It’s understandable that some individuals have absolutely zero self control and will waste away class time, that they are paying for, surfing the web even though it is painfully obvious to the speaker what’s happening. Yes, there’s bound to be one senator who can’t keep his solitaire or, Ahem, other addiction in check long enough to complete a meritorious debate on state law, but there’s much more to be gained by allowing technology into our classrooms and legislative bodies.

For example, students who are able to research a topic that comes up in class are often much more willing to add to a discussion and can bring concrete examples of current events or data, something that would have been unthinkable before notebooks became standard equipment for students. Speaking of the past, remember when notebooks weren’t there to stifle discussions and distract students? They still had notes, daydreaming and games that were designed to run on the TI-83 calculators, which I might add students were required to carry with them.

In the state of Missouri, notebooks are not allowed in the senate, even thought they can be found across the capital in the House and senators can absorb themselves in their BlackBerry devices. Backing the current ban on notebooks Senator Brad Lager told StlToday.com that, “There is a compelling argument to be made that a senator sitting there listening to the debate is engaged at a different level.”

Interestingly enough it is OK, and common for senators to be seen typing away on their BlackBerry devices and the rules would potentially allow for an iPad since it is not a notebook; even though you can turn it into a notebook with some accessories and apps.

Wouldn’t we, as a nation, be better served by representatives who can use 21st century tools to take notes and research matters of great importance while the debate is taking place instead of after a bill has been passed? The absurdity of denying access to technology due to the possibility of adults being unable to control their urge to check a website is astonishing.

If we are that worried about the actions of a few bad apples, let performance sort them out. Students who don’t pay attention will learn sooner or later that there are consequences to ignoring the professor. Senators who surf the day away will either be called out by a rival on the floor or caught on CSPAN looking at something they shouldn’t there’s no reason to handicap the whole for the actions of a few.

It’s about time that we accept technology’s role in our success as a nation. After students graduate they will be expected to carry a notebook or tablet to work and into meetings for the rest of their live’s, well unless they join the senate, so why do we feel they can’t handle the responsibility of paying attention until they earn a degree?

Isn’t it about time we stop blaming technology and strive to provide our students and our leaders with the best tools to accomplish their work and goals?

Image via Thunderchild7

Stop Banning Notebooks in Senates & Classrooms Because of Bad Apples is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

How I Use the iPad in the Classroom:

I use the apps listed below to keep my notes and related articles on the iPad so that I have them at my fingertips while teaching. Most often I use Dropbox to sync a PDF of my powerpoint slides and notes to my iPad. While I am showing the powerpoint on the projector, I reference notes or questions on the iPad. I also use the iPad during class discussions to keep my starter questions or guiding questions handy.

I also use the CourseSmart app to pull up the textbook anywhere I have an Internet connection. This is incredibly handy, though there have been one or two times over the course fo the year where the service was down for an hour or two. Not a huge problem, but enough that you may want to keep a hard copy around.

The rest of the apps mentioned below are used sparingly, but often enough that you should check them out. For more tips on how Evernote is used in the classroom, check out Evernote’s blog where you’ll find 10 tips for teachers.

iPad Teaching Apps: Most of the apps I use are easy to use, and best of all they are free or really cheap.

• Dropbox – Syncs my PowerPoints and documents between computers and the iPad
• iBooks – Opens PDFs of PowerPoint notes or articles
• CourseSmart – eTextbooks allow me to always have my book with me, handy if a student asks a question late at night the day before an exam.
• Evernote – Keeping track of the various web clippings I want to share in class
• Note Taker HD – Taking notes of Student presentations, I can import a rubric as a PDF and write on it if I want, or free hand grade

Does the iPad Distract students: On the college level I’ve only found the iPad to gain attention the first day I use it. This could change as you go to lower grade levels, but the iPad is common enough now that there is less attention paid to it.

Tips for using the iPad in the Classroom:

The best advice for using the iPad, or any other new technology in your class, is to test it out ahead of time. There were a few speed bumps at the beginning, but most have been worked out by now. I definitely recommend taking a backup of paper notes if you need them for the first two or three classes.

For more, check out how I use my iPad for notes, presenting, entertaining and more.

If you use your iPad in the classroom let us know what you do with it and what apps you use in the comments.

How I Use my iPad to Teach – Demo, Apps and Tips (Video) is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

There has been changes and updates to class schedules in nearly every class that I’ve had this semester, and keeping track of it all is quite complicated. Most instructors aren’t about to hand out revised syllabi to a myriad of students — so at best the student gets a shout-out in class that something has been changed, and perhaps the schedule uploaded as a word file somewhere on the web. But regardless of how they try to notify students, schedules get confusing when there are multiple iterations, and if a student is absent that day how are they to know that they schedule has been modified? What’s more, the schedule can only be viewed by downloading a word file and searching through it to find the change.

So here’s a suggestion for instructors. Use a shared Google Calendar to keep your class schedule. What is a shared Google Calendar? In simple terms, it is a free, online calendar that can be viewed by multiple people (ie: all of your students). This has many benefits over the traditional way of doing things (explained above). What are they?

• Push schedule changes to students instantly: The real beauty of a shared Google Calendar is that you can update it whenever you need to, and the change will be seen instantly as students access the calendar. No more arduous altering and uploading of word documents. The calendar, of course, would be set to read-only so that only the instructor can make changes.
• Multi-platform: A word document is… a word document, and can only be read on a device that supports whatever format you choose. A Google calendar can be access in a vast number of ways. Students could access the calendar from a simple website URL. They could subscribe to the calendar with their own favorite calendar application. Students can even see changes to the calendar through RSS. If your students are really savvy, they’ll easily be able to get the calendar onto their phone or a device like the iPod Touch, and it will function as a handy pocket schedule for their class. The great thing about this is that if done properly, they’ll get instant schedule updates directly to their device if the professor makes a change to the master calendar (ah… the beauty of technology).
• Save the environment: Instead of printing hundreds of papers at the beginning of a semester (and maybe even again in order to update the schedule) just write the URL of the calendar on the board at the beginning of the semester. From this one URL, students can view the calendar, and advanced students can access the calendar from wherever they want (RSS, through a mobile device, etc.) A tip about the URL: Writing a long shared calendar URL can be annoying for you and for your students who need to copy it down. Try using a service like www.tinyurl.com which will shorten the URL to just a few characters and make it easier for everyone to copy down the address.

So consider using a more efficient, practical, and environmentally friendly approach to class schedules next semester. Not only will this make things easier on the instructor’s end, but students stand to benefit as well. Have a quick look at how easy it is to work with a Google calendar, and how students see the updates immediately:

Students: feel free to point your instructors in the direction of this article if you think that it’d be useful to you or them, maybe they’ll be willing to give it a try for their next semester of classes!

Professors and Teachers — Use Free Tools to Help the Environment and Keep Your Class on Schedule with Ease is a post by Ben from Notebooks.com.