The Student News Site of Sacramento City College

The Express

The Student News Site of Sacramento City College

The Express

The Student News Site of Sacramento City College

The Express

OPPOSING VIEWS | Technology

Illustration by Thanh Nguyen
Illustration by Thanh Nguyen

Have tech, will travel

Oswaldo Hernández-Hernández | Staff Writer
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The distractions of technology have often been blamed for students failure to succeed in school, but the reality is that technology helps students succeed.

What is the No. 1 interruption during my classes? Cell phones? Wrong; ignorance and bad behavior. Students should make better judgments about when a cell phone is useful and when this great device becomes an interruption to their learning.

Cell phones help students to stay in contact with their classmates and professors, but while class is in session cell phones should be turned off or to vibrate mode, so that they do not interrupt the class.

City College student William Smith, 26, recognizes how valuable and efficient technology is.

“The introduction of the Internet, via the laptop and desktop computer, and even cellular phones has tremendously increased the resources immediately available to students,” says Smith.“Instead of running to the library, or sifting through volumes of encyclopedias, we can now pull a wireless device out from our pockets and Google it.”

We have to acknowledge that technology is not limited to electronic devices, it also embraces distance learning.

“It allows people, such as myself, who already have full-time careers, the opportunity to obtain additional degrees without spending so much time on campus,” says Smith. “I am enrolled in three online classes right now, and I have not spent more than a combined total of four hours studying, but have received very high scores on every assignment I have turned in. Sometimes I forget I’m even in school.”

What computers can’t teach

Ryan Kleine | Staff Writer

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Every day at City College, students and faculty are annoyed by the constant texters, iPodders, YouTubers and My Spacers in classrooms and the library.

These devices have their uses, but are frequently abused by people who don’t take others’ feelings into consideration. Why should we, who want to learn, have to put up with all of these distractions?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m always watching movies on my iPod to pass the time, and I’d feel lost without my phone. But there is a time and place for everything.

When I’m trying to take notes on how to measure the degrees east and west using longitude lines, I get distracted by the guy checking MySpace on his laptop. If you want to do that in class, fine. Just be considerate and do it in the back so students who pay for their classes have a chance to pass.

As for texting, I’ll just say, Ycuwucio? (“Why can’t you wait until class is over?”) Is it really that hard? I hate hearing a ‘buzz’ while I’m trying to figure out if the answer to number 31 is A or C. And, come on—hiding it behind the person’s back who is sitting in front of you and putting it as low as you can in your lap is pretty pathetic. If you have to work that hard to say “idk. She sed u wanted 2 go out l8er 2 c that movie,” you should examine your priorities.

And why do people have to turn their music up so loud? I get it, you want to go deaf, but can’t you do it on your own time when I can’t hear you? I really hope you’re taking a sign language class.

The most disrespectful thing that happens daily is the misuse of the library computers. While you’re watching old anime episodes on YouTube, other students are wondering why their computer is taking so long to check Google for hints on MLA formatting.

Ren Greco, a student volunteer in the library, advises the school to enforce its Learning Resource Center policies of computer use to help with the excessive waste of bandwidth.

“It’s affecting everybody who wants to use a computer on this campus,” Greco said.

I’m not the only one getting annoyed by this. Teachers and other students share this opinion: The rules in the library and on the syllabus of each class are there for a reason; FT, OGO (Follow them, or get out).

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