We have all been there. Sitting in class trying to tell the professor how to get to a Web site or watching them type in a complete URL, as we twirl our thumbs at lost time and feel the familiar impatience that comes with our technologically savvy generation.

Many times in class the flow of discussion has been halted because a professor doesn’t know how to open a new tab in a Web browser or turn up the volume of the speakers. As students, are we supposed to sit there and let professors figure it out to spare their dignity, or do we just tell them to look for the little universal speaker icon? The technological resources in campus classrooms should enhance learning, not interrupt it.

This situation wouldn’t be so frustrating if we as students didn’t have to labor through Excel spreadsheets, graphs and faux PowerPoints to fulfill our computer competency credit. Why should we suffer at the hands of Microsoft Office in order to graduate if our wise and studied professors struggle with Internet Explorer?

I don’t think I can stand one more lecture staring at a lime green, text-heavy PowerPoint or watching a professor meander through the desktop searching for a link. I understand that it’s a new and exciting teaching tool, but if you choose to use it, please use it knowledgeably. Please, I beg of you.

St. Edward’s University needs to set up a mandatory workshop for professors that is equivalent to our computer competency requirements. The classroom would be more efficient, and professors could enlighten us with their intellect without the distraction of their computer incompetency.

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