this be addressed, if at all you think this issue is worth addressing? Let me hear your thoughts.
