Students texting in class

[JPINFV]

^
This brings up another side of the situation. What about the times when someone is lecturing or discussing things (study strategies in this case) that the student has already a good grip on? Sitting through another study strategies discussion sounds like torture almost to the level of sitting through another EMT refresher course.

 

[usalsfyre]

I will help you as much as I can. But if the reason your asking me questions is because you chose to ignore the lecture I'm not going to rehash what was just covered.

We expect recognition as professionals yet educate like elementary school. It's about setting an expectation.

 

[DrankTheKoolaid]

re

The one thing I learned in the military that provides such comfort in situations like this JP, Sleeping with my eyes open..........

^
This brings up another side of the situation. What about the times when someone is lecturing or discussing things (study strategies in this case) that the student has already a good grip on? Sitting through another study strategies discussion sounds like torture almost to the level of sitting through another EMT refresher course.

 

[MidwestFF]

As I just finished up the didactic portion of a degree program the experience that I have had is that most if not all of our instructors didn't care if you sent texts or had to excuse yourself from class to take a phone call. Many in our class were on call even thou in class and could be dispatched/ called in at a moments notice. It was not even that uncommon for the instructors to take a call or answer a text in class. The only time phones were off limits was during testing.

As someone pointed out we are all adults, and at least our group was mature enough to deal with it. Just as someone else pointed out if we can get that easily distracted by a phone ringer or a little bit of light, how about a good multi-vehicle pileup in the middle of the night when you have police, fire, ems, and the whole world watching?

Respect is a two way street, I may give the instructor the initial respect that position deserves but it can go either way from there. Same goes when I'm instructing students in other endeavors at my moonlighting job.

FF

 

[mycrofft]

Chiming in once more...(rant alert)

A classroom is not a classroom is not a classroom. And one set of students is much different form another, not to mention one student differs from another.

Compare: six students in the exercise area learning cribbing or litter bearing, or maybe learning how to start an IV, versus thirty employees getting the annual generic dressing down (with Powerpoint) from Admin.

Or a class of 18 lower income "disadvantaged" young students versus a class of 18 folks between 20 and 30 needing a certificate to get and keep a job.

If it is a learning experience where they don't need the lecture, then I feel they ought to leave and come back later to take their tests like everyone else. If it is a briefing environment where they will not have the luxury of pursuing other avenues, like habitually asking their friends for their notes, then they need to focus in, and multitasking is not conducive to that.

Also, sometimes you are up there fighting to get the class warmed up, get the push-pull thing going, or to get their attention and their respect enough to credit what you are saying. One or two slumped and thumbing students help deconstruct your setting, because there is a portion of any crowd that will notice that and think "Well, if it isn't that big a deal, why am I here?". A "briefing" or "Pearls before swine" sort of lecture deal is more like oral publishing or broadcasting, a class setting is more of a performance art and leadership situation. Which do you prefer?

The fact that they were all born, despite their grandparents having to extend each other the courtesy of making and taking landline-only phone calls and sometimes even taking and relaying a cogent phone message, shows that being part of the "OMG" commensal organism is not essential to survival of the species. That's party of my rant.:angry:

PS: so, if texting is OK since it does't bother anyone, why not drop your pants in a darkened lecture hall? It's under table or desk and its dark so no one will be bothered....:glare:
PPS: But I suppose that goes on too. I leave the lights on!

 

[mycrofft]

Ppps:

What's wrong with pop quizzes, cumulative final exams, even settling the class then asking open ended questions the next day about homework? The problem is that some instructors are so angry at being ignored and disrespected, or have appointed themselves as the guardians of their discipline, that they are out to hurt students. I believe in ungraded pop quizzes, and cumulative exams of material which is either reinforced repeatedly throughout the term, or covered within the last three weeks, or reinforced through other means besides audiovisual or more lecture (after three weeks lecture material without other-means reinforcement is fading).

Last digs. How about telling people they can text if they all sit in one rear corner? And, hasn't the whole Russian thing* come to roost when we say "Once you have paid me, I will pretend you learned things and give you the certificate, if you pretend to give a cr*p by showing up and staying in your seat at least 60% of the time"? Real quality product there.



* "I will pretend to work as long as you pretend to pay me".

 

[Jenniejen]

As a student I can learn to ignore the texting next to me, but as far as manners go I find it extremley rude. When you're in class I think the appropriate behavior is to be focused on the instructor and the material. If you need to go outside every once in awhile that's fine, but constant texting like an adolecent is disrespectful to the instructor, IMO. I just finished a class and I could not believe how many ADULTS had such horrible manners and courtesy in a classroom enviroment! Constantly showing up late is another huge pet peeve of mine!

 

[Veneficus]

As a student I can learn to ignore the texting next to me, but as far as manners go I find it extremley rude. When you're in class I think the appropriate behavior is to be focused on the instructor and the material. If you need to go outside every once in awhile that's fine, but constant texting like an adolecent is disrespectful to the instructor, IMO. I just finished a class and I could not believe how many ADULTS had such horrible manners and courtesy in a classroom enviroment! Constantly showing up late is another huge pet peeve of mine!

Just to point out,

my classmates and I don't text between each other in a form of disrespect, but as a method of preserving the respect we have for them by not interrupting them with our questions. Particularly when they are operating and talking at the same time.

 

[firetender]

Here's my beef, in general

Old Fogey that I am, I don't like the idea of cell phones or texting at all. I am so Retro with this it even astounds me!

But what I see is billions of people throughout the world choosing to NOT be present in the moment, where they are at and with whom they are with.

Lecture Hall, car, on the street, a significant part of their time is in anticipation, or at the least in a mode of consciousness going toward the little devices that prevent them from learning from their environment.

I suppose it's cool if you don't mind that more and more, your interactions will be with devices rather than humans. I say this especially for the upcoming generations where I have seen, many times, 12 year olds sitting next to each other and texting the person across the room who's texting someone else, somewhere else.

I fear the loss of our human connection.

 

[mycrofft]

The point of not discussing while it is going on..

...is the same as why you don't comment on a television show you are sharing with other people. Unless the lecture is mostly gas, vital info is lost. Not just to "others" but to the person doing the texting etc.
And as far as leaving the class to take cell calls...the point isn't to make rude and inattentive behavior less irritating, the point is that instruction should be a form of social contract.
Amazing how many "emergencies" happen during a lecture.

Have to admit my wife considers my time on EMTLIFE to be the equivalent of texting in class, however....

 

[TatorTots]

There was a guy in my EMT program who slept the whole time. So rude!! He was in his 50s and smelled bad, i definitely wouldn't want him to respond to any of my emergencies. :blink:

 

[mycrofft]

Maybe he wasn't a student?

 

[TatorTots]

hahaha, no, sadly he was a student! :lol:

 

[mycrofft]

OK, maybe he was a student.

Any better?

 

[Veneficus]

...is the same as why you don't comment on a television show you are sharing with other people. Unless the lecture is mostly gas, vital info is lost. Not just to "others" but to the person doing the texting etc.
And as far as leaving the class to take cell calls...the point isn't to make rude and inattentive behavior less irritating, the point is that instruction should be a form of social contract.
Amazing how many "emergencies" happen during a lecture.

Have to admit my wife considers my time on EMTLIFE to be the equivalent of texting in class, however....

I can see your point, but sometimes, the instruction is so high that if you didn't understand the first part, the following could be the secret to life and the answer to all mysteries in the universe. It is not gas, but you have no idea what you are listening to.

 

[DrParasite]

No texting allow in class

As an instructor, one of my big pet peeves is students who text in class.

The primary issues I have is that is distracts me, as the instructor. I'm trying to make sure everyone gets it, and when students are spending the class texting, odds are they aren't paying attention. Plus, with less than 30 students in class, it ends up pretty obvious, at least when I am teaching.

The secondary issue is that if a student is texting during lecture, and not paying attention, than often they have issues passing the final exam. and if the don't pass the final exam, than they don't pass the class, and that means I need to remediate them (which i don't get paid for), or they complain to my boss that they paid all this money and they didn't pass.

I try to give frequent breaks, and if you need to step out and take a phone calls, go for it. if you are constantly out of the room on your phone, than we have a problem. if you need to send a text message, or reply to a message in class, no big deal. when you are constantly on your phone texting, than we have a problem.

No one is forced to be in my class. it's all voluntary, and every student (or their employer/potential employer) has paid $$$ to attend. if you would rather text/surf the web/spend the day on your phone, go for it; just don't take the class.

I give students the respect of showing up, and doing my job as the instructor, and trying to make sure they are educated enough on the topic to pass the final exams. As an instructor, I expect my students to show me enough respect to at least pretend to pay attention in class, and not be playing games on their iPAD or texting during class.

 

[mycrofft]

Some sidebars

1. Some of us seem to think of theaters and auditoriums while others think of classrooms in this scenario.
2. Maybe we need a "dash cam" for the lectern to record people texting etc. so if they claim remediation, you tell them "so sorry", or charge them?
3. I have a preconception from the sullen and studiously oblivious faces presented when I see OR when I address people texting and taking calls during class.

 

[webster44]

2. Maybe we need a "dash cam" for the lectern to record people texting etc. so if they claim remediation, you tell them "so sorry", or charge them?

We have computers on every desk, and in the office we have software that can monitor what students are on.(they know this) I have shut the computers down while other instructors are teaching because the students have been doing everything from searching dating websites to watching movies.

I know that with my students that by the time I can walk around to see what they are looking at on the computer they close the page. I also found that besides for every once and awhile where someone would look something up for the class that students don't do anything educational on the computers. SO, next semester the computers will be unplugged except for times that we are taking a test.

 

[Tigger]

I can handle texting as long as it's kept somewhat discreet, same with laptop use. I have no issues with people having laptops in class, I don't care what they're doing generally. The only time it's an issue is in a discussion based class and the entire class has their faces glued to their screens. Not much discussion happens then.

What I cannot handle is the girl that sits next me and administers several neb treatments to herself throughout class, and then makes a big fuss of checking her 02 sats.

 

[mycrofft]

Just did a google-survey about texting in the classroom.

Most of the articles it unearthed were about teens texting, but had little or no data about the effect it had on the "classroom experience". Nothing about adults texting in class.
Some articles were actually supportive of it because students could get onto the internet cheaply (whose data rates are they looking at?) versus a computer at home, but again these did not analyze the effects positive or negative on the classroom deal. Also, most of them were written by people working in IT; these are the folks with an interest to sell more phones and plans to students, especially kids.

Well, then, maybe the question is more about whether a study hall or a lecture based classroom is more effective?

But we are presuming that the texting and data-ing are all class related. Eavesdropping and "eaves-reading" while my friend was teaching, or during the mandatory videos when I teach, indicate it is just a string of "whaddups" and scheduling of get-togethers.