Let me get this straight: talk with me instead of at me, but don't mind me if I'm asleep or looking at pr0n? Conversation is a two way street. Also, it is impossible to carry on with the interested students the same way as if everyone was engaged. The slackers aren't invisible, they are a distraction to everyone.
True, but even the students who don't come will try to blame the prof when they fail, even to the point of lawsuits. This is why I require attendance for my classes; it's one more finger in the dike, and encourages the idiots who miss the first half of a semester to drop, so that they don't have to fail and I don't have to fail them. I _wish_ a failing student was only their own problem.
Don't forget, there are classes mostly composed of freshmen, who have suddenly realized that they aren't required by law to go to class. Of course, they skip class and waste their time and mone. Freshmen are not always mature adults, and having someone tell them what to do is not a bad thing.
I agree that reports of professor distress are exaggerated, but there are some other factors.
I teach college, and I have to say that most of the opinions being expressed are really unfounded. Here is a fact that most have overlooked: teaching to a classroom of uninvolved students is not the same as teaching to students who are engaged!
It amazes me that so many people want professors to be interesting, and then can't understand why they want the attention of the students. A good teacher monitors and adjusts to the student reaction. If there is a room full of blank looks that indicate nothing at all, the professor is often forced to talk at the students, and become just a talking head. Of course there are professors who teach like this by default, but there are also many who do their best to be interesting. It is foolish to say that if a student is not paying attention then the professor must be boring. One of the things I teach is rock music, and during all my classes (Hendrix, Beatles, AC/DC, U2, Eminem, Spinal Tap, etc) I still had people reading the paper. Trust me, this had nothing to do with the class. How are we supposed to be entertaining if we are looking at students who clearly don't want to hear anything said at all?
It is true that it is theoretically possible to have WiFi and classes coexist, and I would welcome the opportunity to integrate that technology. But practically speaking, it is more difficult than many seem to think. Before anyone accuses me of avoiding change or technology, come to a class of mine. I use a laptop to fully integrate cd audio, mp3, WebCT, DVD video, and powerpoint into all my lectures.
There seems to be an opinion that if a student doesn't pay attention and fails a course, that student happily blames him or herself. Ha! I have a number of emails that week from students saying "I did the work, I paid my tuition, I deserve at least a C" when they either didn't come to class (it's just rock music, right?) or they couldn't answer basic questions (Was Eric Clapton a member of the Beatles?). Students have pressed lawsuits based on breach of contract because they thought that as long they paid tuition they should pass. Failing students often blame the professor (sometimes correctly) and controlling the distractions in a classroom is something that helps eliminate this problem. For all of you out there who knew the stuff, passed the class, and didn't feel you needed to go to any classes, there was someone next to you who was determined to take out their failure on the professor. Asking students to pay attention is one way to reduce this.
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Let me get this straight: talk with me instead of at me, but don't mind me if I'm asleep or looking at pr0n? Conversation is a two way street. Also, it is impossible to carry on with the interested students the same way as if everyone was engaged. The slackers aren't invisible, they are a distraction to everyone.
True, but even the students who don't come will try to blame the prof when they fail, even to the point of lawsuits. This is why I require attendance for my classes; it's one more finger in the dike, and encourages the idiots who miss the first half of a semester to drop, so that they don't have to fail and I don't have to fail them. I _wish_ a failing student was only their own problem.
Don't forget, there are classes mostly composed of freshmen, who have suddenly realized that they aren't required by law to go to class. Of course, they skip class and waste their time and mone. Freshmen are not always mature adults, and having someone tell them what to do is not a bad thing.
I agree that reports of professor distress are exaggerated, but there are some other factors. I teach college, and I have to say that most of the opinions being expressed are really unfounded. Here is a fact that most have overlooked: teaching to a classroom of uninvolved students is not the same as teaching to students who are engaged! It amazes me that so many people want professors to be interesting, and then can't understand why they want the attention of the students. A good teacher monitors and adjusts to the student reaction. If there is a room full of blank looks that indicate nothing at all, the professor is often forced to talk at the students, and become just a talking head. Of course there are professors who teach like this by default, but there are also many who do their best to be interesting. It is foolish to say that if a student is not paying attention then the professor must be boring. One of the things I teach is rock music, and during all my classes (Hendrix, Beatles, AC/DC, U2, Eminem, Spinal Tap, etc) I still had people reading the paper. Trust me, this had nothing to do with the class. How are we supposed to be entertaining if we are looking at students who clearly don't want to hear anything said at all? It is true that it is theoretically possible to have WiFi and classes coexist, and I would welcome the opportunity to integrate that technology. But practically speaking, it is more difficult than many seem to think. Before anyone accuses me of avoiding change or technology, come to a class of mine. I use a laptop to fully integrate cd audio, mp3, WebCT, DVD video, and powerpoint into all my lectures. There seems to be an opinion that if a student doesn't pay attention and fails a course, that student happily blames him or herself. Ha! I have a number of emails that week from students saying "I did the work, I paid my tuition, I deserve at least a C" when they either didn't come to class (it's just rock music, right?) or they couldn't answer basic questions (Was Eric Clapton a member of the Beatles?). Students have pressed lawsuits based on breach of contract because they thought that as long they paid tuition they should pass. Failing students often blame the professor (sometimes correctly) and controlling the distractions in a classroom is something that helps eliminate this problem. For all of you out there who knew the stuff, passed the class, and didn't feel you needed to go to any classes, there was someone next to you who was determined to take out their failure on the professor. Asking students to pay attention is one way to reduce this.