Opinion
Wednesday 2.25.15
4
editorial
Professors ban technology, marketing exploits it the issue Many professors have banned technology and devices in their classrooms saying students learn better without it.
our take Administration needs to be consistent across the board. Don’t use the “innovative” marketing ploy if it’s not true.
You’re sitting in class and you observe the students surrounding you—trying their best to ignore the professors. There is the guy in front of you watching the golf tournament, the girl on your right scrolling through Pinterest and the students next to you iMessaging each other while simultaneously plan-
ning their spring break trip on their laptops. Technology in the classroom is nothing new to us, especially here at ACU, where you practically trip over the iMacs randomly sitting all over campus and iPads are thrown at you during Welcome Week. But recently some professors are banning
student use of devices in class. While we aren’t sure that technology really enhances our learning exponentially, the sans technology classrooms are conf licting with the messages that ACU administration and marketing uses to recruit students here. Many professors who ban technology in class say they are not at odds with the university Mobile Learning Initiative, but rather believe their students are better suited without it in class. Some professors argue that the art of note-taking facilitates the learn-
You can’t walk around ACU with tripping on an iMac or someone throwing an iPad at you.
ing process better, while others cite several bad experiences they’ve had with students on their devices in class. Then again, some professors don’t care either way. There is one attitude f loating around that says students are responsible for their own learning, and if that means paying all their attention to Facebook then that’s their own demise.
DAILY doodle dosage
Ben Todd
The problem herein lies in the miscommunication between classes and the administration. While ACU is requiring students to purchase iPads and providing training for faculty on ways to incorporate technology-based projects in their syllabuses, many faculty members are asking that students unplug from their devices all together.
It’s not a black-andwhite issue, but has a huge gray area encompassing the Internet and Microsoft Word, which are essential in nearly every class. All we are asking for is some consistency, or that ACU marketing would at least do us a favor and resist using the “innovation” and “mobile-learning” as a ploy to lure students here when that isn’t necessarily the best way to learn.
contact The Optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
hashtagACU Feb. 22 10:24 p.m.
If I could just hang out with Julie Andrews and Meryl Streep that would be it. Lord take me now I’m ready.
Feb. 21 2:09 p.m.
locked out of my house but at least the wifi reaches to the front porch
@gbrookec
@nataliegoin Feb. 24 12:58 p.m.
Feb. 23 11:30 a.m.
These ice days really aren’t helping my senioritis...
Snow days are such a good excuse to be lazy.
Anywhere I can order a big helping of motivation??
Feb. 24 12:07 p.m.
@addiefs Feb. 23 11:36 a.m.
Column
The Senioritis is strong with this one VIEWS VAGABONDAGE FROM GOODY SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND TWO-SHOES
LINSEY THUT
It’s the one thing every college student thinks they’ll be prepared for when the time comes. Throughout college, they hear horror stories of the syndrome that affects seniors, making them slack in all areas of life, longing for the day of freedom from academia: Senioritis. Sophomores lie to themselves, thinking, “Maybe it won’t happen to me, maybe I’ll stay truly driven to the end.” Juniors get just a taste of the slovenly senioritis fashion and procrastination during finals week and think they’ve seen the worst of it. But more is to come. Senioritis is impending
and overpowering. You see, I barely had the motivation to write this column. Once a straight-A student and frequent teacher’s pet, my zeal is draining. I reluctantly pulled myself away from the couch covered in junk-food wrappers and peeled my eyes away from the second season of The OC, scarcely long enough to attempt some kind of productivity. And that lack of motivation seems to be a reoccurring theme that has now applied to all aspects of myself and my fellow seniors’ lives. That’s right, still 73 days away from graduation (of
course I’m counting!) and senioritis, combined with a lethal amount of caffeine, is now running strong in my veins. Once a wide-eyed freshman, equipped to take on every homework assignment thrown at me, it now takes at least one cup of coffee, two chocolates and maybe one episode of Gossip Girl to accumulate just an ounce of the energy I had back then. I used to prioritize my todo’s on a list and take pride in crossing off each task I completed. Now, the only list I’m checking off regularly is the episode guide of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix. That and the amount of absences I am using up weekly in each class. And as of right now, the amount of Chapel credits I still need is probably larger than the amount of money
@gabbysymone13
Apparently there’s ice and snow out there and abilene is covered in it but I wouldn’t know because I refuse to get out of bed
I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve wacthed at least 22 hours in Netflix shows...in the last 2 days
@jacibonneau Feb. 23 5:51 p.m.
in my bank account. @t_money754 But as I crawl out of bed with 15 minutes until class – Feb. 24 1:54 p.m. the remnants of last night’s makeup smeared on my Thought it was raining. face – and rush to class at Nope. The ice on my record-breaking speed, I no- roof is just melting in tice the rest of my frazzled, a torrential downpour sweatshirt-dawning, weary- #AbileneArcticisOver eyed senior class, and I’m reminded I’m not alone. Sure, as the semester @Macie_Liptoi goes by, we might drink far too much coffee than is healthy, and we’ll definitely Only oscars I care about have more than enough se- serves Mexican food. nioritis meltdowns, but we can’t forget that all this craziness will be worth it. If we can just push on unYikYak til May 9, we’ll find ourselves walking across that stage and into a new world that is Monday, February 23, 2015. National Netflix ours for the taking. Day.
sometimes you wake up from hours of napping & you have no idea what time or day it is & sometimes it’s okay bc snow daze.
@kissmy_cass89 A snowflake just hit me in the face. I repeat, this is not a drill.
YikYak If a college girl didn’t post pictures of herself playing on the ice, did she really go outside?
YikYak
contacT THUt at LCT10A@acu.edu
YikYak
Column
Athletes should be held to a higher standard FUNNY HOW VAGABONDAGE THAT WORKS SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND EMILY SEIDEL
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley down in a little area of Southern California known as Los Angeles County. I also attended the University of Nevada, Reno, for a year, which happens to be the alma mater of a certain California NFL team’s quarterback. Basically, this all adds up to me being a huge fan of the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick. I have his jersey
and everything. You may have heard of his latest moment in the spotlight after last week’s Twitter incident. After Kap tweeted about an intense “recovery-day” workout, an online troller took the opportunity to make fun of his accuracy issues. “Ab workout won’t help find open receiver #study,” @battman_returns said.
Kap responded with three insulting tweets, each more degrading than the last. The last one was, “You got 8 followers bruh your own family don’t even want to know what you doin! Get better at life!” It’s not surprising to see this kind of retaliation from a pro athlete. What surprises me is how OK everyone seems with it. In fact, many of Kap’s fans have tweeted about the incident in his support saying different variations of “Don’t start a fight if you can’t finish it.” So, as one of Kap’s biggest fans, why am I so disappointed in this situ-
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ods on the field, but because he made it his job to mentor the boys on his team and make sure they became men of character - through football. Anytime any of his boys got too cocky, he’d knock them down a peg to teach them humility. Kaepernick didn’t necessarily do anything wrong by defending himself, but there is definitely a much classier way he could have done it. Or he could have just not taken the bait and continued to work on his game. His future stats could have done a better job of defending his skills than those tweets did.
And yes, I know that it’s low on the totem pole of athlete scandals – he didn’t have an affair, assault anyone or get into dogfighting – but it’s my firm belief that it’s the little things that define a person’s integrity. And if you don’t do the little things right, you won’t do the big things right either. So instead of praising his quick wit, I’m going to encourage Kap and athletes like him to get better at the little things. They make a difference.
contact Seidel at EKS13B@acu.edu
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ation? Because I believe athletes should be held to a higher standard. Not just because they’re public figures or because they represent a team like the 49ers, but because I believe athletes who have been part of a sport long enough should have built as much character as they did muscle. Sports, especially team sports, are known to encourage strength, perseverance, teamwork and discipline. If you’ve ever watched Friday Night Lights, you know Eric Taylor was a great coach not just because of his win/loss record or meth-
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