The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 12, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page: 2 of 10
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April 27, 2011
Opinion
The Rambler I www.therambler.org
Phones in class should be student s choice
Shauna Banks
Editor-in-Chief
sbbanks@mail. txwes. edu
Slipping into near unconscious-
ness from the sheer boredom of
straight lecture or a group presen-
tation gone bad, you start to won-
der what your friends two class-
rooms away are doing.
Have they been subjected to the
same fate?
It's also been more than 15 minutes
since you last checked Facebook.
Something serious could have
happened since then.
Someone could have reached a
new level in Farmville,
Someone could be engaged.
Anything!
Eyeing the professor, you yawn
and casually slip your smartphone
out of the pocket it's made a dis-
tinct impression in, and actually
think the professor can't tell you're
typing a mile a minute on it as you
stare down into your own lap...
Sound familiar?
I can't say the urge to text, re-
spond to emails and update my
Facebook status to "This class is
torture" is an uncommon oc-
currence during classes these
days.
Just this past week, two fel-
low classmates came to me and
said they'd been told by their
professor to drop their phones
in a box on their way into the
classroom.
Say what?
I had instant flashbacks to high
school, when the seemingly giant
flip phones were all the rage, and
phones were a huge no-no.
Of course, that didn't stop us
from bringing them to school.
As time went by, my teachers
accepted that we lived in an era
of advancing technology and de-
cided to just ask students to leave
their phones in a designated box
or area before class started.
The difference between then
and now though is—now we're all
adults; and then, we weren't pay-
ing thousands of dollars to actu-
ally go to school.
Yes, texting in class can definite-
ly be distracting at times.
Some would also call it disre-
spectful to whoever's talking or
attempting to command attention.
However, having paid so much
money to actually take these
classes, I do not think texting
or silently using phones during
class is something that should be
banned.
We all have free will, and we
should be permitted to exercise it.
It may not be the responsible
choice, but if a student would
rather respond to an email or text
a friend instead of listening to an
endless lecture, I think he or she
should be able to.
It's no different than the stu-
dents who bring laptops and pre-
tend to take notes, while actually
instant messaging with a friend in
another building.
There is always someone who is
busy with their phone or comput-
er during a lecture.
But the choice goes both ways.
When students are caught up in
texting, professors should not
be expected to repeat things that
have been missed, and are at full
liberty to lower a class participa-
tion grade.
There are also other more tech-
nical and legal reasons this phone-
in-a-box idea doesn't seem so well
crafted for college students in my
eyes.
First, what if after a sea of other
phones have been dumped into
the box, you drop your brand
spanking new iPhone into the mix
and end up with a cracked screen
or giant scuff mark?
Who's going to pay for the re-
pairs or replacement?
Does that come out of all the
tuition we've paid the university?
Doubtful.
Second, we're not all made of
money.
Even with all the honorable peo-
ple we have at Wesleyan, having a
phone stolen that costs more than
$400 a pop is not completely out of
the realm of possibility.
There's another thing our tuition
dollars won't pay for.
In the end, the decision should
be up to the student.
If we become so engrossed in
texting or updating Facebook that
the entire class can hear the furi-
ous typing, the professor should
also have the right to ask us to
leave.
Reverting back to silly high
school methods is not the answer.
Electronic distraction in class
deprives students of education
Barry Grubbs
Opinion editor
bgrubbs@mail. txwes.
What are we really doing here
at Texas Wesleyan? That is a good
question.
Depending on your perspec-
tive, the answer could vary from
getting an education to serving a
sentence.
We are all scheduled to attend
four to six classes every week on
various days, and some are more
interesting than others.
Sometimes the lecture is
boring or redundant.
I do not think that is an ex-
edu cuse to check out and go to
our mobile devices for stimu-
lation.
I hear those who say, "We
pay a lot of money to at-
tend college" or "This is not high
school. We are adults."
Honestly, those people are se-
cretly making my point for me.
If you are concerned about the
high cost of your education, make
an effort to get the most out of it.
There will be plenty of time to
shop for shoes online and post
pictures of your weekend fling at
the beach after you graduate.
I think we all have a better
chance to leave the college expe-
rience with a chance to succeed if
we pay attention to the instructors
and put our best work forward.
The people I see complaining
about scoring a 59 on an exam are
the same ones who spend their time
in class texting under the table and
chatting about the last episode of
whatever random reality show they
wasted their time watching last
night.
Okay, I am a non-traditional
student.
All that means is I cannot re-
late to the 19-year-old sophomore
whose parents pay tuition, room
and board so their child can make
the slightest attempt at getting an
education.
At most we spend four hours a
day in the classroom, on average.
I do not think it is too much to
ask the average student to sit qui-
etly, pretend to be interested and
possibly learn something without
immersing themselves in Face-
book, Twitter, email and a host of
other mega time-wasting activities.
Let's face it—our civilization
made it to the age of all of these
technological wonders because
the last generation of students
paid attention in class and became
smart—smart enough to invent
the very technology that is turn-
ing our students into academic
vegetables.
It is ironic to say the least.
Instructors at the high school
level as well as those in our col-
leges are at a tremendous disad-
vantage.
They are outnumbered for one
thing, but that is only part of the
problem.
The whole education experience
works only if the majority of people
engaged in it are focused on a good
outcome for the student.
Until students decide to set aside
their technological distractions
and focus on the task at hand in
the classroom, higher education is
going in the wrong direction fast.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
After Mahatma Gandhi's grandson ap-
peared on our campus three weeks ago, I
began to ask questions about what I could
do to help those in need.
Hearing all that Gandhi did made me
question what our goals are as far as help-
ing others, and if a global approach to giv-
ing is appropriate.
I began to do some research and realized
despite our economic troubles, America is
still the most prosperous nation on earth.
We should use our economic advantage
to help those nations in dire situations.
The nation of Ethiopia is ranked by the
World Bank as the 11th poorest nation on
earth, yet their struggles and the struggles
of most third world nations are off Amer-
ica's radar.
Americans often push global issues to
the side; justifying this by stating we can't
solve all the world's problems.
Those who make such claims are cor-
rect, but America can do more.
As I listened to Arun Gandhi, I realized
that his grandfather's fight took years, and
the results often took decades to be seen
(such as his work regarding education).
Knowing that massive change is not pos-
sible overnight, America should provide
those in nations such as Ethiopia with a
powerful tool that is guaranteed to change
the status quo, but takes time to take effect:
educational opportunities.
Whether it's building schools, buying
books or sending teachers, the opportunity
exists to change the world for the better.
Just attending a speech by a peace activ-
ist is not enough to make concrete change
in this world, taking what the speaker said
and acting upon it does.
I challenge myself, and those reading this
to find a way to give back to your global
community.
Personally, I am going to use my inspira-
tion by Arun Gandhi to provide books for
children in Ethiopia, but the opportunities
are abundant for us to make a difference.
Garry Jones
What do you think about
Cel phones in the classroom?
"Its really distracting to whoever is talking, and its
just really disrespectful."
- Ashlie Sivley,
fresh man, religion
"We're not in high school anymore. We should be able
to use our phones if we choose to."
- Taylor Pokluda,
^ senior, exercise science
"I think phones should be allowed in class. If you're
grown up you should be able to have them."
- Chris Arocha,
junior, exercise science
j
:-Jk
Note from the editor:
Letters to the editor are an important way for readers to provide feedback to the staff at
The Rambler. Input from our readers is valuable, and we appreciate the submissions we
received this semester. They add our reader's true perspective to Wesleyan's newspaper.
We hope our readers will continue to share their thoughts with us through their letters
and we look forward to serving the Wesleyan community when we return in the fall.
Thanks again for helping us to make the Rambler "your voice" on Wesleyan's campus.
"They are a distraction to the teachers as well as the
students."
- Christian Akin,
junior, history
"Some people use them for different aspects of class,
like in case you have to look something up."
- Daniel Mil man,
freshman, undecided
"I think it should be up to the professor's discretion.'
- Erin Bethany,
junior, math
L
'he Rambler
Shauna Banks, editor-in-chief
Barry Grubbs, opinion editor
Eliana Mijangos, sports editor
Meisa Keivani Najafabadi, photo editor
Stephanie Mejia arts & entertainment editor
Jonathan Resendez, multimedia editor
Erica Estrada, graphic designer/cartoonist
Wendy Moore, faculty adviser
Dr. Kay Col ley, faculty liaison
" We are not afraid to follow the truth ...
wherever it may lead."
— Thomas Jefferson
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Banks, Shauna. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 12, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 27, 2011, newspaper, April 27, 2011; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201324/m1/2/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.