Question: How can college students use different technologies to be more productive and how do officials view them?

The COVID-19 Pandemic but the world through the most unprecedented modern times. This time period will undoubtedly be written in history books in particular the year 2020. Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, we have been reminded constantly of the importance of our technology. Without it, the connections we have grown to love would have been taken away from us, especially during the lockdown period. Our technology allowed us to continue work, school, and friendships despite being stuck at home for months on end. As scientists learned more about the disease through research, many individuals learned new things about themselves, a benefit of having so much free time. New hobbies were formed and new passions were discovered as a result of spending so much time with ourselves. Increased use of technology ultimately resulted in an increased amount of screen time, something many individuals debated over. Government officials and a considerable proportion of those who grew up without a computer at their fingertips argue that the use of technology being as common as it now makes it an addiction. But the new generations have been proving this wrong. Through using technology, college students, in particular, have been able to to be become more organized and efficient in their studies, showing yet another positive aspect of our technology. 

When discussing the types of technology available to students, the three main types are phones, tablets or iPads, and computers, be it laptop or desktop. While conducting my research for this paper, I objectively looked at all these devices as tools, nothing more nothing less. I was surprised that most articles on phones highlighted the negative aspect of them and not the positives. Technology and Student Distraction an article published by Harvard University, includes the quote, “Recently, a faculty member asked us for advice about policies regarding mobile devices in class. Indeed, this is a hot topic on our campus and at universities across the country. We were able to point him to a number of studies examining mobile devices in the college classroom. Not surprisingly, the evidence suggests that cell phones generally are a distraction for students,” (Harvard University, 2021). The argument this article is making is that technology does not belong in the classroom because it inhibits learning. The act of shaming these devices in a classroom is bound to make this happen. Currently, once a child has their phone out in a classroom, professors and even other students, immediately come to the conclusion that the student using the phone is not paying attention. This connotation of the phone in the classroom being a disturbance is holding back its ability to be an aid. When the words “productive” and “technology” is mentioned, one thinks of a computer. Well, our phones possess many of the features of a computer just miniaturized for our convenience. Taking a step back to highlight the uses of a phone in the classroom is a necessary step for the inclusion of phones in the classroom. All articles showing the usefulness of a phone in a classroom start with “How to use your phone…” Showing that there is still a long way to go until phones are accepted as a productivity tool and not an obstacle. There are students who may know to themselves that they have a hard time remembering assignments or important points in a lecture, so they may take a note of it on their phone. Additionally, the cost of a laptop or computer may be too much for a college student who is on their own or receiving no help from family. A phone is the most accessible device to this kind of student, and while traditional notetaking is more than sufficient, excluding their only device, because faculty defines it as a distraction could very well be harming that student’s studies. Phones allow one to be more organized, through resources such as calendar apps, note-taking apps, and reminders. While these can all be written, having them on a device you would have with you anyway is not only more convenient but more efficient as well. Having your phone alarm to tell you that you received homework today, or to remind you of deadlines is far superior to looking at it on a piece of paper. While some may argue this can be accomplished through the act of discipline, not everyone is like that and so that extra push from a phone buzz or alarm may be what they need. 

The next tier up in technology relating to students is tablets. iPads seemed to be the most popular in this category and they are the medium between computers and phones making them both useful and relatively attainable price-wise. When productivity and iPads come together, there seem to be a plethora of results to be found. The among of YouTube videos detailing how college students use their devices daily or to make themselves more efficient with an iPad seemed to be endless. In the article, How I use My iPad as a College Student: A Deep Dive, Emaohn a 19-year-old Computer Science Major, details how she uses her iPad, and as an iPad owner myself I see many similarities with her. First and foremost, there is notetaking. Through the use of the Apple Pencil or a third-party stylus, taking and keeping track of your notes has never been easier (Emaohn, 2020). Your notes being in one place is good but when that is combined with your textbooks, your iPad becomes even more impressive. College students wanting to go home for a weekend or spend the night with a friend no longer have to think about the fuss of bringing along textbooks (The Harris Poll, 2015). Everything is stored on your iPad and that is all you will need to continue your studies while away from campus or home. The obvious benefit to this is the lack of notebooks or paper. As convenient as it is not having to carry around this extra weight, you must also consider the environmental implications this has. We are slowly seeing the implications of Climate Change, from stronger and more frequent hurricanes to October being warm. Thinking about the small things we can do to help the planet is important because when the strives many individuals are taking are put together, the change can be substantial. Instead of printing a worksheet, a student and simply write on the pdf saving paper, ink, and in some cases time. Another benefit of using an iPad is the connections it has with other devices. With an app like Instapaper, it does not matter what phone you have. You can simply save any text for reading later on your iPad or vice versa. With an iPhone, all your notes and textbooks can be found on both devices as a result of iCloud. While those less acquainted with these devices may think this is insignificant to the points I made earlier, this flexibility is just another frontier technology excels in and one which continues to expand. As iPads continue to become more affordable, they have the potential of becoming the new laptop for everyday college students.

Of all the devices listed today, the most common is the computer itself. In lecture halls, laptops are slowly starting to reign supreme for notetaking over traditional textbooks. These devices can manage multiple different tasks at once, allowing students to take lecture notes while configuring their schedule or setting a reminder to do their homework. Tablets while better in portability still lack in some departments compared to a traditional computer. With laptops having keyboards, typing essays or completing assignments can be done faster and in general, computers tend to be more powerful than their tablet counterparts. Unlike phones, laptops in class are widely accepted in colleges throughout the world. Pearson Mobile Device Study Reveals College Students Reliant on Laptops Even with Rise in Tablet Ownership, states, “Five years after the iPad launch, laptops remain the primary device that college students use for learning. Still, student expectations for tablets remain very high, and many see them as a growing part of the college experience,” (The Harris Poll, 2015). Laptops have for years now been a tool praised by the world. With its vast amount of capabilities incorporating them into education or anything for that matter has been very easy promoting their use in almost every field or department, globally. In 2016, The United States Census Bureau took a count, publishing that “89 percent of households had a computer, making it a common feature of everyday life.” Again, with laptops and desktops being so common at least in the United States, college students are finding more and more ways of using them to frankly make their lives easier. Many professors only accept typed essays and as the years go by, essays may all be submitted online. Laptops all of the tools a tablet has and more, so stating them here would be repetitive. Simply, technology as a whole is growing and so is its impact on our everyday lives. We are already seeing jobs arise that are reliant on computers now and the proportion of jobs that require this will only keep expanding in the future. Using technology in the classroom will allow students access to these devices at an early age and thus if a job requires them, they will be well suited for it. Sooner or later, the education system will have to be more inclusive of technology on all fronts to increase the efficiency and relatability of schools to the world. 

Though the pandemic is sad and is a devastating event in the world we know, it has started the shift needed for technology to be more inclusive in learning. Students are using their phones to attend zoom classes and their iPads or computers to do and submit assignments. As much as I want the world to return to a state of normalcy, I hope that some aspects of the current world remain, such as how much technology has been incorporated into technology not only at the college level but even in high school and lower. There will be students who struggle with the use of technology, and there is nothing wrong with that they should be allowed the choice to learn in the way they feel most comfortable. For those who struggle to learn using traditional methods, however, maybe incorporating technology into their learning is the change they need. One thing I would like to highlight is that maybe some of the spotlights that are on computers need to be shifted towards mobile phones. I am sure there was a time many people argued against computers and while I may not have been here to witness it, their usefulness is fully seen now. I believe this is the case for mobile phones. Instead of chastising phones, maybe colleges should show their uses publicly to all students, that way the students who may not know can use them as a tool, and those who are currently using them in this light will have more freedom to do so.

Bibliography

D, Bobby. “Pearson Mobile Device Study Reveals College Students Reliant on Laptops Even with Rise in Tablet Ownership.” The Harris Poll, 22 Apr. 2018, https://theharrispoll.com/five-years-after-the-ipad-launch-laptops-remain-the-primary-device-that-college-students-use-for-learning-still-student-expectations-for-tablets-remain-very-high-and-many-see-them-as-a-growing-par/.

Emaohn, Emaohn. “How I Use My IPad as a College Student: A Deep Dive.” Medium, Mac O’Clock, 23 Dec. 2020, https://medium.com/macoclock/how-i-use-my-ipad-as-a-college-student-a-deep-dive-d44d52a332e5.

Ryan, Camille. “Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2016.” Https://Www.census.gov, United States Census Bureau, Aug. 2018, https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/acs/ACS-39.pdf.

Scipioni, Jade. “40% Of College Students Are ‘Addicted’ to Their Smartphones, and It Could Be Affecting Their Sleep: Study.” CNBC, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2021, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/02/college-students-addiction-to-smartphones-may-affect-sleep.html.University, Harvard. “Technology and Student Distraction.” Derek Bok Center, Harvard University, 2021, https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/technology-and-student-distraction.

Reflection

Technology is a major part of my life. I spend my free time playing video games, talking to friends, or looking at TV shows. All of this is done through my computer, iPad, and phone which I am always trying to learn something new about so I can be more efficient with them. Since I use them on a personal level, I was curious how much I could use them for academic uses which  I am trying in college. 

After looking into how I can use my own iPad in school, I wanted others to at least consider what I have been so used to. I realized on my path of explaining technology, however, that is not the students who need to be informed but the professors and regulators of school as a whole. To students, the benefits of technology are apparent, but those who carry a traditional point of view will undoubtedly disagree. Not used to integrating technology and their lives, elders only view technology as a distraction, so focusing my writing towards a group who may be uninformed on the subject I thought would be most effective in technology being introduced to the classroom. 

Since I knew that elders would be my audience, I was able to determine the purpose of my essay as well, which is teaching others about the benefits of technology in education. Embracing these two subsets of writing I was able to develop an essay I was proud of since I felt it achieved what I pursued it do to. 

In writing this essay, I found the research aspect to be the most annoying and tedious for me. When planning I tend to have an idea of how I want to write, but in this case, I had to alter my approach because the evidence to be used in my essay was mainly directed towards teens and college students. Therefore, I had to shift that information so that it both made sense and would be effective for older generations.