Essay Sample

Can college students resist the lure of instagram , facebook and youtube during the class?

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Are any of these students texting? Like millions of my colleagues who teach at universities and colleges, I'm working hard this week to put an updated zing into the syllabus for each of my fall classes. Describing the course content and readings for Biological Anthropology and Primate Behavior is the fun, mind-boggling part. By contrast, the "Policies" (do's and don'ts) section of each syllabus is less than fascinating to compose, but it contains one particularly key passage: Do resist the urge to send email, texts or tweets, check Facebook, read the news during class!

There's quantitative support for concern about concentration in the classroom. One study showed that, on average, students at the University of Pittsburgh in Bradford said they read 2.6 texts per class and send 2.4, and that their learning probably suffers for it.A larger survey of more than a thousand students at the University of New Hampshire revealed that only 20 percent of them said they send no texts during a "typical" class. A stunning 15 percent send more than 11 texts in a single class period.

When, as a teaching mentor to a younger colleague, I sat in the back of two classrooms last year, I saw with my own eyes what the teacher up front could not: More than a few of your peers used their open laptops in ways quite apart from taking thorough notes. A writer at the Harvard Crimson reflects upon this same startling "Facebook in class" phenomenon at Harvard University, suggesting that less-than-stellar teaching are to blame.

Of course, lots of us faculty embrace online interactions. I wrote here last week about the joyof learning science via Twitter. Some of us may bring online teaching tools into our classrooms by, say, assigning a series of high-quality blog posts, showing a YouTube video or "Ted" talk, or arranging Skype discussions with professionals in our field. But as a culture, we have to fight the seductive appeal of constant connection via our technology, which fragments our attention and interrupts the joy of full immersion in thinking, problem-solving, and questioning.

So, students, help us college teachers out as we work hard toteach you the material we love and as

we learn along with you. During our 50- or 75-minute classes, or our three-hour seminars or labs, strive to shut down the electronics unless invited to do otherwise. The collective classroom dynamic will change for the better!

By : Barbara J. King ( PHD , Professor of Anthropology at the College of William )

 

Credit Description Bandscore
LR The vocabulary is varied and appropriate for an academic context. The writer uses terms related to education and technology effectively, demonstrating a good command of language. This would likely receive a high score. 8
C C The text is logically organized, with a clear progression of ideas. It uses appropriate linking words and phrases to connect thoughts, making it easy to follow. This aspect would also score favorably. 8
GR The text displays a range of grammatical structures and is mostly free of errors. 8
TA The text effectively addresses the topic of technology use in the classroom and provides relevant examples and arguments. It presents a clear message about the importance of minimizing distractions for better learning outcomes. This would likely score well. 8
8