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For the past several years, technology has become an integral part of the educational sphere. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly half of all K-12 public schools in the United States now provide internet access and digital devices to students who need them. My hometown school district provides students with a free laptop or iPad that will eventually be returned. Additionally, many colleges offer free laptops to their students.
Technology in education is here to stay, yet many educators have resisted it. This semester, I have three courses with some sort of technology ban in the classroom. Two of these classes ban computers but allow tablets that lay flat down on the table. The other class bans technology altogether, requiring students to buy physical copies of all the books we have to read and to take handwritten notes. However, all these classes still utilize Canvas for submitting written assignments and distributing information and resources, which makes their technology policies somewhat hypocritical.
I understand the distaste for technology, especially when studies that show physical books and hand-written notes are better for comprehension than their digital counterparts. Technology is not always conducive to a good learning environment, especially when younger students do not know how to use it effectively. The improper use of technology can lead to distractions and toxicity among students, which has spurred a nationwide movement to ban cell phone use in K-12 classrooms.
Technology bans in lectures are different. We are no longer elementary, middle or high school students who cannot control our impulses. Part of maturing is developing the self-control to make the decisions that are best for us. For many students, technology is a tool that supports learning, not undermines it. If I were to handwrite my notes for a class that often has up to 50 PowerPoint slides worth of information, I would miss key points of the lecture. If I were to print those slides to take notes on, I would very quickly run out of my $24 per term allowance from the University.
Not allowing phones to be used in a college classroom is reasonable — there’s hardly anything that warrants the use of a phone in class beyond scanning a QR code to fill out a form. Banning laptops, however, is unreasonable. Not everyone has a tablet that they can lay flat on the table, along with a computer for written assignments. If a device is necessary to access online resources for class or to take notes, it is not fair for professors to dictate what that device must be.
The argument several of my professors have made about banning computers is that they create a “wall” between them and the students, which students can hide behind or get easily distracted by. There is some validity to this argument. I will admit to using my computer to do the daily Wordle or The Mini. I’ve watched my peers online shop or watch a TV show in the middle of class, distracted by the riveting plot happening on their screens. But the truth is distraction in the classroom occurs with or without technology. In my technology-free classes, I find myself doodling on the side of my notes, daydreaming or just falling asleep.
Banning computers and technology in college classrooms is not the right solution to any of the problems college classrooms face. Higher education is meant to serve as a stepping stone for professional development. I have often found that my humanities classes, which I love, insist on these technology bans as if they do not have a place within our scope of study; this is unrealistic in our time. A recent study analyzed a variety of jobs and found that 92% of them require digital skills. When professors allow technology in the classroom, they help students develop the skills needed in our current job market.
Another plus of technology in the classroom is that it serves as a catch-all for everything you need. With most classes utilizing Canvas, materials are easily accessible to directly look at what a professor is referencing. All your notes are in one spot. You do not have to worry about carrying several notebooks for different classes or forgetting your reading materials. With everything all in one spot, it is much easier to keep track of your work and remember to bring it to class, simplifying the learning process and, therefore, making it more effective.
Technology has shifted the landscape of education and learning and teaching techniques must adapt accordingly. There are problems associated with technology in education, such as the cost of acquiring technology and concerns about data security. But banning technology won’t solve these issues — only embracing and integrating it will.
To start, instructors with strict technology rules in the classroom should be willing to listen to students about the ways technology can benefit them in the classroom. Instructors can also loosen restrictions to allow technology at certain points in class, especially when it comes to looking at material the instructor is directly referencing. Instead of banning computers in classrooms altogether, professors could instead implement time during class where students must put away their technology to have discussions.
There is a space for technology now in every aspect of our current lives, and it will play a crucial role in our future professional and personal lives. Stop banning technology. Embrace it.
Lara Tinawi is an Opinion Columnist writing about campus culture and her everyday musings in her column “Daily Dose.” She can be reached at ltinawi@umich.edu.
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