Texting Revised
By Jenn Markham

have yet to get a syllabus that hasn’t ruled out

MP3 players, cell phones and pagers. (Hold on,

pagers? You mean those things drug dealers had
in the 90’s?) I don’t have to ask a teacher to assume
their positions on this one, so already I have a large
majority of the people in charge behind my cause.
It’s one thing for you to spend $300 plus on books
to enjoy meaningless texty conversations for two
hours, but my point is that you’re also affecting the
learning of everyone around you.

Maybe it’s unjust to call them meaningless.
Let me check the last three texts I sent from my
phone. I made plans with my cousin for a dinner
Friday, I talked about how much fun I had at the
mall with a friend and I texted another friend about
someone’s post on her Facebook wall. Seriously,
groundbreaking. Try it though: I bet you will come
up with something equally imperative.

But of course there’s the argument of a serious
emergency. First off, I want to know who thinks
to text message in an emergency, or is this an
emergency of the fashion or relationship sort?
Second, if the conversation is so desperate that you
NEED to talk to someone during class, pretend
you’re going to the bathroom and CALL THEM!

Don’t get me wrong: I have a qwerty keypad

phone and I text all the time. But, like most things,
there’s a time and a place and during class is just
not it. Especially if you have a BlackBerry or some
other phone with particularly clicky keys. I can’t
concentrate when it sounds like someone won’t
stop clicking their pen rambunctiously beside me.

I’ve also heard people argue that it’s not
hurting anyone. I beg to differ. It might not hurt
anyone if the guilty parties pick up on non-verbal
communication, but in my personal experience with
this phenomenon, they’re already so disengaged
from everything they don’t notice my glares,
huffing, shifting and general fuming. Maybe no one
has been hurt yet because all
those annoyed by texters in
class have kept their thoughts
to themselves. Go ahead, click
on a few more times and see
what happens.

I also like the argument of
people who can text and pay
attention at the same time. If
that were true, why is it illegal
to text while driving? And
why do I see people texting
walk into poles and other non-
moving objects?

If you’re going to go to all

Qian

the trouble to separate so dramatically from lectures
and class discussions, why even show up? For the
10% attendance? I have a better idea. We should
rig the registration system so that everyone who’s
ever been caught texting in class gets put in the
same classes. Or better yet, Douglas College should
just offer courses around text messaging. We could
call it “Using Media” and hold it in a computer
lab so students could take a break from texting to
Facebook and Twitter their class time away.

Extra credit to whoever has to empty their
inbox the most in a class.

 

 

Texting While Learning: Life vs Death?

By Laurie Neale

ct: I am writing for an opinions column.
He opinions are subjective. Fact: some
opinions gain more popularity than others.
Fact: some people hold the opinion that texting in
the classroom is wrong. Fact: many students text
during class.

In my opinion, there is no problem with texting
during class, and these facts lead me to conclude
that most students will agree with the reasoning
behind my opinion, thus making my opinion on
texting the better opinion.

The naysayers of texting in the classroom
protest the activity for a variety of reasons, such
as: it is disruptive to others; you’re wasting money
because you are too distracted to learn; what is
texted usually isn’t important, so it can wait; It’s
forbidden or discouraged.

Let me tackle this last reason first. Why? Why
is it forbidden? There really is no answer unless the
first three points, which are the reasons cell phone
use is restricted in class, are addressed. Let their

systematic destruction commence.

It is disruptive to others. HOW is it disruptive if
I have my phone on silent? If people are so bored
by the teacher that my stealthy texting is bothering
them, than that is their problem, not mine. An
obvious exception is if someone’s phone makes
overly obnoxious sounds that cannot be turned off.
In this case, the student SHOULD realize that they
are being disruptive and out of consideration to
their neighbors either don’t text, or sit far, far away
from people.

You’re wasting your money because you aren’t
learning. This is almost insulting on a few levels.
First, how do you know that I’m not able to multi-
task well enough to understand what the teacher is
saying while I text? Yes, it can cause interference
with learning, but not to a life threatening extent,
like say, texting and driving. Second, I am PAYING
upwards of $300 dollars PER CLASS. The cost

is exorbitant, and I should be granted the right

to judge whether or not I can handle texting and
learning at the same time. However, pay for my
tuition and I'll gladly put my phone away. Third,

when I am using my phone, it doesn’t always mean
I’m not learning. Many people own smart phones,
which are a valuable resource in the classroom.
So stop judging me when I’m on it, because I just
might be using my dictionary app.
Texting can wait because it usually isn’t
important. I disagree. They may not be life
and death situations, but I’m a busy student and
sometimes I need to confirm meetings or hear
something funny to release tension while I’m
bored out of my mind. I am capable of discerning
if what my teacher just said is important or if she
is just saying the same thing five different ways.
Plus, not being tuned in to my world causes more
interference with my learning than texting during
a lecture does. “But there is usually a break and
going an hour without checking it isn’t so bad,” you
say. Well, I’m a social person. I prefer to visit with
the people in my immediate environment when I
get a break instead of having to send a series of
hurried text messages that piled up during class.

It looks like texting while learning isn’t such
a big deal after all.

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