By Molly Christy
Paying attention in class seems to be getting harder as handier forms of technology are invented. Cell phones, PDA’s, iPod’s, these electronics have been distracting students more and more lately, and it isn’t just because of ‘spring fever.’
The biggest distraction of all to students might very well be the one that the teacher can see and may encourage students to use during a lecture: the Internet. Increasingly, more of the classrooms at PPCC have been equipped with computers for each student to use.
Lately, the problem has become that students are logging on and using the Internet while they should be paying attention to their instructor. In a recent PPCC Pikes Peak News poll 66 percent of the students that participated agreed that students should not be allowed to surf the Internet during a lecture. Not only is it disrespectful to the instructor, it may be distracting to other students in the class.
I, for example, do not need somebody sitting next to me surfing MySpace.com while I am trying to give my full attention to the instructor. Although 66 percent of the students that answered the poll viewed that surfing the Internet is a no-no during class, 34 percent believe that it is OK, and their choice to whether or not they pay attention.
One student argued that they are paying for the class; therefore, they believe that they have the right to surf the net during class if they want to. This is not entirely true, you are not in fact paying for the use of the Internet; you are paying to learn from the instructor, you should give them your full attention.
There is one exception when it comes to using the Internet during class; that is, if your instructor asks you to. Some instructors require students to look up websites or to do a search for information on google.com, and of course, this is acceptable. You should only use the Internet in class if your instructor tells you to; otherwise, you are being disrespectful to your teacher as well as your peers.
Ultimately, though, the only person that you are hurting while surfing the Internet during class is yourself. What is your purpose for being here, if not to learn?
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