Across the country student’s use of technology in classrooms has sparked an ongoing debate among teachers and students. Here in Carlisle the debate is a timely one for, Dickinson College and the local high school have both recently implemented student tablet use in the classroom.

According to the Carlisle local newspaper, Carlisle High School teachers argue that it will help students become “better 21st century employees and students in whatever path they take.”

The change “is not about the device…it’s about what the instructor’s doing in the classroom, it’s about the students being engaged, and the student feeling part of the lesson,” says Stephanie Douglas, director to digital learning and technology at the Carlisle High School, in an interview with Carlisle’s local newspaper concerning the implementation of tablets.

Psychology Prof. Suman Ambwani explains the negative effects tablets may have in the classroom. “The capacity not for that individual to get distracted, but for everyone else around them to get distracted as well is great,” says Ambwani commenting on students’ use of computers and tablets in the classroom.

Comparing the distractions caused by cellphones and the possible increase of distractions caused by the tablets Carlisle High School AP English teacher Kate Muir says, “students do have a tendency to wander but honestly, they’ve been doing that with their phones for years so it’s just important for the teacher to have due diligence and make sure the students are doing what they Similarly, Ambwani does allow students to use computers but, in her 100 level psychology class she has the students who use a computer sit in the front row so that she can make sure they stay on task. In her 201 class she provides the information that, “research suggests that it is actually better for your memory and retention to take notes by hand” and allows them to make their own educated decision.

According to the Dickinson College website, Dickinson began its own experimental tablet project the fall of 2011. That semester two classes were given tablets to work with in class and outside of class. Each semester following, more classes were added into the program. Professors and students commented on how effective and useful this addition was.
Sarah Talmage ’16 uses an iPad in her THDA class, Costume and Props. “I really like having the iPad,” she says, “it’s light and easy to carry around and do homework on….Note taking apps allow me to hand write my notes right into the iPad without a laptop or notebook.”

In a summary of the project on the Dickinson College website there was an overall consensus by professors that the tablets helped enhance the classroom experience and allowed for an environmentally friendly way to read texts and take notes, but it did impede students’ attention because students would become distracted by the tablets in front of them. Professors would use strategies such as group work and in class projects to keep the students on task.

Technology in the classroom can take many forms. Some are teacher centered like overhead projectors and smart boards which have been shown to enhance the classroom experience, the question now is focused on student’s free use of technology, primarily tablets and computers.

Researchers Douglas Duncan, Angel Hoekstra and Bethany Wilcox from the University of Colorado agree with Ambwani and Muir in their 2012 study on the free use of technology published in the Astronomy Education Review journal. They state that the results showed that guided use of technology, when incorporated into the lesson, engages students more than a standard lecture. Free use on the other hand caused distractions and lower grades.

Student Emily Friedland ’16 believes that, “if it doesn’t distract you and you think it’s easier to take notes by typing it’s ok. Personally I don’t because I like to remember notes by writing and when typing I don’t process the information as well.” As a political science major Friedland’s professors, although allowing computers and tablets for reading and note taking in the classroom, also believe that technology is distracting.

“I use a computer in the classroom because I can take notes on what’s on the board and what they’re saying at the same time because I can type faster than I can write” says neuroscience major Marissa Mitchell ’16.

“I only use my computer in the class if the class is boring” says a Dickinson student who wished to remain anonymous.

“I am a multi-tasker I will admit….it helps keep me awake which I think is more beneficial than me sleeping” another student comments. On the flip side, Professor Ambwani would rather students dozed in class rather than distract themselves with technology.