Since I am the school newspaper and yearbook adviser, my classroom is a computer lab. A big advantage of this is that students will sit quietly in a zombie-like state for as long as I want. A big disadvantage of this is that it takes great histrionics to get students to stop staring in a zombie-like state if I want to have them actually listen to me or maybe even answer me. Telling a teen to stop using a computer that is right in front of him is like placing cocaine in front of a crack addict and then saying to ignore the coke...and listen to me talk about why credible sources are important.
Being the wily teacher that I am, though, I have my methods. I roam the classroom peering behind this Mac desktop and then that one. Freshmen in particular can completely disappear behind a tall screen if you're not careful. ("Are you back there, Susie?!" A little hand will wave just above the monitor for Susie to let me know she's still alive.) I call the students by name to snap them into alertness, ask direct questions, have them write on the board. (Who doesn't love dry erase markers?) In extreme cases, I have been known to hum the theme from Jeopardy or do a modified version of the chicken dance.
Even so, I see eyes being pulled toward the screen. A hand sliding its way toward the mouse. And if I have students -- gasp! -- shut the computers off, then the screens become...mirrors. Adjusting the hair, dabbing the make-up, practicing a smile or a pose then ensues.
"Back away from the computers! We're making a circle now."
Alas, there is nothing sadder, nothing more forlorn than a disconnected teen. Well, they always have their cellphones.
No comments:
Post a Comment
What do you think?