ROCKEFELLER HALL—Educators are tasked with a plethora of growing challenges that have emerged with technological development: trying to mitigate the use of artificial intelligence, navigating online assignments and grading, and attempting to implement the latest technology into their lectures.
Associate Professor Sasha James completely reformatted her course after several negative reviews online criticizing what she thought to be “a timeless teaching strategy of droning on endlessly and reciting dull PowerPoint slides verbatim.” To rectify this situation, James did what every late middle-aged person has to do at some point: buy an iPad. The purple iPad Air—sporting the personal engraving of bubble letter emojis spelling out “LOL,” default liquid glass wallpaper, and an extensive amount of games—proves to bring other obstacles with it.
One of James’ students, Grace Martinez ‘28, says that Monday’s lecture was a particularly taxing one. First, Professor James unlocked her iPad and held down the Goodnotes app too long, leaving her worried and wondering why “everything is shaking.” Then, she opened Safari to reveal her impressive amount of opened tabs, among which read, “How to make a google search?” The most painful part, though, was yet to come for her unsuspecting class.
Halfway through the period, she stood and approached the board to better point out parts of a diagram. Disaster struck when some students noticed the screen beginning to dim. They sat anxiously looking at one another, mouths agape, anticipating the moment the professor might pause long enough for them to inform her of the empty screen staring back at them. Unfortunately, this opportunity never came. “It’s actually impressive she didn’t turn around to notice for half the lecture,” commented Joshua Chase ‘27.
When James finally did turn around, she attempted the unlikely preservation of her pride by trying to play it off as making sure the class was paying attention. At the end of class, James was found arguing with Siri and weeping silently to herself.
