John Warner provides an article about the use of cellular devices in class and his policies about it. He claims that the prohibition on phone use during class is not only beneficial to the students, but to him as well. The most important thing in the 75 minutes of class time is the connection and focus between him and the students. Warner makes an exception for phone use, and that is when students are working on a task that requires the use of phones. Warner goes on to say that he does not want to sound like a dictator towards the students, rather a mentor or guide. I agree with certain aspects of this argument. I believe that phone usage during class can be disruptive and disrespectful to the Professor’s time. However, Warner never mentions an important exception to phone use; the case of emergency. I feel like Warner should come across a bit more lenient with his phone policy, and add that students may step outside the classroom if they receive a phone call. Still, his point about being in the moment with his students is important and he should still use that as part of his policy.
Travis Bradbury writes about multitasking and a Stanford study that showed that multitasking is less productive than completing one task at a time. Bradbury is heavily against multitasking, even reporting from the study not only that heavy multitaskers are worse than non-multitaskers, but that multitasking damages your IQ, emotional and social awareness, and in some cases, even your brain. Over time, I have grown out of multitasking, as even I was aware that it was not doing me any good. It’s difficult for me personally to focus on more than one thing at a time, which is why I like to write in areas with few possible distractions. I am willing to take Bradbury’s word based on the Stanford study as well as other studies, but I also feel as though everyone is different, and some people have a natural superpower to multitask with little to no negative effects on their brain, productivity and IQ.
Leave a Reply