Ok, so I understand that there are many ways that technology can be used to enhance education (for example, look at my last post). However, the point to which schools are becoming dependant on technology is a bit ridiculous: I’m all for the internet and computers being an option for students (would hate to type assignments out on a typewriter, and powerpoint slides can assist profs), but they should never be mandatory, and school should never rely on them.
The main reason for this is economic (although there are computers at public libraries, everyone knows they are super inconvenient, and often don’t contain the software required to keep up with modern universities). Another issue is that some people simply aren’t good with computers, and this should not be something that hinders their ability to do well in school (unless they’re studying computer science. But an English major or someone similar should not suffer due to a lack of technological proficiency). My argument here is not about the use of computers in school, it is about the dependancy on them, and the unfair expectations of students to constantly keep up with the newest software and technology.
My biggest complaint about this comes from professors in departments such as classics or art history, and posting slides online. Basically, to study for tests in these classes, it is neccesarry to view the slides, as you can’t be expected to reproduce the art in your notes. Now, it isn’t too bad that these slides are only available online (although it is probably irritating for students without a computer, as they have to go to a lab everytime they want to study): the main problem is that alot of professors are opting to save them as very difficult file types to access. Instead of a simple pdf, I’ve had a prof post all of his slides in Microsoft Powerpoint 2010. Now, older versions of powerpoint will not open these slides, and the new version is over a hundred bucks to purchase. You can download a viewer for free, but that doesn’t help people on a library or lab computer where they aren’t allowed to install new programs, or people who don’t realize that these free viewers exist. The prof just assumes everyone has the newest version of office.
Another thing is that professors expect students to be online pretty much 24/7 (AKA have a smartphone or laptop.). I’ve had assignment questions changed less than 24 hours before a class, and you were expected to know this because the prof sent an email. However, people who aren’t always online, and can only get online once and a while, got these questions wrong, because they didn’t get the update. Another class had equally short notice that it was cancelled, and the only way to know this was again through the internet, causing a bunch of people to sit awkwardly waiting in a lecture hall until someone checked their laptop and told everyone it was cancelled.
Now, a final point is less about finances/computer skills, and more about the general inconvenience that reliance on the internet has caused (funny because they are supposed to make things more convenient). This will be in points, and the examples are all from Brock University, as that’s where I go:
1) Due to the lack of paper billing at Brock (moving all bills online), the school does not alert students when payments are due or recieved, they are simply expected to constantly check their “fee calculater” until their payment shows up in order to ensure that it was processed properly, or they will (without being alerted beforehand) be charged deferral fees and interest. This is super inconvenient, and also has been the cause of many students (especially first years who are never told how to use the system, and have no experience with it) forgetting due dates, or not realizing they still owe money on their account, because nothing is ever sent to remind them of this. They are just expected to instinctively know to check the fee calculator constantly until the balance says 0.
2) turnitin.com is the worst thing ever. Basically, you have until September 24th to say you don’t want to use it, however you probably won’t learn the bad side of it until after that date. First of all, it is inconvenient: Before you hand in your essay in person, you also have to hand it in online. You can’t just do one: you have to do both, which is inheritely less convenient than just doing one. Due to the fact that it is such an insignificant step, people forget to hand in to turnitin alot. Even if you handed a paper in on time, you won’t be allowed to hand it in to turnitin after the due date, meaning that if the site slips your mind for a day, you’re screwed. Some profs dock something like 10% if you forget, but some will give you zero on a paper if you forget, which is insane; you can write a perfect paper and hand it in on time, but forget to click a button on the computer, and you fail… if that’s not dependancy on technology, I don’t know what is.
Also with turnitin, there’s the fact that profs no longer feel the need to notice plagarism on their own, as turnitin has an automatic checker, so if the checker doesn’t work, the person gets away with plagerism. And, (this is purely hearsay, so don’t bash me for not citing or having perfect information), my friend Chris mentioned something about the US government having full access to things submitted to turnitin due to it being an american site (makes sense because the “drop out by september 24″ thing is there in case someone has a “moral opposition” to turnitin, meaning there must be something about the site that can be seen as immoral)
3) I’ll end with an entertaining anecdote that helps my point: My Geography professor once cancelled a class because he couldn’t get his slideshow to open. This was a two hour long lecture, and he couldn’t remember what he was going to teach us without the aid of his presentation. His class was 100% dependant on his computer, and that’s pretty sad: powerpoints should assist the teaching, not do the teaching. (On a contrasting note, props to Paul Hamilton for teaching an entire class without technological aid when his powerpoint wouldn’t open, continuing to prove his awesomeness as a professor)
Ok, so maybe three things didn’t need to be in a list, but I just read the word count thing, and I’m over 1000 words, so I’m assuming I’ve talked to much, so I’ll stop ranting now.
Until later. Or maybe sooner. Or maybe not at all. Up to you, I guess (or maybe up to me).
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