GAME ON: Disconnectedness in the classroom

Students aren’t the only ones to benefit. This
Hannah Bolton
Assistant Editor
Students in class now have the whole world
at their fingertips which can be distracting.
Classwork is now almost completely digital,
but so are social media and games of which
some students can’t resist their call.
The 21st century brought new technology into our lives and
schools, and along with it, new distractions. Both teachers
and students now have the whole internet at
their disposal allowing for classwork and assignments to
be online, but students have games and social media
that they can use instead of completing classwork.
When confronted with this issue, teachers have devised
ways to combat this problem. “Some
[students] play games. I try to
redirect them,” English teacher Jessica Martell said.
“There are natural consequences They don’t understand
what they are supposed to be doing, and they don’t get
their work done.”
Hearing this would make teachers and, believe it or not,
some students want to have no technology in the
classroom at all; however, that is not what teachers think
would be the best for their students.
“I think the technology creates more and diverse ways to
engage students,” Martell said. “Distractions and tech will
be in the real world, too, and it allows for less of me
talking at them and more of me assisting them.”
Students, however, disagree with that research. “I can
look up something when the teacher is talking about
something and, like, think what I think about it. I look it
up,” said sophomore Ronald Fillmore.
However, students do admit that tech in the classroom has
its drawbacks. Fillmore admitted to being distracted by using
social media. This detrimental distraction doesn’t mean that
students want to go back to when we didn’t have Chromebooks.
“It wasn’t easier to learn before we had Chromebooks because
we could do less stuff,” Fillmore added.
Students are not the only ones to benefit. This
advancement gets rid of the age old problem of not being
able to read students’ handwriting. “I can type faster than I
can write and the teachers are more likely to be able to
read it if I type it,” Fillmore said.
Math and science teacher Jason Rickli thinks that even
though the Chromebooks are another means for being
distracted, they are better than going back to pen and
paper, and likes the new way. Alfonzo Porter, a
blocking websites isn’t as perfect as needed
advancement
gets rid of the age old problem of not being able to read
students’ handwriting. “I can type faster than I can write
and the teachers are more likely to be able to read it if I
type it,” Fillmore said.
Math and science teacher Jason Rickli thinks that even
though the Chromebooks are another means for being
distracted, they are better than going back to pen and
paper, and likes the new way. Alfonzo Porter, a contributor
to the Washington Post, former teacher and school
administrator thinks, “For many, technology has become
a catalyst for distraction
Alfonzo Porter, a contributor to the Washington Post,
former teacher and school administrator thinks,
“For many, technology has become a catalyst for
distraction and off task behavior with students, tweeting,
or prowling through YouTube when they’re supposed to
be listening to the teacher or doing classwork promotes
a lack of focus.”
As technology has become more prominent in everyday
life, researchers have looked into its effects in the
classroom. “Nearly 90 percent of teachers believe that
digital technologies were creating an easily distracted
generation with short attention spans,” according to an
analysis by the Washington Post of a survey from the Pew
Research Center.
About 60 percent said it hindered students’ ability to
write and communicate face-to-face. Almost half said it
hurt critical thinking and their ability to do homework.
Communication isn’t the only skill becoming a lost art.
Concentration and reasoning seem to be disappearing as
well. Some “76 percent of teachers believed students are
being conditioned by the internet to find quick answers,
leading to a loss of concentration,” the Pew Research
Center found.
“It’s not a traditional world,” Rickli said. “We have
technology intermingled into the world. We need to learn
how to be responsible [on Chromebooks], and part of that
is learning how to be responsible on them at school.”
With the increase of technology in the class comes an
increase on rules and regulations of what can and can’t be
used.
“It’s not a traditional world,” Rickli said. “We have
technology intermingled into the world. We need to learn
how to be responsible [on Chromebooks], and part of that
PHOTO HANNAH BOLTON is learning how to be responsible on them at school.”
With the increase of technology in the class comes an
increase on rules and regulations of what can and can’t be
used.
“I think the new cell phone policy helps,” Martell added.
The school administrators are keeping up with the new
advances in tech to keep classrooms under control and
YouTube, Instagram and students focused on class with policies on cell phones
and restrictions on websites, so students aren’t on
Snapchat are the most games or social media. As good as this may seem, it isn’t
for this type of environment.
With the increase of technology in the class
comes an increase on rules and regulations of
what can and can’t be used.
“I think the new cell phone policy helps,” Martell added.
The district uses the Google Suite as it is free and can be
used by everyone to collaborate.
However, Google also has apps such as Hangout which
has a FaceTime feature made by Google that allows for
hangouts with people, like guest speakers who can’t
come to the school. This gets used in some classrooms
by teachers to have meetings with other teachers in
school districts. The district, however, has blocked it from
students as it is seen as more of a social platform than an
educational one.
Yet, many games such as coolmath4kids, Tetris and
others are not blocked. Instagram and Facebook are also
accessible from school computers even though they are
websites the school doesn’t want students on. It is so
tempting during a lecture or work time to go on these
sites and they are accessible so there is no point in
blocking websites in the first place.
According to Education Weekly,
If students are consistently playing Fortnite in class, physically separating them
from their phones is priority number one, said Liz Kolb, a clinical associate
professor of education technologies at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
“Kids can’t multitask,” she said. “Even having a digital device within sight can
cognitively distract the student enough that they can’t focus on the academics.”
Even if children are only playing Fortnite at home, it can still affect their ability
to participate at school. Rebecca Young, a teacher at Stanley Middle School in
Lafayette, Calif., said students have been coming into her class with unfinished
homework and bags under their eyes.
Students like junior Andrew
Carriero play Fortnite in
school, distracting both
themselves and the other
students around them.

’t
entirely practical. When tech administrators block games
contributor to the Washington Post, former teacher and popular online platforms
n
or bad websites they invertedly block a few good ones
school administrator thinks, “For many, technology has

ca lk
which can become an issue.
become a catalyst for distraction among teens, while Twitter “Over time, the school became increasingly restrictive of

ta in s
Students, however, disagree with that research. “I can what websites students could access, or the apps they
look up something when the teacher is talking about was ranked fifth, According to could download, out of fear that they would be harmed or

i’m as
something and, like, think what I think about it. I look it waste their time,” Miranda Cook, a student blogger from
up,” said sophomore Ronald Fillmore. the Pew Research Center. London said. “ However, this reduced the utility of having

cl
However, students do admit that tech in the classroom iPads in the first place, as the restrictions inadvertently
ILLUSTRATION HANNAH BOLTON
has its drawbacks. Fillmore admitted to being distracted extended to useful websites (like dictionaries, which were
by using social media. This detrimental distraction blocked as they contained bad words).”
doesn’t mean that students want to go back to when we This inevitably happens to everyone: Teachers can’t use
didn’t have Chromebooks. “It wasn’t easier to learn some websites in lessons and students can’t use some
before we had Chromebooks because we could do PHOTO HANNAH BOLTON
websites for classwork or projects. This doesn’t mean
less stuff,” Fillmore added. those websites are bad, more that the technique used for

8 Cover Story Cover Story 9