Catching Up

I have been under the weather the past several days and I'm just now starting to feel well enough to get back into blogging and such. Last Tuesday (before my illness incapacitated me) I was sitting in a class which I will leave anonymous, sitting next to a student whom I will leave anonymous. Any other day I probably wouldn't have been bothered by the actions of this person next to me, but because of Smart Mobs I am cursed and I will never look at the world in the same light again.
You see I'm a very serious student; I'm always into the notes and trying to pay attention, unless of course I am sick and feeling extra distracted like I was Tuesday. Well I was trying to pay attention in this 200 person lecture but I can't help but become absorbed in the girl next to me. Hood up- head phones on- cell in lap, and not a notebook to be seen. This girl was listening to music and playing solitaire on her ipod while texting and tinkering with her Motokrazer cellphone. I was impressed by how many things she was doing at once but I was annoyed at the facts. A. This technological absorption wouldn't have piqued my interest had it not been for Smart Mobs. And B. The noises coming from her, be it the vibrating, clicking ipod, or loud bass were really ticking me off.
So there I am thinking wow maybe I am actually learning something from that stupid book! Technology is taking over and it is going to change the way we learn because people aren't interested in listening to lectures in class or taking notes. They probably rather enjoy education presented through different media like pod casts for example. If this is what we are moving toward then the classroom as we know it will change. In the future will there be a need for a professor and a class to meet in one room? How many more online courses will be available in the next ten years?
Believe it or not I was really trying to analyze the situation and get something out of it. But alas, I was still annoyed because this girl was being extremely rude. We don't have technologically teeming class rooms yet so keep your phone off and your ipod away, get out your notebook and at least pretend to care about the money your parents are spending, or maybe your future anyway.



*Long story short: technology is good when used correctly, but there is a right place and a right time so be courteous and remember the world doesn't revolve around you and the person your texting...yet.