It’s Time to Break Bad Pandemic Learning Habits

I have been a member of the physics faculty at Southeastern Louisiana University for more than two decades. The small department gives me the opportunity to teach a wide range of courses, from physical science to quantum mechanics.

Most of our activities weren't conducted in the most ideal environment during the first year of the Pandemic. The first thing we did at my school was use the internet to move all classes online. That wasn't very enjoyable. Short lecture videos were also added. I really liked making those. Some students would be in class while others would be online. This was really bad.

As a teacher, I noticed that we all picked up some bad habits over the last couple of years. When you eat too much and watch too much football after a holiday, you might not be as fit as you should be. The same thing can happen when you learn.

You know that after the holidays you have to hit the gym or get outside in order to get back in shape. It's more about figuring out how to use the technologies that helped us go remote instead of relying on them as a crutch.

The phones are smartphones.

It can be surprising to know how much power we have. Not only is your phone a very powerful computer, but it has a decent camera and a lot of other sensors.

Smart phones can be used to collect and analyze data. Students can use the phones to measure the distance an elevator goes. The speed of the International Space Station could be measured using a long-exposure photo. If you want to solve physics problems, you can use built-in lidar to create 3D maps of a room.

As a first step in class discussions, I have the students use their phones to vote on their answers. A tossed ball at its highest point is one of the things I like to watch. The acceleration is not zero since the velocity is zero. The ball would appear to be stationary if the speed was zero and the acceleration was zero.

I don't think it's a good idea for students to take pictures of everything in class because they're not really using their phones in class. This has been going on for a while so it is not related to the Pandemic. I take a lot of pictures as well. Photos can serve as reminders of things we need to do, like taking a picture of the grocery list, because they are not just a great way to remember your favorite dog. What is the problem with students taking a picture in class of a solution to a problem?