I’ve spent the past five months straddling two worlds.
One is the cutting-edge world of the MCDM program. The other is the non-academic world of my friends and family — all living full productive lives without much digital media in them.
I frequently have trouble explaining one world to the other.
Despite the fact I sometimes come off as a conservative Neanderthal in some class discussions, I also get impatient with people of my own generation who sulk on the sidelines about digital media passing them by. Wishing for the mythical good old days gets pretty boring pretty fast.
Having said that, I’m now to share an observation that’ll pigeonhole me back into the old fart category.
When I first encountered 90 percent of my classmates typing away and staring intently at their laptops while the teacher spoke, it weirded me out. Then I thought of it as a generational thing, and quickly accepted it. In fact, I became a bit fascinated with a visible conversation and an invisible conversation happening simultaneously.
But in one of my classes, the teachers originally banned the use of laptops during class discussions.
More than half of the class became seriously spooked. A bit panicky. Vehement protests erupted. Laptops were reinstated by popular demand.
That also fascinated me — and worried me.
Couldn’t my classmates hold long discussions without having their laptops turned on?
I was reminded of two things.
1) As a newspaper reporter, I routinely competed against another reporter from an online venture who carried only a laptop and no notebooks. He sat down to take notes on his laptop in his lap.
Consequently, he was seriously screwed whenever he had to run after someone, or tried to take notes at any event where he could not sit down. It’s practically impossible to hold a laptop in one hand and type with the other while moving about.
2) The movie “Wall-E.” Remember the people on the super-duper-high-tech space ship who had the ship’s computer do everything for them — and their almost complete helplessness.
I’m not seriously saying anyone here is close to that helplessness. But there’s a grain of truth in there to think about.
John Stang has been a newspaper reporter for 27 years. He is currently the world’s oldest intern at seattlepi.com.
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4 Comments, Comment or Ping
Brain
I get what you are saying about being dependent on technology, but the fact of the matter is people adapt to the resources they have. Countering that, as you said, is the “what if you don’t have that technology, how are you going to do something?” I think the answer is “make due.”
Is it wrong that students may have wanted their laptops so they can do other stuff at the same time as class discussion other than just take notes? We are living in the time of multi-tasking, it is the culture.
Just because people use a tool to complete a task doesn’t make them dependent, it may just be how they do it. I’m sure some people in class would be shocked that you may not change your car’s oil and rely on somebody else to do it for you. Or maybe you make your margaritas using a sour mix, whereas I always make mine using fresh lime juice.
Dec 17th, 2009
Thomas @ Satellite TV
It’s a generation. Instead of notebook, students are using laptop. At old ages, we use to watch black and white television but now we are watching TV in color with lots of improve picture and sound. As generation goes on, new technology arises to fulfill our needs in a more proper way and it also becomes a part of our life too.
Dec 22nd, 2009
Brook Ellingwood
Back in the 80′s, I carried a paper notebook to all my undergrad classes. During class I took notes, but I also drew a lot of doodles. I wrote song lyrics, opening paragraphs to short stories that I’d never finish, and letters I never got around to mailing.
Now, in MCDM, I take a laptop to all my classes, and on the rare occasions when I need a pen I often discover I’ve neglected to put on in my backpack. Paper isn’t the center of my education anymore.
During class I take notes in a text editor. I also keep up a side conversation with classmates in Twitter that generally is on topic, although sometimes veers into jokes and other chatter. I look up information online as it’s mentioned, instead of writing it down to forget about looking up in the library like I used to. I sneak in trips to Facebook to comment on the status of the old friends I’ve reconnected with after decades of failing to send them letters. I work out pressing logistical needs with my wife (“Can you get the kid to school tomorrow morning?”) via instant messenger.
The actual amount of attention I pay in class is no less than it was when I carried a paper notebook. In fact I’m probably paying more attention to the topic at hand, since when I’m not actively participating in the physical class I’m often accessing or exchanging information relevant to it. Even when I’m doing things that aren’t related to the class, the way I do them is far more efficient than it used to be. Maybe I shouldn’t pop over to Facebook at all, but I probably shouldn’t have been writing letters in my undergrad classes either. At least on Facebook I know I’ve completed my off-topic communication instead of letting it languish in my notebook because I’m out of stamps.
The problem in the classroom, if indeed there really is a problem, isn’t one of technology. It’s one of focus. I personally feel that I do a better job of focusing with a powerful information management tool at my fingertips than I used to with a piece of paper and a pen there. But really the biggest factor in maintaining focus is having a good teacher. The tools students use in class shouldn’t matter much.
As for your laptop-encumbered journalistic colleague, he may have been screwed in the situation you describe, but I can easily imagine other situations when he might have had a big competitive advantage over you. Real-time fact checking during a press conference is one that springs to mind.
There aren’t any absolutes here. Everything has trade offs. For all I feel I’ve gained in adopting the laptop lifestyle, I’ve given up some things that I miss too. My life is poorer now that I no longer sketch my little doodles. The laptop will never replace the satisfying tactile sensation of crosshatching shadows with a cheap Bic ballpoint pen.
Jan 1st, 2010
Lynne
I don’t believe it’s a generation gap between what tools we use in contemporary learning institutions, I think it’s a willingness to try and adapt our curious mind to using tools which are available in our time; its also a test of flexibility in being able to fit ones particular learning style. I think what MCDM has made me realize is that we all have different ways of synthesizing subject material. I was one of those students who’s mouth was agasp when told not to type during class. I am new to MCDM but I quickly realized the power of community engagement learning (learning has become ‘social’ and very participatory). When we learn from each others posts, tweet with relevant subject links and of course have ‘old fashion’ real-time discussions, the subject is enhanced during class. I see occasional humor and gain a sense of community with my fellow students in twitter posts as we all share information using hashtags. I think these new multi-media tools allow interdisciplinary approach to learning and can reach more people.
Jan 6th, 2010
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