tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post8948219000196983875..comments2024-03-19T01:52:00.810-05:00Comments on Althouse: "Students chatting on Twitter both inside and outside the classroom got higher grades than their nontweeting peers..."Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-90144636478877462352010-11-16T12:56:50.546-06:002010-11-16T12:56:50.546-06:00Note from the actual article:
... 70 students were...Note from the actual article:<br /><i>... 70 students were assigned to use Twitter to both access information and complete four class assignments required in a first-year seminar course.<br /><br />The control group of 55 students completed the same tasks on a Web-based program that functioned like a typical course-management system’s discussion board.</i><br /><br />They were not using Twitter to do random interactions or post their plans to their friends or react to cute pictures of kittens, or any of the things that "normal" Twitter use is all about (other than a complete waste of time and effort).<br /><br />They were using it in a directed manner specifically to do their coursework - and the other half were not "not using computers", but were using a website to do the same thing (and I suspect, given how bad most forum software is, not a very good website, either).<br /><br />So this study, Ann, tells us nothing about "computers in the classroom" vs. "no computers in the classroom", since <i>both groups</i> were online - and it's not clear that EITHER group was online <i>in class</i>.<br /><br />(Also, note the metrics - <i>... a 19-question student-engagement survey over the course of the semester—using parameters like ... how often they interacted with their instructor about course material.</i><br /><br />Being pestered with stupid questions more because it's easier to ask them than to think it through - that's how I read that one.<br /><br /><i>This is not an improvement</i>, either for students or the instructors.<br /><br />"Engagement" is not what I want to be the criterion for classroom techniques. The point of a class is not to get the students to "interact more with the teacher and other students", it's to get them <i>to learn things</i>; in the case of a 100-level survey, to learn <i>pretty specific things</i>.<br /><br />The lack of test results related to what they actually <i>learned</i> suggests one of two things:<br /><br />Either the study designers didn't even think to test it, which is depressing.<br /><br />Or, <i>there was no difference or it was actively negative</i>, which is a great reason not to push Twitterizing For Lernin'.)Sigivaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16152366541957466049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-17170270055936855362010-11-16T06:26:56.347-06:002010-11-16T06:26:56.347-06:00I have several students who take notes (math class...I have several students who take notes (math class) on tablet style laptops, so banning laptops seems over the top to me. Too controlling and paternalistic anyway. If mommy and daddy keep signing the checks, you can keep acting like a fool.<br /><br />As far as the study goes it's the usual big correlation/causation mess. More verbal students get higher grades. Big surprise.Bob_Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14013147654544140102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-17813796389722533452010-11-15T18:36:23.906-06:002010-11-15T18:36:23.906-06:00DBQ,
If I tried really hard, I could still dig ou...DBQ,<br /><br />If I tried really hard, I could still dig out my old college notebooks from the 80s, back when we had no laptops to distract us. If I did, I know what I would find. In the classes where I was learning, I'll find copious notes and questions. In the classes which were poorly taught and boring, I'll find doodles of dinosaurs, strange runic alphabets, computer programs, game designs, musical scores, and plans for the weekend. If I forced myself to take notes in those classes, I'll find a few lines of half-hearted notes, slowly degenerating in penmanship as I fought to stay awake, until the notes become mere wandering lines.<br /><br />If there's an attention problem in class, the fault belongs with the teacher and the students, to varying degrees. The laptop doesn't change that.Martin L. Shoemakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02554126977342152497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-20955367303693337502010-11-15T16:55:14.060-06:002010-11-15T16:55:14.060-06:00I allow my students to sleep, goof off, fuck up an...<i>I allow my students to sleep, goof off, fuck up and fail, if they choose, as long as they're not disturbing the rest of the class.</i><br /><br />I'm going to take this statement at face value since Palladian actually teaches. But it still seems to me that a student asleep in class or goofing off in class does have an impact on class concentration, or class cohesion. He does disturb the rest of the class.<br /><br />When I was seventeen I started attending the Art Student's League on 57th Street in Manhattan. It was a revelation to me. Why? Because I wanted to be there. And all the other students in every class I attended wanted to be there. And we were all concentrating. Whole classes would pass in near silence. It was almost like a chapel. After coming from places where only some wanted to be, only some wanted to learn, and many goofed off in the hell of boredom and lostness, it was wonderful.<br /><br />That's why I don't see how you can even call a class a class (alright, in the platonic ideal sense) without all the students being <i>present.</i>ricpichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01321511130788764861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-84826349410456545382010-11-15T16:13:23.059-06:002010-11-15T16:13:23.059-06:00Shoot....broken link.
http://www.cfp.net/become/l...Shoot....broken link.<br /><br />http://www.cfp.net/become/library.asp CFP examination formulasDust Bunny Queenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13341429444562280127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-32338117442289390442010-11-15T16:04:33.703-06:002010-11-15T16:04:33.703-06:00ricpic...The answer is yes for some students and n...ricpic...The answer is yes for some students and no for others. Many can handle more that one thought at a time. We always joked that if you want something to get done, then give it to a busy man. Using devices that keep one alert is an art that should be allowed since it is not interfering with anything except the Prof's ego. Don't make the fast students learn at the speed of the slow students.traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-43998605978184495072010-11-15T15:51:58.845-06:002010-11-15T15:51:58.845-06:00@Alex, no it hasn't.
I had spent a summer in ...@Alex, no it hasn't.<br /><br />I had spent a summer in the lates sixties working in a petrochemical research firm, where old-line engineers were complaining that management would absolutely refuse to accept analyses done on the slide rule, then came back to school where the professors refused to accept calculators and insisted on slide rules in exams.<br /><br />I switched into mathematics. I like to build things and see them work, but mathematics doesn't insist you spend a picosecond solving the problem and twenty minutes converting from grams to long tons and from degrees Centigrade to degrees Rankine.Big Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15831645119853118904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-54578677417658898102010-11-15T15:49:29.380-06:002010-11-15T15:49:29.380-06:00Isn't there a concentration on what the instru...Isn't there a concentration on what the instructor or professor is saying in a class functioning at optimum level that would be broken if several of the students are "elsewhere," in the sense that even though they are physically present they are focused on their computers, not the professor? Though intangible, the aura of intense encompassing concentration...or it's lack, is real.ricpichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01321511130788764861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-72037610507720755532010-11-15T15:46:11.767-06:002010-11-15T15:46:11.767-06:00Given that the "lost art of handwriting"...<i>Given that the "lost art of handwriting" is a, ummm, lost art, why should anyone care about it outside a small group of historical reenactors?<br /></i><br /><br />Ummmm. Just in case the power goes out at some time? If you are forced to write a note to someone, without using your computer and you might like them to actually be able to read it.<br /><br />We all drive cars. That doesn't mean that we forgot how to use our feet or have had our legs amputated.<br /><br />Actually, I find that I remember things better if I write it down or see it in writing. Just typing into the computer doesn't do it for me. But...everyone learns in a different way.<br /><br />@ praire wind.<br /><br />I use a HP12c Platinum. Over $100. It does all kinds of things that I 'could' do by hand or with brain power, such as calculate IRR, cumulative statistical analysis, standard deviation, mean, weighted mean, and linear regression. I really appreciate that the calculator can do those things for me.<br /><br />However, when I took the CFP exam, we were required to know how to do those things without a calculator and to be able to spew up the formulas. Click on the link in <a rel="nofollow">this page </a> to see the forumulas.<br /><br />I'm not saying that you shouldn't use computers in the classroom, just that you should be strictly using them for class purposes. Tweeting or whatever is not a class activity.Dust Bunny Queenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13341429444562280127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-4567594944319281862010-11-15T15:39:42.203-06:002010-11-15T15:39:42.203-06:00The expectation of the engineering professors of t...<i>The expectation of the engineering professors of that era was that their students would use slide rules on the exams, just as generations before them had. Of course, real engineering firms were already banning the use of slide rules, but, hey! Even engineering professors don't care very much about the skill sets that industry is looking for.</i><br /><br />Somehow an entire generation of engineers who never used a slide rule hasn't impacted innovation in the hi-tech sector.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11205752419540502278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-32497143062885128442010-11-15T15:35:40.090-06:002010-11-15T15:35:40.090-06:00All this study says is that students who use twitt...<i>All this study says is that students who use twitter are more outgoing than those who do not. </i><br /><br />Which leads to creating more social networking connections and better future prospects then non-tweeters.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11205752419540502278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-86928291577646746042010-11-15T15:26:58.293-06:002010-11-15T15:26:58.293-06:00Never underestimate Alertness. That is a missing i...Never underestimate Alertness. That is a missing ingredient in most people. Their minds stay in hibernate. But a twitter tweeter is alert all of the time. That's why we make it illegal to drive and text...their minds are engaged at a high level, elsewhere than on the traffic.traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-48816848922453332182010-11-15T15:19:31.360-06:002010-11-15T15:19:31.360-06:00So an active, engaged brain is able to retain and ...So an active, engaged brain is able to retain and recall more than a less active brain..<br /><br />If its true for the old gizzards like me it should be more so for the lame/bra .. excuse me for the young.Lem the artificially intelligent https://www.blogger.com/profile/03569712564034666751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-10105120515142880312010-11-15T15:16:56.512-06:002010-11-15T15:16:56.512-06:00This is almost certainly a spurious correlation.This is almost certainly a spurious correlation.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16902329503560660425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-12790572636797025292010-11-15T14:58:18.993-06:002010-11-15T14:58:18.993-06:00Bullshit survey.
The kids with the electronic dev...Bullshit survey.<br /><br />The kids with the electronic devices are more likely to be affluent, which is the single greatest correlation to academic achievement. (It's about the same as parental education level, which corresponds to affluence.)<br /><br />The real question is whether the achievement of the privileged group would be better without twittering.<br /><br />The students at my alma mater, supposedly a highly selective small liberal arts college, can neither write cogently nor think through a complex problem in writing.<br /><br />They think they are smart, but actually they seem quite stupid.<br /><br />But since life is graded on a curve, they are coming out on top, so far.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424384180201600935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-31115655584678429372010-11-15T14:28:42.562-06:002010-11-15T14:28:42.562-06:00Totally depends on what the class is.
DBQ - I&#...Totally depends on what the class is. <br /><br />DBQ - I've got to agree with others. I type almost as fast as I form the sentences, so why in hell would I write long hand? It also hurts my fingers. Nope, I type whenever I can. When I can't, I hatchet-hand block letters so others can read it.Oligonicellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17656818633822942314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-83065599400584782902010-11-15T14:23:42.430-06:002010-11-15T14:23:42.430-06:00I'm with Palladian.I'm with Palladian.veni vidi vicihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14720172060048711733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-47284650969909659852010-11-15T14:19:06.726-06:002010-11-15T14:19:06.726-06:00DBQ, I was surprised to learn that you can still s...DBQ, I was surprised to learn that you can still spend $100+ on a calculator. Sure, it's got some scientific functions and sure, it's a different $100 from your 1971 money, but still.prairie windhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13602315347389233974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-12078604898637150692010-11-15T14:16:08.047-06:002010-11-15T14:16:08.047-06:00However, if the students want to screw off and twe...<i>However, if the students want to screw off and tweet and facebook in class time, I would hope the teacher would flunk them and not coddle the little precious snowflakes.<br /><br /></i>I don't care what they do if they're not bugging other students. As long as they know the class content, I'm passing them. (My grades don't include a lot for in-class participation)MadisonManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01212179466758420208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-89720774999125644072010-11-15T14:16:02.683-06:002010-11-15T14:16:02.683-06:00All it shows is that Twitter is a better cheating ...All it shows is that Twitter is a better cheating tool than the others.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-81492622606763928432010-11-15T14:15:45.484-06:002010-11-15T14:15:45.484-06:00In business school, not having a laptop in class w...In business school, not having a laptop in class would have been a major obstacle.<br /><br />1) It is insane to print out 50 page HBR cases when you can refer to the PDFs on your computer - and using appropriate software, you can underline, add notes right onto the PDF, etc. It becomes even more insane if you are going through 40 or more cases every semester.<br /><br />2) One cannot run statistical simulation software on paper.<br /><br />3) One cannot quickly build excel based models and charts.<br />___________________________________<br /><br />Downside of using computers:<br /><br />A power surge one day destroyed by laptop hard (including hard disc) and my backup external drive simultaneously. That meant two years worth of class notes, cases, small business consulting contracts, etc - and it cost me $2400 to get the drive repaired.Ankurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01087294103737402589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-46054137676596383622010-11-15T14:01:14.705-06:002010-11-15T14:01:14.705-06:00DBQ,
Given that the "lost art of handwriting...DBQ,<br /><br />Given that the "lost art of handwriting" is a, ummm, <i>lost art</i>, why should anyone care about it outside a small group of historical reenactors?Kirk Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05921711310191924997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-58924001909468524372010-11-15T13:59:55.016-06:002010-11-15T13:59:55.016-06:00Pardon, you wrote something there? Something about...Pardon, you wrote something there? Something about nineteen higher grade students got engaged? And of course they got material for their engagement? And now people flipped to computerized classrooms? Sorry, I was busy on my Blackberry.Chip Ahoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12597726289890879627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-49757195335167885672010-11-15T13:53:23.069-06:002010-11-15T13:53:23.069-06:00I graduated from law school last year, and this is...I graduated from law school last year, and this is what most students did during class: get on facebook/google chat, go shopping, update a facebook status, browse the news, watch videos, etc.<br /><br />We sometimes took notes, too. Yet for the most part, computers allowed us to zone out. <br /><br />Now, if computers are banned from a classroom, the professor may need to make some changes to their teaching style. One big piece of advice: SLOW DOWN.Royal Tenenbaumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05700567246998692297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-40724941407937012202010-11-15T13:53:04.847-06:002010-11-15T13:53:04.847-06:00"Now if only I could fix your politics.
;-)&..."Now if only I could fix your politics.<br /><br />;-)"<br /><br />Big Mike, I was thinking exactly the same thing. In those exact words.Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16774002797359859550noreply@blogger.com