By Colter Hettich, Features Editor
With most midterms behind students and faculty, the semester officially has reached the halfway mark. Freshmen received their iPhones 62 days ago, and one can hardly walk from building to building without spotting someone looking at or talking on a mobile device.
The ACU community and the world have high expectations for the devices’ implementation in the classroom. In University Seminar classrooms, the iPhone plays an integral role.
Ray Petitt, adjunct instructor of computer science, teaches a U100 for computer science majors. When he instructs his class to participate in a poll via iPhone, the room comes alive with laughter and dialogue.
“This is looking painful, guys.” “Wait, I just submitted mine.” “Whoever’s voting more than once, stop it.”
One student calls out, “Who misspelled tasty?” Laughing, an anonymous voice slyly replies, “If you hadn’t have asked that, we would have assumed it was you.”
Pettit has noticed a deeper benefit to allowing students to anonymously respond and see their classmates’ responses instantly.
“In my opinion, there are certain questions that a teacher would like to ask, but it’s hard to get an honest answer,” Pettit said.
One day Pettit asked his class to identify how they matched up intellectually against their classmates. Only two or three students claimed the top. The other 17 or 18 said the same thing: “I’m average but I want to work harder.” When Pettit showed his students the results, he watched barriers come down.
Max Mills, freshman computer science major from Seattle, did not think professors would be able to find a way to use the iPhone in the classroom. He said he has been pleasantly surprised and appreciates the polls.
“I think it’s a pretty good way to use [the iPhone] because it keeps me engaged,” Mills said. “If I’m zoning out, it keeps my attention.”
Ian Duncan, freshman computer science major from Bedford, said he has benefited from the iPhone outside of class as much as in class.
“It’s pretty convenient for me,” Duncan said. “I’m not super familiar with ACU and I use it not just to get around campus, but to get around Abilene.”
However, this new technology has its drawbacks.
Having the Internet, e-mail and infinite resources in the palms of students’ hands can be a distraction.
“Technology is more and more engrained in this generation,” Pettit said. “It’s almost painful for them to be separated from the outside world.”
The iPhone can be a distraction for those who have it, but for those who do not it can be divisive.
Tracy Shilcutt, assistant professor of history, only uses the iPhone in her American History II class on occasion. Although she is openly willing to experiment, the fact that not every student in the classroom is a freshman or has an iPhone makes it a challenge to incorporate the device.
