PIP Blog Post 3: Exploring Complexity

As of now the project has been stagnant. When we imagine technology within the classroom we probably immediately think about the generics: a computer, tablet, projector, the teacher. Yes the teacher, the teacher is a huge part in technology, they make or break your technological usage. BYOD may not be limited to those immediate pieces of tech, they may be in forms we don't instantly think of: the white board and WiFi all around campus. We are connected in ways we don't think about sometimes because we are living a privileged life on campus. Taking away those technologies we take for granted would remind us of our privileges we have, and not in a negative light, we have the technology and should be able to use it to aid our understandings of topics.

I think that while teachers may be correct about distraction in class, some other aspects should also be considered. While students are encouraged to be technologically ready, most of the time we are given an assignment that the teacher wants us to do a certain way, with examples that all have a similar format. Bringing your own device is not necessarily as straight forward as we may think, while universities set up a system to turn in assignments where students can choose to connect with peers, these technologies sometimes are too bland and need more to them. Each passing year using phones in class seems less frowned upon and encouraged, with phones becoming faster and everyone having one.

Adding 'technology' such as small white boards, tablets for students that each class has access to is helpful. Sometimes students get tired of the same old, what we see everyday in a classroom matters, the design and its supporting aspects. Having a computer out lets a student who may not be able to see the projector know what they are looking at. It's small things we forget about usually.