Volume 124 Issue 17
kansan.com
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
UNDERAGE DRINKING
the student voice since 1904
Students, police officers and community members discuss alcohol consumption among underage students PAGE 6
OU COULD LEAVE BIG 12 PAGE 12
TECHED OUT TREATS
STUDENTS GET WIRED IN CLASS
MAX MIKULECKY/KANSAN
Wes Landis, a sophomore from Damar, uses an iPad 2 to take notes in class. "The iPad is beneficial to me because it is so much lighter and more portable than a laptop," he said.
Going to class really can pay off, as first-year students in the department of electrical engineering and computer science found out.
Brian McClendon, vice president of Google Maps and Google Earth and a Kansas electrical engineering alumnus, gave new tablet computers to students in the department on Monday. McClendon encouraged the students to use their tablets for their own exploration outside of the classroom in addition to their school work. McClendon said he was trying to promote creativity and experience with the latest technology.
And that's already happening.
Technology is everywhere on campus, from the girl texting nonstop on her way to class to the guy blaring music through his Beats headphones, and it's rapidly appearing in classrooms. For the past 20 years, students and professors have held mixed opinions when it comes to technology in the classroom.
A July report by the Pew Research Center on college students and technology showed that nationwide, undergraduates at four-year institutions are extremely wired. Ninety-three percent are broadband users and 92 percent use wireless internet through either a laptop or cellphone.
Aiming to make their lessons more entertaining and interactive for the University's technology-based generation, many professors are attempting to get students involved by incorporating the newest advancements available.
"Professors are using many types of technology in the classroom, including iClickers, videoconferencing, lecture capture, tablets and iPads, iPhones, Bluray DVD players and document cameras," said Bob Lim, chief information officer of information technology for the University.
Some students are now allowed access to their personal technological devices for classwork. Not only are
laptops permitted for taking notes, but cellphones are also utilized for learning.
"My persuasive speaking class had to go find materials on campus that are used to persuade people," said Erin Griffiths, a junior from Winfield. "We could take pictures of it on our cellphones and then email it to him, and my professor pulled it up immediately in class."
McClendon donated $50,000 for the purchase of the Android-based tablets. Eighty-nine students are currently taking the introductory class, Programming I, and those who enroll in this course for the spring semester will receive Motorola Xoom Tablets.
Defining when and how much students may use technology in the classroom was an issue during Student Senate elections last spring. Part of KUnited's coalition called on the University to develop an acceptable
technology.
"It would really offer an alternative to textbooks, and textbooks,
we know, are a really big money drainer for students."
said Libby Johnson, the student body president, before she was elected in April.
The University is also experimenting with a new 3-D technology. In a physical geography class taught by Daniel Hirmas, students wear 3-D glasses to view images and videos on a special projector. Covering a wide range of topics, such as the atmosphere, landforms, soils and vegetation, through this new 3-D technology, students are able to feel like they're actually experiencing the material they're learning about. They also use iClickers to answer questions throughout the lecture. Kevin Farrington, a freshman from
Topeka, is enrolled in the course and thinks this is a technology that will flourish within the University.
"It's more interactive than a regular lecture," Farrington said. "With the 3-D and trivia questions popping up, it makes it less boring and keeps you awake because you're having to answer questions for a grade. They're still working out the kinks, but I definitely think it'll go further."
To some, these breakthroughs are essential and should be utilized as much as possible, but others would prefer technology to stay outside of the classroom. Sticking to the chalkboards and banning cellphone or laptop use during class can encourage students to fully concentrate on the task at hand, rather than involving themselves in things that don't pertain to the topic.
EMILY GRIFFITHS
A junior from Winfield
"Being tech savvy is important in our ever changing world," said Sean Jones, a freshman from Lenexa. "But
I've been distracted by people using their laptops in class. Just the other day, a guy sitting in front of me was playing Pokémon and Bejeweled Blitz. I was more tempted
to look at that instead of paying attention to the lecture."
Griffiths said many professors don't allow her to use her iPad in class, even to take notes. But she understands the desire to prevent students from disrupting the class. "People will be on Facebook, shopping, or doing things they shouldn't be doing," she said. "No matter how hard people try, cellphones will, and always are, being used secretly. Technology can be used for good, but can also be a big distraction."
Edited by Sarah Champ
SCIENCE
Monarchs make rest stop in Lawrence
JOHN GARFIELD
jgarfield@kansan.com
In a garden, children gather around a bearded man covered in butterflies. This may sound like something out of a fairytale, but it was actually a scene from campus this weekend.
The 2011 Monarch Watch fall open house, held near Foley Hall on West Campus, gave visitors a the chance to participate in activities designed to educate and captivate. Attendees had the opportunities to tour the research facilities, view the mating cages, learn how to make butterfly gardens, obtain chrysalides to hatch at home and even videoconference with experts abroad.
"Every time I come here, I learn more," said Viola Hoelting, an elementary school teacher from Olpe. "This is an unbelievable insect."
The activities served to spread the passion for science fostered by the event's creator, Orley Taylor, an ecology professor and the man with the butterfly beard.
Taylor started the Monarch Watch, a part of the Kansas Biological Survey at the University, in 1992 and has documented the unique insect, which is able to retrace its migration routes even when bred in captivity. Furthermore, Taylor has used the watch to monitor the populations and how they have reacted to global climate change since that time.
"I remember learning about the migration of the monarch when I was younger," said Leslie Reece, an employee at the Monarch Watch. "They're not as prominent as they were ... They're just trying to make sure that the species stays healthy and continues to survive."
Since the start of the Monarch Watch, Taylor has continued to hold the open houses to spread his passion for nature and to share the wonder and curiosity that he has felt since childhood with new generations.
"That's the idea," Taylor said.
"It's a kids thing."
Edited by Jonathan Shorman
Orley Taylor, a professor of ecology, provides a nice place for monarchs to land. Taylor has coordinated Monarch watch since 1992.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Among public schools, the University ranked 46th. The rank is down from a 2008 high, when the University was ranked seventh among public universities.
The University shares its 101st ranking with several other universities, including Florida State University, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The University ranks 101st in U.S. News and World Report's new college rankings, released 11 p.m. Monday.
JONATHAN SHORMAN
jshorman@kansan.com
When it comes to schools within the University, the School of Business ranked 105th, the School of Education 18th, and the School of Engineering 95th.
U. S. News noted that the University has a fall acceptance rate of 93 percent and a six-year graduation rate of 61 percent.
University ranked 101 by US News
**Index**
CLASSIFIEDS 11 CRYPTOQUIPS 4 SPORTS 12
CROSSWORD 4 OPINION 5 SUDOKU 4
Harvard, Princeton and Yale were the top three among all colleges.
EDUCATION
Contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Don't forget
Today is international chocolate day. Did you know chocolate melts in your mouth because its melting point is below body temperature?
Today's Weather
Forecasts done by University students. For a more detailed forecast, see page 24.
HI: 83
L0: 55
it's the perfect da