Observation #1

Earlier today I observed students' use of technology. I watched them in class, between classes, in computer labs and in the school library. I was very surprised at how many students were on their cell phones alone (not to mention how many were on the school computers doing everything but their homework). First I started in class. The first class I observed was my Anatomy and Physiology class. There are about 30 or so students. Eleven of them were using their cell phones throughout class. An additional five were on their laptops checking out what's the latest news on their Facebook wall. I then moved on to my Psychology class. To my surprise, only a few were on their cell phone (maybe three or so throughout class, so it wasn't too bad). Then I made my way to the computer lab to see how many people were doing everything but their homework on the computers. I walked around inconspicuously and noticed 13 students were either on a social networking website or playing online games. After that, I made my way to the Starbucks area to see how many (if any) students were socializing face-to-face. I was once again surprised. Students were actually talking face-to-face. Yes, some of them were engrossed in their cellphones, but a majority of the students were socializing with each other without the aid of their phone. The library was the last area I went to observe. Even though students were using their laptops, it was for homework. This days' worth of observation made it clear that students are more focused on social networking and online video gaming than school work.

Here is a picture mocking me about how I think I looked while observing (spying) on the other students.

Here is a video of a teacher who breaks a students cell phone for using it during class