Newswise — There has been a recent movement among some educators and administrators to limit access to the Internet or ban laptops in classrooms as a means to reduce distractions or lower broadband costs.
A strong advocate against these actions is Stacy Morrone, a professor of education psychology and associate vice president for learning technologies at Indiana University.
Rather than limit Wi-Fi access, Morrone argues in favor of creating active learning environment where students and faculty work together on challenging and interesting problems to improve engagement and reduce distractions. In these sorts of classrooms, faculty serve as guides as they move around the room and students use technology productively to research questions or problems and access their electronic textbooks, adaptive learning or student response systems.
"Students in these kinds of classrooms are not playing games on their phones, tweeting, or shopping," she said. "They are learning, and they quickly discern that to be successful, they must come to class prepared."
As a professor of educational psychology, Morrone's research interests center on innovative learning environments that enable new ways of teaching. She also previously served as executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at IUPUI and remains deeply committed to new professional development models designed to meet the needs of today's faculty, staff and students.
Morrone is the recipient of multiple teaching awards. She holds a PhD in educational psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor's degree in technical communication from the University of Minnesota.
Morrone is available for interviews and expert commentary. Please direct inquiries to Kevin Fryling, Indiana University Communications, [email protected] or 812-856-2988.
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