This week, perched in the back corner of class, I could see 4 laptops (3 of which were Macs) being used, out of about 20 students. All of them had a document open for notes, but most the time they were looking at things on the internet. One girl was looking at Wikipedia to find links about the people the Prof was referencing (Lamarck, Darwin, etc), which led to more link following on Wikipedia. Another student was taking notes for the first half, until watching the progress of the US Open on ESPN.com* was too much to resist. The other two mostly were checking Facebook.
I get that the lecture was not the most engaging thing they had ever heard. And, that for many students, an overview of natural selection and genotypes and phenotypes is major review. But, my issue is that many students respond (on ratemyprofessor.com and one student to me after class), that the Professor is difficult to understand as a non-native English speaker. The professor uses powerpoint and provides the students with a basic outline of lecture. If they are focused on the lecture, following along is much easier - versus the cop out that they can't understand the professor.
Although, I guess this could also be seen as learning skills for the real world: how to multitask. I know working people use internet during work or during meetings and are not 100% focused. And, I guess they also have to learn that looking at Facebook during lecture results in a lower grade (or not, for some students).
*The internet provided through the U of A network includes ESPN360, as previously noted. This means during class, the student in front of me was able to watch a live feed of the US Open. Distraction much?
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