Recently I went to the Red Rock Great Teaching Retreat in Kanab here in Utah. It was a really nice weekend. I loved how practical it was. We spent much of the time in breakout sessions talking about specific problems we have in the class and helping each other to think through those problems.
One of the issues that came up several times was how to deal with distracted students in class. Our discussion about appropriate student use of technology in the classroom got me thinking about my own technology policy. This is what I include in all of my syllabuses:
I believe that the use of electronic devices including smart phones, tablets, and laptops can make class more engaging and delightful. I encourage you to bring these devices to class and to use them to engage in class. You might use your device to look up words or references in class, take notes, or make comments on Twitter. This is a privilege I expect will not be abused. Headphones, texting, making or answering phone calls, Facebook, gaming, checking email and other tomfoolery is disrespectful to me and to your fellow students will result in a penalty to your participation grade.
Now that I look at it, I'm pretty sure that I owe the part about tomfoolerly to one of my mentors from whom I certainly plagiarized part of the policy. But regardless of that, I'm really happy with my policy. Are there students who occasionally check or send a text message or updat their Facebook status during class? I'm sure that they do. But it has never been a problem for me, and I truly believe that having students connected can make class much more interesting for them and for me.
This became very clear to me the other day when I was watching my history students play the 1600s RPG. This is what I saw:
These students are not using their devices to waste time. They are using it to enhance class. Some are consulting and updating the Google Docs that they spent weeks creating in order to understand the historical context or the rules of the game. Others are using dice apps like Pip or the elegantly named Dice-Roller Simulator instead of physical dice. Others are consulting the internet to find out where was Cervantes was on a certain date so that they can go and save him from the time terrorists.
I understand that not every class is the same, and on the rare occasions that I do turn off the lights and put up a presentation I'm sure that there are some students who take advantage of the moment to check their social networks, but generally speaking my students are far too engaged in class to be "distracted" by technology.
It isn't the foundation of what I do, and there will be courses where it really won't play a factor (I'm currently planning a very tech-light composition course for the fall), but I believe that when students feel trusted and they are given ways to use their devices to enhance class -- it can all be quite delightful.