Editorial: Academia claps for apps

The past decade has been the mobile phone’s. Sleek and shiny replaced clunky and cumbersome…. The past decade has been the mobile phone’s. Sleek and shiny replaced clunky and cumbersome. With that advancement came multiple capabilities. With those capabilities came restrictions.

In days past, teachers scorned the sight of a phone in school. Any use of the device — for texting or not — was a cardinal sin. The culture and atmosphere of school were at odds with these small technological gems. A student would be perceived as unfocused if caught using one.

But the smartphone is making a comeback in classrooms, and this time with the blessings of professors. Nationwide, colleges and graduate schools are embracing the new technology. They are embracing the cell phone — the iPhone specifically — for its versatility and technological edge.

In 2009, University of Missouri’s journalism school, the nation’s oldest, incentivized the ownership of an iPhone or iPod Touch, according to US News & World Report. Students would be eligible for more financial aid if they followed suit. The administration’s rationale is that wielding the phone would make it more feasible to rewatch lectures, helping to better retain information.

The phone is being recognized for its video abilities.

Another school, the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, added iPhones or iPod Touches to its list of requirements. According to the student newspaper, The Alligator, the College of Pharmacy Dean William Riffee said the administration wants students “to become adept at using these mobile devices early on because [they] see this as the future in pharmacy practice.” There are numerous applications that have uses in the medical field.

Finally, academia is catching up. Help students train with new technologies instead. Accept that in the real world, these technologies do exist, and they will only be advancing. This kind of methodology will assist students in using these devices professionally.

The medical schools at Ohio State University and Georgetown University also require the phone. Applications like Epocrates help identify medications, and some applications help in learning anatomy in the preclinical years of education.

The phone is being recognized for its software.

Technology is being perceived as an advantage and not a hindrance in the education realm. Gadgets are no longer simply sources of distraction, but vehicles to further improve education.

More schools that require training of their students should embrace the rewards such devices have to offer. They can even have a hand in collaborating with software companies to customize applications for their classes. Maybe Pitt’s medical school could sign on to the handheld revolution.

The fact that the iPhone has been the popular choice speaks to its versatility. If educational institutions were to pursue integrating more technology into their curricula, there might be more competition between suppliers and a different trend in tasks the phones could perform; maybe more universal compatibility with file-types.

It is hard to escape the technological aspect of life in America. Instead of fighting the wave, ride the wave and benefit.