WARNING! This cat video is too cute for class!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Nowadays, many students bring their laptops to lectures. But for learning, or for BROWSING? Do students and faculty consider surfing in class a distraction?
Enter Elena Neiterman and Christine Zaza from the University of Waterloo. They surveyed over five hundred students and faculty about their feelings on tech in the classroom.
Half the students said off-task web surfing by others was very distracting. Nearly seventy percent of instructors blame phones as the bothersome culprits. Both agree browsing is problematic, but that’s it.
Some students think if lectures were more interesting, they wouldn’t be on their phones! Professors argue that competing with Snapchat and Facebook is a HUGE challenge.
So, should tech disappear from classrooms? The answer is….depends!
Technology can be beneficial for everyone, especially students with different needs. But if students aren’t careful, they could find themselves down an internet rabbithole – and miss out on important info!
So please — browse responsibly and focus on lectuuuure…but, uh-oh, Roomba Cat! Must click!