Source: brockpress.com

By: Katherine Gottli

There is no doubt that educators at any level of academia must compete with numerous external distractions within their classroom - the most prevalent of said distractions being technology.

Whereas laptops were once an item only the privileged had in their possession, one would be hard pressed to walk into any lecture or seminar and not see a large portion of the class typing away. One-sided conversations heard in passing coming from an individual on their cell phone have become the standard, and in place of conversation in public spaces many have adopted the “they will not talk to me if I have my ear-phones in” theory.

One might argue that we are losing touch with one another - that it is just easier to send a text or email rather than actually speaking directly with the person. The response is almost immediate, and it cuts down on the pleasantries that one has to exchange before they actually get what they wanted in the first place. This is not to say that everyone has given in to the ‘Crackberries’ and constant Internet checking, but, for the most part, society is technology-obsessed.

We are plugged in almost all the time. We can easily communicate with one another through a screen at any time of day, and take comfort in knowing that the majority of the time, we will receive a response almost instantly. Not to say that advancements in technology and the accessibility of it are necessarily bad things, but one might argue that being able to get everything and anything in a matter of seconds when plugged in has brought on a new form of socially induced addiction.

We check our e-mail incessantly throughout the day making sure we are up-to-date. We synchronize all of our e-mail accounts to be able to check them more efficiently. We have Internet on our cell phones so we literally have a wealth of knowledge and entertainment at our fingertips at any time of the day. We spend countless number of hours procrastinating on social networking Web sites to check up on what our “friends” are doing, but seldom do we sit down and have a conversation with the person who we really only know through the Internet.

“I see addiction as a behaviour - so you can have addiction without drugs,” said Professor Stan Savada from the department of Psychology at Brock University. “The common way of seeing it is that the drug causes the addiction, but that’s only one element.”

Savada does research and teaches on the effects of problem drinking and drug-use, but also works in the realm of gambling, which has become a large problem in society if only because of the accessibility of it. We live in a region that has numerous casinos and gambling opportunities within a driving distance, but, beyond the tangible slot machines and Blackjack tables, there is the Internet.

The Internet and technology, according to Savada, have opened up the door to what people can be addicted to. It is accessible, easy to use and often made to be more attractive than what it really is - playing into the vulnerabilities in individuals that often cause addiction.

Savada believes that addictions are generated within the person - they stem from a personality factors - such as compulsive behaviour or not being able to deal with strong emotions. Occasionally, when an individual has difficulty dealing with strong emotions or strong emotional states, they turn to addiction because it offers a false sense of control, though this does not happen in everyone.

Often, neurological factors play a role in addiction as well. According to Savada, research shows that gambling produces the same type of reaction in the brain that one might get when using recreational drugs.

Ultimately, according to Savada, “the question of what is addiction and what is basically the idea that the person wants to stop, has good reason to stop, and can’t stop. That is the simplest way of looking at it”.

However, as previously stated and in accordance with Savada’s beliefs, addiction has to be generated within the person and something such as technology can not simply be labelled as “addicting”, as many individuals use it and do not have a problem with it. There are only a select few that have trouble navigating the line between everyday use and addiction.

Thus, the constant use of technology may not be a negative thing. In fact, according to Professor Tony DiPetta from the Faculty of Education at Brock, technology is often used in classroom with students of any age to level the playing field.

As technology is omnipresent, why should it be ignored within the classroom? School boards across the province are becoming more in-tune as to what the benefits of technology are, and, as DiPetta describes, are “[realizing the] creative and powerful system approaches that help all students learn”.

One example currently used in some classrooms in the region is “Sound Fields”. As DiPetta described it, the teacher wears a necklace that is actually a microphone around their neck. When they speak, their voice is broadcasted to speakers around the room that allows for students to hear exactly what the teacher is saying at all times, thus cutting down on listening and behavioural problem. Student’s marks improve as a result, and it makes the room equal for everyone.

DiPetta also described a new device called a “Clicker”, in which students can answer a teacher’s question or give a response simply by pushing a button on a remote. The results of the question are instantly tabulated, and the teacher is able to figure out the general consensus of the room, and everyone gets a chance to answer.

Technology is advancing leaps and bounds within the classroom, yet the one problem that seems to remain, according to DiPetta, is the lack of education for the teachers in how to effectively implement the tools.

“[Technology is] broadening access to learning, and deepening the kinds of things that teachers can do in the classroom. The problem is that not all teachers have been trained properly to use the different technology in the classroom, because it does take time to figure out what to do and how to do it. I suspect that the technology is being put into place in the majority of the schools across Ontario right now. What has not happened sufficiently is the training for the teachers on how to use it,” he said.

“Most teachers are interested - young teachers are coming in to the classroom already tech savvy - they are aware of blogs [YouTube, etc.] What they do not know is how you can translate that awareness of technology into how you use it effectively in the classroom, but they are much more willing than teachers were five or six years ago. They know they can pick it up.”

With all of that said, DiPetta does not want to see technology used in place of human interaction, though it is important that students learn how to effectively use technology in ways that will assist them in the “real world”.

Thus, as we check our e-mails for the 100th time in the last four hours, perhaps we should start thinking of ways that technology can be used to further our understanding of society - rather than something that makes it OK to ignore one another.