This weblog had moved: http://www.coolweblog.com/bilodeau/

# Wireless in the classroom : Last week I was talking with a few other folks on campus about the use of wireless access in the classroom. There are a few pilot projects currently underway at the university, with some preliminary results coming back already. The response from those teachers involved has generally been positive. Only a minority and issues relating to classroom management (ex. students surfing and checking email when they should be paying attention.).

I'm not sure how much value I would place on having wireless access in the classroom, especially in I am a big believer in never demoing anything live. Screenshots all the way. Less interactive, but less likely for something to go wrong.

Now if there was some kind of application that the students could make use of during the lecture, that could be useful. Maybe something like an IRC chat backchannel that would be recorded and saved to the class website. Or maybe something more elaborate, like the Marquee annotation system developed at Xerox Parc or the eClass initiative at Georgia Tech.

In considering these applications, though, I think it is important to question whether we are addressing a real deficiency in the classroom experience, and if technology is in fact the best way for the problem to be addressed.

Maybe having an application isn't so important. Maybe wireless in the classroom is more of a convenience factor, just like installing an electrical outlet or phone in the classroom. Some teachers may make pedagogical use of it, but mostly is just makes it easier for teachers and students to do the things they normally do.