Scripps Dean Scott Titsworth's research shows technology in the classroom can be positive, but also isn't as effective as taking notes with paper and pen.
Using a cell phone in class might not be as much of a distraction as some professors think.
Scott Titsworth, dean of the Scripps College of Communication published research in 2013 explaining how cell phone and technology usage in the classroom environment can greatly impact a student’s experience in a positive way.
“Technology in the classroom is going to be inevitable,” Titsworth said. “It is up to us to use it in ways that are productive and positive in the learning experience.”
Leverage is a key aspect in the uses of technology in education, Titsworth said. Ultimately it is a balancing act between positive uses in education, and negative aspects such as distraction in the classrooms.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="b9ac6e22-6562-11e5-9118-b7c9b4f5e587"}}
Titswroth said the use of technology within classrooms will always be at the discretion of the professor, but the university wants to enable faculty to make decisions in how to productively use technology in their classes and lectures.
Some professors already use platforms such Twitter and video chat in their classrooms, Titsworth said.
Kim Thompson, a lecturer of environmental and plant biology at Ohio University, said she finds technology to be interactive and good tool in the classroom.
“I really like using the clicker quizzes in my classes, because students can easily evaluate if they understand the material or not,” Thompson said.
Thompson said she also creates a blog assignment for students in her some of her classes, which has students form groups to create a functioning blog website full of information about a natural resource project of their choosing, such as a national park. The blog must be created, edited and published in its entirety by students.
However, Brandon Kendhammer, assistant professor of political science and the acting director of the African studies program, said research has proved taking notes on a laptop rather than in a notebook can often be more distracting to the student.
Titsworth said, “the act of taking notes using a laptop isn’t quite as effective as the old school way with pen and paper.”
Titsworth added that such research has proven students are not as organized in their note taking, have a low retention rate of the information, and often do not process the information, but rather write out the professor’s lecture verbatim.
Kendhammer mentioned he does not have a specific policy for using technology in his class, but his ultimate concern is the distraction of other students.
In general, professors tend to have a healthy skeptic attitude when it comes to students using their own technology, such as laptops and cellphones, in the classroom, Titsworth said.
Ian Weidner, a freshman studying aviation management, said technology such as cell phones can be a distraction in the classroom.
“I think technology in the classrooms can be helpful, especially when it comes to the convenience,” he said. “But I think there needs to be more guidance from the teachers when it comes to using the technology.”
