Disconnect from the WiFi and connect to learning

There has been an on-going debate among professors in academia on the topic of whether or not to ban technology in the classroom. Students are becoming more dependent on technology - using laptops to take notes, look up concepts they don't understand, using their phones to take pictures of written notes, or record a professor's lecture, or even keep in contact with students in the class. While technology proves to be convenient and useful there is a trade off. Now, more than ever students are having a hard time retaining information, focusing in class, and scoring well on tests. This is due to the relationship between technology, multi-tasking, and the brain.  While professors in fields that don't rely on technology are quick to ban it but what about classes that have a focus on technology? Is it possible to teach a technology reliant course without technology? The answer is yes. 

Losing focus 

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Clay Shriky, a professor of media studies at New York University, is considered a leading voice on the effects technology has on society, has recently ban technology from his classroom. His classes teach heavily about technology and social media- teaching the theory and practice of social media. Shriky has been teaching technology dependent classes since 1998 where originally he had a hands off or "laissez-faire" attitude toward technology use in his classroom. He originally did not want to ban technology because he felt what he was teaching was more interesting than anything a student could do on technology during his class. Shriky also felt like banning technology was not treating his college students like adults and did not want to baby them, As the times changed and technology advanced, he noticed the level of distraction in his class grew. 

The rise in distraction has a direct correlation to technology. When Shriky started teaching in 1998, technology was not nearly as advanced as it is today. Computers were not portable or the ones that were, were very expensive and phones only had the ability to make phone calls. Fast forward to current times and virtually every student has a laptop and a smart phone. These devices allow students to access the web, talk to their friends, play games, and access a slew of distractions all at the tips of their fingers. The ability to resit the temptation of using technology in the classroom has become nearly impossible. Even if professors allow computers for "note-taking" it is easy for even the best students to get off track when the device itself is made to create distractions. 

Shriky said that when he told his students to shut their devices "lids-down" that there was a sense of relief in the classroom. 

"...it's as if someone has let fresh air into the room. The conversation brightens, and more recently their is a sense of relief from many students," Shriky said. " Multi-tasking is cognitively exhausting; when we do it by choice, being around to stop can welcome change." 

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By banning technology use from the classroom Shriky is in a sense forcing students to disconnect. This disconnect however, is not a bad thing. This day and age attention- spans are at an all time low and attempts are multi-tasking are at an all time high. Students feel as though since the technology is there and convenient to them, that they now have to use it. They play music while studying, text friends while writing a paper, and even update their social media while in class. By making students disconnect, it allows them to focus on one thing or one subject at a time. This in turn leads to a better understanding of what they are learning and gives them a better chance that they will be able retain and recall what they have learned. 

In college, students feel the need to multi-task because of the overwhelming work load they are equipped with. While this may work short term in getting assignments done, the question comes into play- How does this affect the quality of the assignments? The answer is poorly. In a study preformed by Stanford in 2009 on the effects of multi-tasking on the brain, it was discovered that multi-tasking is psychologically impossible. In the study it put people who claimed to be good at multi-tasking to the test. It had them identify rectangles while facing the distraction of triangles. When the participants were flooded with information, such as the triangles and rectangles that they could not focus on what was in front of them. The scores of their tests were poor when compared to people who did not multi-task. This furthered the notion that people who claim that multi-taking is effective and they are good at it were actually proved false on all accords. 

Banning technology in the classroom has become more common place due to students becoming worse and worse. Not only are the effects evident in their work, it is also evident in how they prioritize it. A quote from a Washington Post article entitled "Why a leading professor of new media just banned technology use in class"best summarizes multi-tasking and priorities, 
"Multi-taskers often think they are like gym rats bulking up their ability to judge tasks, when in fact they are like alcoholics, degrading their abilities through over consumption,"

Students often feel as though the more they multi-task and the more work they pile on at once, the more efficient they are being. But the reality is few can actually handle multi-tasking especially in an academic setting. Students may think they can carry on a text message conversation while taking notes but the reality is they cant. 

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Teaching technology without technology 

Just because a course teaches subject matter such as social media it does not give students a pass to use it while in the classroom.

"The problem (technology use) is especially acute with social media... social information is immediately and emotionally engaging,"  Shriky said. "Both the form of the content and the Facebook update are almost irresistibly distracting especially compared with the hard slog of course work( "your former lover tagged a photo you are in" vs. "The Crimean was was the first conflict signifying affected by use of the telegraph")"

Clay Shriky serves as an example that it is not only possible to teach a social media or media reliant class while banning technology, it is also beneficial for the students. 

By forcing students to turn their phone off ,it not only allows for a more focused, attentive classroom, it also limits distractions. 

Students do not need to use technology to understand it. If a student is on their phone or distracted on their laptop during a lecture they will actually learn less. 

In a study conducted on the effects of laptop use during class, it was found that laptop use not only inhibited the user but also the students around them, Students who are tying to focus on the information or lesson in the classroom became easily distracted by screen use around them. If someone in front of a student trying to pay attention is say online shopping rather than taking notes, their attention is subconsciously pulled to the screen and they lose focus despite their efforts to pay attention. 

In the Washington post article, screen time is compared to second hand smoke. Test results found that not only were the scores of people multi-tasking on screens were lower but also the results of the people around them who were in direct view of the screen were lower. 

As a result of banning technology in the classroom, Shriky noticed that students now focus as a collaborative process where the professor  and students work together to attain a goal of  creating an environment where students  that want to focus now have the best shot at it. Shriky made the observation that students who don't want to abide by his new policy tend to avoid his course, leaving students that want to focus and learn to the best of their abilities. 

A world so connected has never been more disconnected 

Technology use has caused students to be disconnected not only from the classroom but from many other aspects of their lives:

1.Conversations falling short

Constant texting and communication through out the day has lead to decreased social skills and inability to hold face to face conversations. In an article published by the Huffingtonpost entitled "When students text all day, what happens to their social skills?" held an interview with Melissa Ortega, a child psychologist at New York’s Child Mind Institute Conversation takes practice, Ortega said, and a dependence on devices can make it that much harder for children who are already struggling socially.

“Another thing I’m noticing is they may have trouble initiating interactions, those small talk situations. They don’t have as much experience doing it because they’re not engaging in it ever. They always have something else going on,” she said.

2. A need for approval 

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In current society, people now have a motive to do things based on how their social media followers will react. Phrases such as "Do it for the vine" or "take pics for Instagram" become commonplace. This leads to a disconnect between real life and virtual life. Dr Rima Sabban, assistant professor of sociology at Zayed University said in an article published by Gulfnews, 
"We are witnessing the generations that were brought up spending time with family, visiting neighbours and being taught the importance of being sociable; unlearn their skills after becoming dependent on communicating with friends and family on social media. If this is the case with the older generation, it is even worse for children aged 13 and 14, who were never brought up with these sociable skills."

3.Living in the phone not in the moment 

People now more than ever are not living in the present, but rather in a suspended state in their phones. Instead of enjoying the world around them they are comparing their lives to the people they follow on social media. What they fail to realize is the grass always seems greener on the other side and the things that the people they are following is skewed. They only present the best parts of their life. This causes people to be unhappy with the life they are living, thinking that it should be like the fake ones that they follow. Instead of enjoying their surroundings people are now planning on ways to achieve lives like the people they follow. Going as far as to alter their body or spend excessive amounts of money. When it comes down to it, people are missing out on living by looking at their phone.

It is possible to teach a technology class without technology. In fact it is encouraged. In society today even the most tech savvy people need to learn how to exist without constantly checking their computer and phones. In order to properly learn students must cut out all distractions and focus. Banning technology is a step in the right direction.

A midsummer night's Dreamweaver

Society today is all about branding. Whether it be branding on cereal, clothing, cars, hotels, branding is prominent in everything a person does. While society is lead to believe that brands are important when it really comes down to it the only branding that matters is the way we brand ourselves.
The question can be asked of how one goes about branding themselves. The answer to that is simple- social media.
Now, more than ever, people are reliant on social media to interpret who someone is and what they are like. That is why it is important to have an organized place where someone (potential employers) can easily access information and social media links. A perfect place for this information is a personal website.
Having a personal website is more important than ever. It not only displays that a person posses the skills to design and code a website, it also gives the creator the ability to showcase their best work and link pages and contact information to a central location.
When linking social media accounts to a website it is important to ensure they are professional caliber- meaning no party pictures or obscenities. A website is a way to brand yourself and set yourself apart from the rest, by staying professional it gives potential employers the right message about you and your image.
Taking a social media class offered by a local college can serve useful for the future, not only in online presence but also in the context of having a better understanding of what people see. SUNY Buffalo State offers a web and social media production class where students go through a series of projects, each dealing with a different platform. They start off small using the platform Blogger, and then progress to iMovie, wikiHow, Twitter, and then finish with the creation of their very own website. This course builds proficiency in media and the tools that are used to create it and also provides a background of how the web and social media became what it is today. At the end of the  course a student walks away with a high caliber, professional grade website and online portfolio that serves useful in the context of college and the "real" world.
The projects and assignments may prove to be time consuming and frustrating for some students but the hard work that one puts in to the class is evident.
The social media class also assists students in the aspect of personal branding. Through out the projects emphasis is placed on professionalism. Each post a student makes is combed through for grammatical errors and problems with content as well as looked at in terms of personal pictures and messages. Special attention is placed on the Twitter assignment where a student creates a Twitter page and treats it like a professional entity. In this case the Professor looks at each individual tweet and interaction to ensure it not only meets the criteria for class but also for the professional world.