COLUMN: Connected to My Homework

Aurielle Zeitler
Sacramento City College
The first thing that greeted me this morning, other than my delicious cup of coffee, was an update on my chemistry class' Web page. We were instructed to skip the lab scheduled for the afternoon.

The class uses a Web site called Desire to Learn. You can log on using your student ID and birthday, and you are granted access to each class page on your semester's roster. This is my only class that uses this form of communication, so I think this idea is still catching on. Aside from urgent updates, we have access to various assignments, grades and information about the class. Assuming you have an organized professor, this is an effective and handy tool for students since they're always connected to the Internet. For those who aren't always online, I hope someone texted you the news not to do Experiment 1A.

My morning classes are now complete, and I am rewarding myself with a second cup o' joe. I decide to face the homework that is rapidly accumulating and, again, seek assistance from my trusty companion -- the laptop. There are two critical Web sites that any community college student should have in his or her arsenal: Google and Cramster.

I have discovered that students have some sort of universal need for the same information as I do. You can literally type an entire idea into the Google search line and usually find several hits referencing an identical question posted by another struggling chemistry student. If Google can't resolve my issues, I turn to Cramster. Cramster is brilliant: Hundreds of science and math textbooks are accessible on this site. You find your book, set up a free account and have access to step-by-step answers posted either by students or experts. Although you will occasionally come across answers that are clearly inconceivable, you can challenge the answer.

Eight hours of homework later, before crawling off to sleep, I decided that I had bit off more than I could chew. I logged onto the Sacramento City College Web site to drop that last class that I clearly would not have the time for. On this same page, I am able to add classes, pay outstanding fees, print unofficial transcripts and map out future semesters. With a sigh, I added the class I had just successfully dropped to my Spring semester's list. Better luck next time.

Jessica Agatstein
Engineering freshman at MIT
From my crammed seat -- dead center in my freshman biology lecture -- I spy notes on word progressing programs and students surfing Facebook pages. Wait, I do a quick double take ... I realize that the student to my left is not taking notes on his Tablet PC; rather, he is e-mailing his differential equations professor. As I attempt to return to taking notes on the process of DNA replication, I am distracted by the sudden vibration of my chair and notice that the student to my right has his iPhone on his desk for note taking and text messaging.

Connectivity surrounds me as I scramble to take notes from my professor's PowerPoint presentation, yet its impact upon the university experience remains debatable.

As a freshman at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I am surrounded by the latest advancements in mobile technology. My peers not only own an assortment of mobile electronics, but also invent them. And while laptops, cell phones and MP3 players provide access to an infinite amount of information, which is so essential to college students, I am wary to promote their usefulness inside the classroom or lecture hall. Distractions abound where Wi-Fi is present.

However, listening to a physics lecture via podcast or reviewing my professor's online course notes while basking in the end-of-summer sun has its perks. For every distracted student browsing Facebook during Introductory Biology, there will be one or two students studiously typing notes. And being able to video chat -- to create a cyber-family dinner -- with my family in California and my sister in Missouri relieves freshman homesickness.

Lauren Agatstein
Cultural anthropology sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis
As an anthropology major at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., some people assume that I don't extensively use technology. What can technology tell you about studying people and ancient civilizations? Compared to my sister, I use it to a smaller degree, but it's still extremely useful to my education.

I spent last summer in Greece on an archaeological dig. An integral part of the dig was the use of geographical information system (GIS). This system employs global position system (GPS) to create an interactive visual and spatial database, which stores and analyzes data collected at the dig site.

By taking the GPS points of the different features and artifacts found on the site, an interactive map is created. This map can be twisted; layers can be removed; and isolated points can be highlighted. This stores all the information about a certain point. By going on a computer and clicking on one point on the map, information comes up about that point and a picture of that certain object pops up as well.

Without GIS, archaeologists would have a harder time interpreting the finds at a site and formulating a conclusion of the meaning and use of a particular site. Technology such as GIS and the resources available online have made it easier to go out and experience the world, while still fulfilling the requirements for my college degree.

The main impact that technology has had on my life is that it has given me the power to choose how I want to interact with the world. Not only does it allow me to write a 30-page paper, but it also gives me the ability to chat on Skype with my dog. Yes, the built-in camera on my laptop sees most of its use by Skyping my family and my dog. How cool is that?

Samantha G. Pottenger
Student at University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
I once read a study that examined why intelligent people tend to forget small details. The theory was that the brains of these people were highly efficient and edited mundane facts from their memory banks, leaving behind more brain space for other things. Or at least, that is what I tell myself as I check my BlackBerry for the third time in five minutes for the location of my next class.

Since I cannot remember something as simple as "Classroom B" in the few minutes it will actually take for me to walk there, it must be a sign of supreme intelligence. After all, my brain must just be super efficient if I can't hold such a small detail in my head for an extended period of time.

The truth is, I can't even remember the exact details of the study. But I hold onto this version to make me feel better about this dependence on my little electronic friend that has developed over the last year. Almost everything in my life is in my BlackBerry calendar: class times and locations, homework assignments, deadlines, meetings, work, family events, gym time -- all with alarms set to remind me, at appropriate intervals, when and where to be somewhere.

The good thing about this is I feel in control knowing what needs to be done and how much time I have left to do something. I can take on more assignments and more responsibilities knowing that I have a backup brain to remind me that I have something to do.

However, as much as I love my BlackBerry, there are times when I just want to throw it out the window. There are times when I walk around, enjoying some downtime, when I feel the overwhelming urge to check my phone. I know there is nothing to be done at the moment, but somewhere, in the back of mind, there's a nagging sensation that something slipped my mind. And, as wonderful as my little BlackBerry is, it can only help as much as I program it to help. Ultimately, I'm the one who is responsible for scheduling important deadlines and events, and with instant access to e-mail and assignments, there's not much of an excuse when I don't get something done.

It will be interesting to see how much further mobile technology can advance. As a student, the BlackBerry has saved my life several times by reminding me of an assignment or a deadline that I had completely forgotten. Yet at the same time, with the increased efficiency that modern technology lends itself to, expectations about student performance will also increase.

Once computers became commonplace, teachers expected papers to be typed -- and according to a certain format. Now, with mobile technologies such as BlackBerry phones that allow instant access to assignments and communications, student-teacher relationships will likely change again, with an increased expectation on the part of teachers that students be organized and assignments e-mailed on time. Instead of using the dog as an excuse for late homework assignments, students will have to blame their BlackBerry.

*This story is from Converge magazine's Mixed & Mashed 2008 special issue.