Part-Time Pundit

Tuning Out: Students Paying Less and Less Attention in Class

I remember very clearly the first law class I took. I arrived just moments before the class started and sat in the back of the room which is generally my custom. I realized right away that every desk had power and an internet jack which I found kind of cool at the moment.

The person just in front of me (who intended to be in the back of the class before I showed up) turned around and asked me as I sat down, “Hey, do you mind if I look at porn during class?”

This event was memorable not just because of the absurdity of the question but it was one of the few times in my life that I was left speechless. Any number of obnoxious comebacks would have done but I was taken aback at not only the boldness of asking such a question but the concept of looking at pornography during a class on jurisprudence.

Having internet access in a classroom is simply a bad idea. I’ve been to enough classes now to see that none of them have actually made use of that for an educational reason. People will play solitaire, check their e-mail, or even play World of Warcraft during class, occasionally switching back to Word to type in a few notes.

However, the University of Illinois, like many other universities is blanketing the campus with wireless connectivity, including connectivity in the classroom. Some locations make sense like the dorms or the airport. Others locations are a rather sad social commentary, such as the performing arts theater. I’m not much for operas, but if I did go I’d certainly want to be free from the digital leash of e-mail.

Wireless internet access provides no enhancement to the classroom experience and detracts much from it.

It’s easy to blame students who don’t want to give due attention to their studies, however, many instructors here are so obviously disinterested in teaching that their lectures are largely a waste of time. I’ve encountered far more professors who spend lecture time reading out of the book or out of pre-printed lecture notes than professors who actually try to teach and provide solid material in class.

The provision of internet access to the classroom provides yet another incentive for students to tune out during class. While it would be easy to say that those who don’t perform will just fail out, the problem is with the current tendencies, if the bulk of students start underperforming because of web surfing they’ll just lower the standards.

November 15th, 2006 Posted by John Bambenek | Chambana, Education, Technology / Internet, University of Illinois | no comments

Part-Time Pundit Featured at the Catholic Carnival

You can see the Catholic Carnival here featuring my post “Sex on Campus”.

November 15th, 2006 Posted by John Bambenek | Carnivals | no comments

Rep. Murtha to America: How Dare you Question Me!!

When the incoming Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi put her weight behind John Murtha for Majority Leader, neither expected the firestorm that would erupt. It is true that John Murtha has been implicated, but not charged, in ethics scandals in the past. So what does John Murtha say in response to questions of his ethics, a subject that is well within the right of the public to question:

It’s a right-wing swift boat style attack on me!

First off, the Republicans have no bone to pick with Murtha being elevated to a position of leadership. In fact, while the GOP took about 8 years to set up a “culture of corruption”, it took the Democrats about 8 minutes. They aren’t even inaugurated yet and they’re putting corrupt cronies in office.

Second, it isn’t the right, but a Soros-backed political group who also ranks Murtha as one of the 20 most unethical people in Congress. It’s the far left that has a problem with Murtha. Republicans don’t expect any say in who becomes the majority leader of a party not their own.

The fact is, a politician’s integrity, particularly in the matters of bribery and nepotism, are quite clearly in the purview of the public interest. The difference between public servants and public masters is that the former is accountable to the people. When the people raise legitimate concerns, they deserve an answer not a rebuke for daring to raise the question to begin with.

Murtha’s answer is a harbinger of things to come, a majority party in Congress who will not stoop so low as to actually engage the people. They’re just too good to answer to the public.

The worst part about the escapade is that not only have the Democrats shown that the “culture of corruption” goes both ways, but they are in every way how they are described; out-of-touch elites who only deign to talk to voters in the months before an election. Even worse is that it will likely lead to a very short-lived Democratic majority in which the GOP doesn’t learn the lesson it needs to: we expect conservatism and integrity in our government.

It’ll be another two years where ideas are pushed aside and partisan bickering reigns.
R

November 15th, 2006 Posted by John Bambenek | Congress, Corruption, Elections, National, Politics | no comments