Should Teachers Be “On the Record”?
by Carolyn Wilson
Should teachers allow and encourage the use of recorders in classrooms? Some people believe that humans are relying on technology more than they should. Even so, others find that the use of recorders in classrooms is beneficial to the students and their grades. People believe that recorders should be considered a “modern” alternative to the old-fashioned method of taking notes, but does everyone agree?
Many teachers are against the use of recorders in their classrooms and support their claims with reasonable facts.
“I can see both the positive and negative aspects of using recorders in class, however, I don’t think they will be too useful because students will rely more on technology,” said Social Studies teacher, Ms. Burkhard.
Foreign Language teacher, Ms. Salcedo, agrees with this claim but also includes that “it would decrease the amount of class participation and the amount of attention that was paid to the class by the students.” Teachers fear that with the addition of recorders into a classroom, it will divert the students’ attention from class discussions and would make them rely on the recorders and not on their own memory.
Some students tend to agree with these logical claims established by teachers. “I feel that using recorders in class isn’t effective or useful since students would not pay attention during class and they might not even participate in class,” said ninth grader Roby Daniel. Many teachers and some students fear that the recorders would be depended on and overused more than it should be.
If recorders are allowed in classrooms, teachers fear that the focus of their students will change from the topic at hand and that their participation will decrease if note-taking is not stressed. Most teachers follow the rule that, “Repetition is key,” and therefore find note-taking helpful in understanding information. This is why some teachers and students are opposed to the use of recorders.
Opinions collected from various age groups portrayed different circumstances in which recorders would prove to be helpful, but they all had the same main idea: humans are imperfect and have the tendency to forget. This reason depicts that students should have the recording as a backup system and to help them study and recall important class discussions that took place.
When it is necessary to review, one must be able to listen to everything the teacher sayd. One is most motivated to study when he or she understands what is going on during class.
“I believe it is beneficial for students to use recorders in class because students wouldn’t miss any important things discussed in class, but they should also take notes and be an active participant in class discussions as well,” said ninth grader Nidhi Patel.
The decision of whether or not to use recorders is ultimately up to the students themselves. Their study habits and methods of learning are the major concerns for the teachers and they don’t want anything to negatively affect the students and their scores. Students should be given the choice to choose between recorders or another form of learning which best suits them. All students should pay attention during class and take part in the discussions, but they should also use learning methods that better suit their comprehensive abilities. The only way that a student can learn to succeed is if he or she makes an effort to study any way possible.
Many teachers are against the use of recorders in their classrooms and support their claims with reasonable facts.
“I can see both the positive and negative aspects of using recorders in class, however, I don’t think they will be too useful because students will rely more on technology,” said Social Studies teacher, Ms. Burkhard.
Foreign Language teacher, Ms. Salcedo, agrees with this claim but also includes that “it would decrease the amount of class participation and the amount of attention that was paid to the class by the students.” Teachers fear that with the addition of recorders into a classroom, it will divert the students’ attention from class discussions and would make them rely on the recorders and not on their own memory.
Some students tend to agree with these logical claims established by teachers. “I feel that using recorders in class isn’t effective or useful since students would not pay attention during class and they might not even participate in class,” said ninth grader Roby Daniel. Many teachers and some students fear that the recorders would be depended on and overused more than it should be.
If recorders are allowed in classrooms, teachers fear that the focus of their students will change from the topic at hand and that their participation will decrease if note-taking is not stressed. Most teachers follow the rule that, “Repetition is key,” and therefore find note-taking helpful in understanding information. This is why some teachers and students are opposed to the use of recorders.
Opinions collected from various age groups portrayed different circumstances in which recorders would prove to be helpful, but they all had the same main idea: humans are imperfect and have the tendency to forget. This reason depicts that students should have the recording as a backup system and to help them study and recall important class discussions that took place.
When it is necessary to review, one must be able to listen to everything the teacher sayd. One is most motivated to study when he or she understands what is going on during class.
“I believe it is beneficial for students to use recorders in class because students wouldn’t miss any important things discussed in class, but they should also take notes and be an active participant in class discussions as well,” said ninth grader Nidhi Patel.
The decision of whether or not to use recorders is ultimately up to the students themselves. Their study habits and methods of learning are the major concerns for the teachers and they don’t want anything to negatively affect the students and their scores. Students should be given the choice to choose between recorders or another form of learning which best suits them. All students should pay attention during class and take part in the discussions, but they should also use learning methods that better suit their comprehensive abilities. The only way that a student can learn to succeed is if he or she makes an effort to study any way possible.
