Effective and Creative Use of Technology in the Classroom:

Guidelines

Dr. Sean Meehan

English Department / Morningside College

The classroom should be a learning environment—guided by your interest in learning, in pursuing an inquiry (for that day, for that week, for that semester) with additional guidance from me, a more advanced learner. Technology (primarily your laptop, and the web, in the case of a wireless classroom) is an important tool for this inquiry. We will not only make thorough use of this tool, we will investigate in different places how this tool, how digital technology and electronic textuality, are changing the very nature of our fields of study (English, literature, language, American culture, pedagogy).

However, this tool should be used to enhance your attention to study, your inquiry, not used for distraction or diversion—diversion (surfing the web, etc) is not a method of inquiry. As an educator, I am interested in the hyperlink, not in multi-tasking. Ask me about the difference and begin to explore this difference in your own learning.

With this in mind, I have the following guidelines you will need to follow.

1]I will expect you to have your laptop with you in each class. At times I may ask you to close your laptop or put it away; at other times I will ask you to use it for writing and inquiry.

2]While using your laptop during class, for inquiry, writing, group work, discussion etc: I invite you to make use of the web as it supports your learning. Look up an electronic text, a word on the OED, a site related to the content of the discussion, take notes.

3]I expect that at no point during class will you use this technology for the following: emailing (unless I have asked you to email me a document); instant messages (the furious typing of messages is noticeable and distracting); watching a video or listening to music (unless directed by me); surfing the web for sites not directly related to the discussion that day; using or reading blogs and related sites such as myspace.

The simple way to deal with this: when you walk into class, switch off your diversionary interest in the web (which has a place, but not in class) much as I expect you to switch off a cell phone or ipod.

Let me be clear: since I consider a violation of one of the prohibitions listed above to be disrespectful to your peers and to me—and respect is a key component of a learning environment—I will not hesitate to call out any student caught doing so. The first violation will be a public shaming on the spot; the second violation will result in the student being kicked out of class for the day and a conference with me.