Computers in the Classroom

Tyler Powell

In an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jeffrey Young states, "[A] survey consist[ing] of 211 students at a university in England...was conducted by researchers at the University of Central Lancashire. Students in the survey gave low marks not just to PowerPoint, but also to all kinds of computer-assisted classroom activities, even interactive exercises in computer labs. 'The least boring teaching methods were found to be seminars, practical sessions, and group discussions,' said the report. In other words, tech-free classrooms were the most engaging."

All the technology in the classroom is causing students to stop paying attention or to careless. The professor turns the lights down to show a PowerPoint on the lecture of the day and half the class goes to sleep. It's not like it matters anyway, they can probably get the PowerPoint online or watch a video of the class. Even basic lectures where professors dump mounds of information on you without end become very droning very quickly. The classes where students engage the most are classes with discussions and arguments. Students tend to get more out of these classes because they've been given the chance to participate and come up with good ideas. Even those who are not directly involved in the discussion are running the different cases in their head and coming up with their own conclusions.