There seem to be two camps here - the first is that you should do your searching away from the classroom to avoid affecting the teacher and other students - if you want to surf, stay home or at the dorm. The other camp is that you should be able to do what you want to do, since it is effectively "your time" because you've paid to be there.
There is a single policy that causes the problem here: mandatory attendance in order to receive a grade for classes that are essentially book taught.
If you remove the mandatory attendance rules, you allow the student the choice of whether or not to attend. If you require attendance, you remove this choice.
Keep testing requirements high. Even test based on classroom discussion...but accept that some students may NEVER come to class, and yet may still be able to perform well on tests. Good for them! Some students may never come to class, and may fail these tests. So be it.
For those classes requiring Internet technologies to be effective (actually quite few), create a local network containing the information required for the class. If the teacher wants free thinking and searching on a topic, then assign it as outside work or open ports long enough to do the task, then shut everything off again.
For classas like Phys-ed, there is really no problem anyway except for the fact that it is hard to run the track with a powerbook strapped to your waist.
The student would be free to choose his involvement level in the class. Non traditional students capable of self study could actually take some of those classes not offered at night but required to fill a degree plan. Teachers and students alike would no longer have to listen to stupid "Uh-Oh's" form IM clients et al.
All by removing this policy that is truly a grade school throwback.
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There seem to be two camps here - the first is that you should do your searching away from the classroom to avoid affecting the teacher and other students - if you want to surf, stay home or at the dorm. The other camp is that you should be able to do what you want to do, since it is effectively "your time" because you've paid to be there. There is a single policy that causes the problem here: mandatory attendance in order to receive a grade for classes that are essentially book taught. If you remove the mandatory attendance rules, you allow the student the choice of whether or not to attend. If you require attendance, you remove this choice. Keep testing requirements high. Even test based on classroom discussion...but accept that some students may NEVER come to class, and yet may still be able to perform well on tests. Good for them! Some students may never come to class, and may fail these tests. So be it. For those classes requiring Internet technologies to be effective (actually quite few), create a local network containing the information required for the class. If the teacher wants free thinking and searching on a topic, then assign it as outside work or open ports long enough to do the task, then shut everything off again. For classas like Phys-ed, there is really no problem anyway except for the fact that it is hard to run the track with a powerbook strapped to your waist. The student would be free to choose his involvement level in the class. Non traditional students capable of self study could actually take some of those classes not offered at night but required to fill a degree plan. Teachers and students alike would no longer have to listen to stupid "Uh-Oh's" form IM clients et al. All by removing this policy that is truly a grade school throwback.