I really like your post and I do agree that given the appropriate circumstances I am able to ignore my phone/gadgets (i.e. in class or while driving or when out for dinner with friends and even putting my phone on "do not disturb" when going to bed). But I will be honest I have not always been like that. Over time I have learned what the proper etiquette is with technology use. A few years ago I was one of those people who used to do the opposite of what I listed (similar to a lot of our undergraduates). On another note, I do believe that students/ young adults are not too be blamed entirely for being too connected as most of their classes now require them to use various technologies to tweet, or blog, or simply type papers, take notes in class and read online etc. So I think as long as we as teachers require typed papers (not hand written), ask them to tweet for classes, read articles online...this situation will not change, what we can do however, (which we have talked about briefly in this class) is to create expectations and start to create an awareness (plant the seeds early) around the use of technology and time management with our students. (Btw i might the Internet Sabbath for a weekend and see how it goes:)
Rafic, you bring some great points about interaction and collaboration among the students. I too believe that teacher--student relationship should not be the only relationship that students learn from in our diverse classrooms. Empowering students to be their authentic selves and learning from each other should be supported and emphasized in most-if not all classrooms. Additionally, students should be equipped with skills (by various classes) to open up and share the diverse views, experiences and cultures instead of jumping to conclusions about their peers.
Rafic, you bring some great points about interaction and collaboration among the students. I too believe that teacher--student relationship should not be the only relationship that students learn from in our diverse classrooms. Empowering students to be their authentic selves and learning from each other should be supported and emphasized in most-if not all classrooms. Additionally, students should be equipped with skills (by various classes) to open up and share the diverse views, experiences and cultures instead of jumping to conclusions about their peers.
Rafic, I really like your idea of bringing in real life examples and interactive/dynamic learning to your class. I think this is a great way to make learning more current, relevant and interesting for students.
Rafic, I am with you on a number of items you listed in the second paragraph. I think it is a great idea for some teachers to use qualitative measures in class rooms but the issue lies with the larger system. A system that values those who have a higher GPA and judges those who do not. As long as the professional schools, admission requirements and scholarships...continue to measures student success and achievement on their GPA, and gives students competitive advantage with higher grades, it will be really hard to sell the idea of no grades and only learning to any student.
