Sports Editor
I walk to the computer lab in the Powers building several times a week. If I'm given a few minutes in between classes, I try to find that little bit of motivation to finish that paper I've been putting off or do some research for the paper.
My eyes wander throughout the dozens of computers and I can't help but notice all the people wasting time playing games or looking at mind-numbing communication utilities such as MySpace or Facebook.
Isn't the computer lab supposed to be a place for focused academia?
If we only would spend as much time skimming through our books and notepads as we do looking at MySpace pictures and Facebook comments, then we would all have our refrigerators filled with papers with big A's at the top.
In this day and age when anything we want to study is simply a fingertip stroke of the key away, is sometimes overwhelming.
We have the capabilities of bringing our whole PowerPoint presentation on a zip drive that fits on a keychain. We can text our friends and family on the other side of the country to see what they're up to and get a response in a mere few seconds. We can carry around enough songs that a DJ would be envious of, on a machine the size of a pack of cards.
Yet we often times abuse the technology and use it when it's inappropriate. Should we really be zoning out a lecture with our headphones and listening to music? Should we really have our laptops on during a speech given by another classmate instant messaging our friends? And why do I feel the urge to change my fantasy football team lineup on my cell phone in the middle of class?
PUC has given us the amenities to facilitate a perfect learning environment and we find it more compelling to play shooter-up games and look at the pictures of your buddy's rad party over the weekend.
The Web site for the main computer lab suggests it's a place that offers students reliable tips and tools to assist with in-class performance and assignments.
Some get to school early and put in long hours, and a few extra minutes when we can put our thinking caps aside certainly shouldn't hurt. But imagine if we can hone our concentration and make that time more meaningful by learning.
But, who am I kidding?
Excuse me while I go finish watching the skateboarding bulldog on YouTube.
My eyes wander throughout the dozens of computers and I can't help but notice all the people wasting time playing games or looking at mind-numbing communication utilities such as MySpace or Facebook.
Isn't the computer lab supposed to be a place for focused academia?
If we only would spend as much time skimming through our books and notepads as we do looking at MySpace pictures and Facebook comments, then we would all have our refrigerators filled with papers with big A's at the top.
In this day and age when anything we want to study is simply a fingertip stroke of the key away, is sometimes overwhelming.
We have the capabilities of bringing our whole PowerPoint presentation on a zip drive that fits on a keychain. We can text our friends and family on the other side of the country to see what they're up to and get a response in a mere few seconds. We can carry around enough songs that a DJ would be envious of, on a machine the size of a pack of cards.
Yet we often times abuse the technology and use it when it's inappropriate. Should we really be zoning out a lecture with our headphones and listening to music? Should we really have our laptops on during a speech given by another classmate instant messaging our friends? And why do I feel the urge to change my fantasy football team lineup on my cell phone in the middle of class?
PUC has given us the amenities to facilitate a perfect learning environment and we find it more compelling to play shooter-up games and look at the pictures of your buddy's rad party over the weekend.
The Web site for the main computer lab suggests it's a place that offers students reliable tips and tools to assist with in-class performance and assignments.
Some get to school early and put in long hours, and a few extra minutes when we can put our thinking caps aside certainly shouldn't hurt. But imagine if we can hone our concentration and make that time more meaningful by learning.
But, who am I kidding?
Excuse me while I go finish watching the skateboarding bulldog on YouTube.
Published in the PUC Chronicle on Dec. 10, 2007
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