Education v. Technology

My first reaction to the book, Reclaiming Conversation by sherry Turkle, I was overwhelmed with everything that I had just read, multi tasking, hyper attention and so much more. She argues the impacts on technology in the classroom.

My experience growing up in first a public school, being homeschooled, moving to a private school and then back again to public school, I have seen multiple different policies in act and been in a plethora of atmospheres to accommodate this.

In my public school the first round, I was in kindergarten and first grade, so there was a no gum policy but that was about it.

When my mother pulled me out and in to homeschooling, I saw a different ideals for media and technology. Our rule at home was no recreational use of our electronics unless we were all done with our work. If we did use them before, they would be taken away. If you know me at all, you know that I have a knack  with pushing the limits and therefore, got my technologies taken away multiple times.

Once I moved to my private school, the administration there were more adamant on keeping the classrooms technology free my first year and then rolled out a new learning plan that involved each student getting an iPad and having all of our classes on there accompanied by our homework.

Once I moved out of that private school an back into the Shakopee Public School system, my classrooms changed a whole lot. I saw students blatantly pull out their cell phones, watch FRIENDS on Netflix, and seemingly still pay attention. Well I think that is completely insane. I am a firm believer that you cannot have half of your attention to each thing. Even if you believe you can, I also am a huge advocate for giving each thing your best yes, but that is a topic for another time.

I did notice the reality of how true her statement was about once you put your attention on to your phone, it makes it so much harder to put your focus back into your school setting. Even with the “ability” to multitask, you will never be at your maximum capacity to learn.

Going back and forth from learning to technology, you give your less than average best to both and therefore are not gaining anything from either faucet(213).

I think that school should be an environment of learning, yet still have components of technology. I love that in this day and age, we can essentially do everything on a computer, but then we start to lose the very necessary skills of note taking. Yes, of course the pile of jobs we see now are based in technologies and our ability to use technology properly, however, you must also learn how to properly communicate your thoughts.

I have always written my notes until I got into my senior year. I recognized that even when I type, I get extremely side tracked so I eventually switched back into my trusted hand written notes and my primary source of note taking.

Are Laptops Ruining Education?

In her book “Reclaiming Conversation,” Sherry Turkle discusses the impact of digital devices on an educational environment. She makes the argument that the increase of technology in the classroom is detrimental to students, professors, and learning, in general. 

I found Turkle’s argument intriguing. I agree that personal devices, such as cell phones and laptops, can become major distractions for students during lectures.  

Early on in my freshman year of college, I would bring my laptop to class to take notes. However, one day, during a somewhat boring introductory lecture, I found myself lost in my own thoughts. Before I knew it, instead of taking notes, I was using my laptop to browse Facebook. By the end of the class, I had completely zoned out and had missed out on some important information.  

That day I realized bringing my laptop to class was too much of a distraction for me and decided to only take notes by hand from then on. Even though I made the decision to avoid laptops during lectures, this has not eliminated the distractions caused by digital devices altogether.  

In Turkle’s work, she quotes a college senior who complains she is taken out of the lecture when she sees her classmates misusing their laptops during class (215). I find myself having this same issue quite often. When a lecture starts to drag, oftentimes watching the YouTube video playing on my classmate’s screen in front of me is more compelling than remaining attentive to the professor. 

In addition, I have realized my cell phone is a major distraction for me during class. When I started college, I would turn my phone off and put it away before every class. Then, I started leaving it out on my desk but leaving it turned off. Next thing I knew, I was leaving it powered on and checking it multiple times throughout the lecture. Now I feel lost without my phone during class.  

Each time I check my phone, though, I take myself out of the lecture and potentially miss out on important information. However, now that I have gotten into the habit, I find it difficult to refrain from using my phone during class. 

This is why I actually find it somewhat relieving when a professor institutes a device-free classroom policy. This requires students to not use their laptops, eliminating that distraction, and forces me to put away my phone, eliminating the temptation to check it. It helps me stay focused and engaged in the coursework at hand. 

Overall, I feel it is best for everyone if college classrooms restrict personal digital devices.

Does Multitasking Even Exist?

Cellphones have become a very major problem in schools these days. It is a problem in college and high school. Reclaiming conversation By Sherry Turkle does a great job at addressing the affect that technology is having on schools. There are many people who think that they are great at multitasking, but it is not effective at all. The brain is not wired to do multiple things at once. Multitasking is essentially the brain switching from one task to the next, all while losing quality of your work. 

I used to be a paper boy when I was 10. I would try to wrap up the papers and put them in bags and watch TV at the same time. It was not very efficient. It would sometimes take me 2 hours to do them all, but it would only take 20-30 minutes tops when I would just not watch TV at all. I am very aware that I am not a good “multitasker.”  

If I am being honest, I used to go on my phone a lot in high school, but that is because a lot of teachers didn’t really care at all. I had one teacher give us a lecture about how multitasking was not actually real, but no one heard him because everyone was on their phones. I think it is sad how much people these days are addicted to their phones. People can’t grow as much in community if they are constantly looking at their phone. I personally feel like I am pretty good with staying off of my phone. I find it very irritating when I am talking to someone and they are just on their phone the whole time. 

 It is also very interesting how it is hard to concentrate while holding a phone because it is a device that is meant for texting and games and social media. I had never thought to make that connection before. I think it is a good thing that a lot of teachers and schools are embracing technology in schools. If there is nothing for them to do on their devices they will not pay attention, but give them something to do on their device so that they will at least be doing something that they are supposed to do.  

Education Ethics when it comes to cellphone use

Turkle’s ideas regarding cell phone use are pretty interesting to read about. Most of us have a phone and we all get tempted to use it in class even if we’re not supposed to. Most students get distracted while in class because listening to the professor give a lecture gets really boring. So, most students need an escape from reality to a digital world, in their phones. They want to check up on how their friends are doing and they do that by texting or even checking social media. For most people, life is on their phones and they feel very connected and accepted while on a phone device.

t’s funny because it reminds me of a Black Mirror episode called Nosedive where it’s a society based on social media and phones, and you need to have a 4 or higher to be considered popular and entitled to. We ourselves see the phone devices we use especially in a classroom setting, is our own little world just like the Nosedive episode and we constantly get addicted to it each day and becomes so intense that our concentration isn’t on the classroom anymore, we are more focused on our phones. 

Multi-tasking became such a big deal for most students, as they tend to check their phones and work at the same time, most of our mind is designed to do one thing at a time without getting too overwhelmed. Classrooms should examine students on their phone usage and for those addicted to their phone use, need to go do a cellphone recovery program and go a day without technology and see how it feels to be disconnected. 

My own experience with cellphone use is very different compared to most students. I have ADHD and it’s really hard to focus in class, and I hear and see students on their devices all the time and got distracting that I lost focus in the class itself. Now, I don’t feel too distracted and yes, my mind is readjusting to this college setting vs. my high school experience.

The Modern Learning Experience and The Consequences of Technology

Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle: Education Chapter Personal Response

In this chapter of Sherry Turkle’s book, she explains the modern reality of how technology affects the classroom setting. Since students are now so connected to tech, such as phones and tablets, at a young age they develop a desire for constant stimulation. Whether its checking messages or social media, many students find that their devices present as a distraction, specifically while in school. Although this is not the case for every student, it’s something that affects the learning and interaction within the classroom.

Personally, I’ve experienced how easy it is to get distracted while in class. Even if I put my phone away, I’ll often be distracted by my own thoughts. Moments of distraction while sitting in a classroom is virtually inevitable. I would agree however that taking notes with pen and paper can help to allow yourself to be more engaged. In my opinion, I think it helps when there is more interactive group work and discussions. Although not all students seek to submit to these methods, so finding a solid solution for grasping attention can prove quite difficult.

The reality is that the digital world plays a big part in how we function as a society. It is undeniably heavily used in both positive and negative ways. Most of the time, unfortunately, it proves to hinder our attentiveness and focus. But ultimately, I think it comes down to the student’s (and virtually everyone else’s) individual responsibility of attentiveness. It is important to be mindful of how it affects individual as well as group learning. I am a student myself and know it can be hard to resist the distractions that come when you experience some boredom in a class. Technology can either be a useful or harmful tool, so it’s up to us to decide how it affects our learning experience.

Phone Jail

Sherry Turkle’s Reclaiming Conversation mentioned how she tried a “device free class with a short break to check phones” (Pg. 212 Turkle). Her students couldn’t go three minutes without doing their regular social media check routine, making the constant connection check a necessity. I agree to her simple tactic of a device free class to try and eliminate distraction from a student’s learning. 

Given the result of the fast moving, technological, connected generation of students. Students who use devices in class simply to take notes, causes them to lose the ability to learn & think about the lecture being taught. Because when taking notes on a laptop or phone one tends to copy word for word becoming a “transcriber”. Missing the idea of what’s being told.  

 I’m guilty of texting in class, I’m not one to do a social media routine check, but a message check. Reading Turkle’s thoughts of simply putting your phones out of site helped me finally understand why it’s done and enforced by instructors. Just by seeing my phone face down in a lecture, is as if my phone has eyes. Staring me down telling me to pick it up and scroll with no intention. It’s very tempting.  

In high school I remember one instructor had a strict phone policy. “If I see it, it’s going in the phone jail.” Which was just a small green bag hanging at the board. I learned and still remember the things taught in that class because there was no distractions interfering with my learning. 

 I think that every classroom should consider having a device free rule and no phones in site. Having that would help a student engage a little more in class lecture. Then again, the school can only do so much to try and grab student’s attention. It’s the student’s responsibility to learn and pay attention in class. Students must learn how to have control when it comes to technology. We could even take it a step farther and have phone jails in the classroom! 

Cellphones within the classroom

Sherry Turkle’s book, Reclaiming Conversation talks about the problem with digital distractions in the classroom. Her chapter, “Education” goes in depth of how much cell phones can distract students in during class. She mentioned how many students miss out on learning about the subject and how much students miss out of connecting with other classmates or the professors.

 Students also get upset when their classmates are not paying attention to what they have to say especially if it is an important personal subject. In one of her classes, her students wanted to have a cellphone free class and they grew closer with each other and paid much better attention in the class. 

            I think within the classroom there should be more restrictions to having phones. However, it is different between high school and college. In high school, I think it would be a smart idea to collect the student’s phones because even if there was an emergency, the school is usually contacted to notify the student. In high school, during classes, students really have no need to be on their phones or have them. 

However, in college I think that it is a little different. College students are in charge of their own lives. They have jobs and other things to worry about so I personally think that they should be allowed to check their phones throughout the class period. 

            When in classes during high school we weren’t allowed to have phones or laptops and we grew really close with our teachers and fellow classmates. In college, I have noticed that I have gotten distracted not just by my own cellphone or computer but by other students on their laptops looking at things that had nothing to do with the class. This being said, I still think that college students should have enough self-control to not get distracted.  

Response To “Reclaiming Education”

The chapter on education in Sherry Turkle’s “Reclaiming Conversation” focuses on how technology has impacted the education industry and communication in the classroom.

As for the author’s perspective on communication within this chapter, I tend to agree. I believe that communication needs to be a two-way exchange, whether that be one-to-one or one-to-many. To effectively communicate, I must be engaged with the person or persons I’m communicating with. This requires deep attention.

This brings up the second point that the author writes about — digital devices in the classroom tend to distract and detract from the learning process. Thus, hindering education. I would also agree with this point as this is something that I have simply noticed in my own classroom/digital device experience.

Too many times have I checked my cell phone during a lecture and completely missed what the professor was saying. Even if it was only for one minute, I still couldn’t recall the professor’s previous point.

So, what should take place in a classroom?

I think students need to learn at least social skills while in a classroom setting.

I think the author’s point on page 230 is an excellent description of what students should get out of the classroom experience.

Non-cognitive skills

Skills such as social interaction, teamwork, conflict resolution, how to hold a conversation, coping with anxiety, and the like.

These are skills that must be learned in a face-to-face setting with other human beings.

Sure, I suppose you can learn these non-cognitive skills online, but it is much easier and more practical to learn them in the classroom where others are present.

So, I think that holistic learning must take place in the classroom. Both cognitive learning (hard skills, facts, etc.) and non-cognitive skills (teamwork, conflict resolution, etc.).

As for me, digital devices have been a distraction in the classroom.

Either I’ve been the one perpetrating the handling of technology or I’ve been subject to someone else’s handling.

I have been trying to get better at controlling my distraction by turning my cell phone on silent and putting it out of site. This has shown to be helpful. I’m also cognizant not to go on any social media apps and stick strictly to my note-taking apps. This has also been beneficial although I do fail when moments of boredom strike.

Overall, I love learning and believe that my love for learning will motivate me to pay attention in the classroom.