Technology changes the student life…

By Princess B. Abuluyan

Watch “A Vision of Students Today” on YouTube, and if you’re a college student like me, you’d probably be nodding your head in agreement throughout the whole video.

Because it says a lot and a lot of it…well, IT’S TRUE!

Two hundred students surveyed themselves.

“What is it like being a student today?” That’s the question.

A simple question right? But being a student is not simple.

It may be hard to learn, or get assignments done. College life is definitely stressful at times. That’s inevitable. Reading assignments may be overwhelming. On school nights, it’s usually five or less hours of sleep for me. Sleepless nights spent writing a paper, or studying for an exam, been there done that. Perhaps juggling a full time job and being a full time student and paying bills, or students balancing their college lives and personal lives—it’s a real tough world.

Students probably question themselves often.
· “Why am I taking this class? I don’t understand the material.”
· “Am I even learning anything, or will I even remember any material after the semester is over?”
· “Why do I need this class? I don’t see the point.”

College is expensive. Students pay hundreds of dollars for college. And if students feel they aren’t learning anything in their classes, then what’s the point? It’s a waste of money, a waste of time. But students have to learn to deal with their problems.

“My average class size is 115,” is one of the captions a student displays in the video. That’s a lot of students in one class. It’s usually lectures and students note-taking the whole time. The quality of education is what matters, despite the crowded classrooms of students sitting beside each other almost elbow to elbow.

Technology has changed the classroom scene. Today, most instructors use PowerPoint when they present their lectures. It’s projected onto a big screen students can see, whether sitting in the front or in the far back. PowerPoint presentations are more engaging. Pictures or videos can be added. That makes learning more interesting, when it’s not just all text on the chalkboard or overhead slides and trying to jot all of that down on paper. Visual aids can give students a better understanding of what’s being taught. With today’s technology, instructors can kick their lectures up a notch and gain more attention in class. Find ways to make learning fun, because that’s the only way students may actually learn something and enjoy what’s being taught.

Students also pay hundreds of dollars to buy books. Book requirements—if it’s not necessary, then say so. Some students have told me they’ve gone through some of their classes without the book and were able to pass just fine. Some regret buying books they never even opened, or only read a couple pages out of. Students will sell their books back and get money back—that’s great! But the buyback is half or less of the original cost. It’s ridiculous. The money, not after the buyback but all of it, could have been spent towards something more important. Oh yes, something like FOOD.

Some material is available online now. Instead of opening a book to learn about something, students can go online, search the material, and read about it there. Perhaps it’s more understandable too, format wise. Sometimes, text books don’t make clear sense to students. Long time-consuming chapters. Big words that students aren’t familiar with. It can be confusing. But the internet is just a click away. Dictionary.com? Or instructors can provide their students with links to helpful websites that cover the same material a book does. Hey, it saves money.

Nowadays, the internet bridges communication between instructor and student. If class is cancelled, instructors can send an email. Students are even asked to email their assignments and take quizzes online. But is that reliable? What happens if the email doesn’t go through, or the computer freezes while taking a quiz?

Some students also use their laptops in class to do work. But that’s not always the case. With internet access, laptops can easily be a distraction. Who knows? Students could be chatting away on AIM or exploring Myspace, Friendster, or FaceBook. It’s the same deal with cell phones. Students could be text messaging through class. That’s the downside of technology in a classroom.

Another downside—distance education. I took Mathematical Reasoning. The class and I would watch the instructor teach on TV. Sometimes the screen wasn’t clear, and the audio would skip. He wrote his notes too quickly, and if students wanted to tell him that or ask a question, they’d have to call him on the classroom phone. It was difficult to learn the material that way, and more than half of the class was failing. I got a D. But a year later, I took the course again in a regular classroom. I was able to understand everything more clearly, and the teacher was right there for me to ask questions. I passed with an A. Big difference? HUGE!

Technology is part of everyday life. It continues to change the student life, but hopefully for the best reasons—improving the quality of education.