Everyone Can See Your iPhone's Screen Reflected In Your Glasses
October 2, 2014
Illustration: Joe Aubrey
By Beatriz Salazar
We’ve all done it. Texted in class, I mean. Sometimes the phone is stealthily placed under the desk so it looks like we’re just staring at our notebook, or sometimes it’s just blatantly on our desks, buzzing and beeping.
Most teachers have cellphone policies that dictate the use of electronics in the classroom. Kimberly Poitevin, a professor in the Interdisciplinary Studies department, outlines the use of cellphones in the class syllabus. She adds, “I ask students to silence their phones and keep them put away for the duration of the class. I have, on occasion, had problems with students texting in class (most being first-year students). I find this to be incredibly distracting when I’m trying to present information, and I think it’s disrespectful to other students when we’re trying to have a discussion.”
As a freshman in college, the freedom to use cellphones however and whenever is often newly found, as opposed to the illicit text exchanges in high school classrooms. Joselin Lemus, a second-year English major, recalls her first-year experience and shares, “It’s kind of liberating, like they trust us or something.” When asked if she had ever abused the cellphone policies, she stated, “No, I’m spending my mom’s money by being in class, so there’s no way I’m not paying attention.”
That’s the point. Students who take their studies seriously – yes, even in that random Geology course – will put the phone down and actually learn.
Cell phone use even comes down to a matter of financials. A semester at Salem State University costs roughly $4,300, not counting textbooks and other class materials. Students can spend $4,300 and walk away with a head full of knowledge, or they can spend $4,300 texting at some desk in the corner of a classroom.
Don’t get me wrong, cellphones are the greatest invention in the history of the universe, but let’s be real: we definitely have the willpower to not be continuously tethered to them. At least until class is over, obviously.
Contributor’s Note: Beatriz Salazar is a third-year Accounting major and sometimes sends the occasional tweet in class.