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College life in the Internet age 1 The college campus long a place of scholarship and frontiers of new technology is being transformed into a new age of electronics by a fleet of laptops smartphones and connectivity 24 hours a day. 2 On a typical modern-day campus where every building and most outdoor common areas offer wireless Internet access one student takes her laptop everywhere. In class she takes notes with it sometimes instant-messaging or emailing friends if the professor is less than interesting. In her dorm she instant-messages her roommate sitting just a few feet away. She is tied to her smartphone which she even uses to text a friend who lives one floor above her and which supplies music for walks between classes. 3 Welcome to college life in the 21st century where students on campus are electronically linked to each other to professors and to their classwork 24/7 in an ever-flowing river of information and communication. With many schools offering wireless Internet access anywhere on campus colleges as a group have become the most Internet accessible spots in the world. 4 Students say they really value their fingertip-access to the boundless amount of information online and the ability to email professors at 2 a.m. and receive responses the next morning. "I always feel like I have a means of communication in class and out of class" says one engineering major. 5 Many are using smartphones not only to create their own dialects when texting but also to do more serious work such as practicing foreign languages and analyzing scripts from their theater classes. In a university class on the history of American radio students use smartphones to record their own radio shows. The course instructor said "It's adding to students' sense of excitement about the subject." Professors have been encouraged to tape their lectures and post them online. "We realized there might be some potential for a device that could get attention and encourage sophisticated thinking" says one leading university director. 6 For most undergraduates non-stop Internet connectivity is the fuel of college life. More than just toys these instruments are powerful tools for the storage and management of virtually every kind of information. And as more people around the world adopt these instruments they are becoming indispensable. So students should use the wonders of the Internet to do homework review lecture outlines take part in class discussions and network online with their friends. But in doing so students must remember to regulate and balance their time. Too much time online can mean too little time in real-life studying or exercising or visiting with friends. Students should not let the Internet world on their computer screens take them away from the real world outside. 7 Colleges began embracing Internet access in the mid-1990s when many began wiring dorms with high-speed connections. In the past few years schools have taken the lead by turning their campuses into bubbles of Wi-Fi networks. In fact a recent study in the US found that information technology accounted for 5% to 8% of college budgets up from an estimated 2% to 3% in the mid-1980s. 8 On one campus students use Wi-Fi to fire off instant messages review their homework assignments and check their bank balances. Just nine miles down the highway another university had been feeling a bit of a technology inferiority complex. To compensate it spent tens of thousands of dollars to give every one of its incoming freshmen a free Apple iPad. 9 Some universities even require that all students own or lease a laptop. Some say the focus on technology prepares students for a wired world. "You have to keep up with the rest of the world. Students expect high-bandwidth information and if you can't deliver it you're at a competitive disadvantage" states a university president. 10 Other colleges are straining to stand out from their peers. The race to attract students with the most modern networks and the hottest systems has reached fever pitch. Some business majors are receiving free portable computers. In an always-connected mode they can get information anytime and anywhere they need. One university is even giving its freshmen new smartphones to enrich the student experience and prepare them for success in a rapidly changing world. 11 For those who prefer to travel laptop-free colleges supply several computer labs. And for students who study late into the night many have set up 24-hour repair shops where students can get their laptops fixed by the next day and receive a loaner in the meantime. 12 Colleges around the world have been replacing their computer systems for the past decade in large part to provide students with the most advanced free system. The anywhere-anytime access has already yielded amazing benefits in education. With the widespread application of computer technologies we are going to produce a generation of problem-solvers and intelligent thinkers which is indispensable for the future of the world. 互联网时代的大学生活 大学校园长久以来都是学术之地，也是新技术的前沿。现在随着手提电脑和智能手机的大量出现，加上每天24小时不间断的网络连接，大学校园正在转而进入电子设备的新时代。 在典型的现代校园里，每幢建筑和大部分室外公共区域都提供无线互联网接入,学生可以把手提电脑带到任何地方。课堂上，她用手提电脑记笔记，有时如果教授的课一点都没意思，她就会给朋友发送即时信息或电子邮件。在寝室，她甚至会给近在咫尺的室友发送即时信息。她离不开智能手机，甚至对住在楼上的朋友也要发短信；在从上一堂课去下一堂课的路上她也要用智能手机听音乐。 欢迎来体验21世纪的大学生活：通过源源不断的信息流，学生之间、师生之间以及学生和课堂作业之间建立了电子化的联系，一天24小时，一周7天，从不间断。在许多学校，无线互联网连接覆盖了校园的各个角落，大学整体上也因此成为世界上互联网最普及的地方。 学生们说他们非常看重动动手指就可获得无限的网上信息，还可以在凌晨两点给教授发电子邮件，并能在第二天早上收到教授的回复。一位工程专业的学生说：“我觉得无论在课内还是在课外，我都拥有一种交流手段。” 很多学生不仅使用智能手机自创语体发短信，而且也用智能手机来做更正经的工作，比如练习外语、分析戏剧课的脚本等。在一所大学的有关美国广播电台历史的课上，学生们用智能手机录下他们自己的广播节目。教授这门课的教师说：“这提高了学生学习这门课的兴奋感。”学校也鼓励教授录下授课内容并发布到网上。一位一流大学的主管说：“我们意识到，像这样一种能够引起学生关注、并促使他们深入思考的工具也许大有潜力。” 对于大多数本科生来说，永不间断的互联网是大学生活的动力。网络工具不只是玩具，而且是储存和管理几乎各种信息的强大工具。随着世界上越来越多的人使用这些工具，它们已经变得不可或缺。所以，学生应该运用互联网所创造的奇迹来完成作业、复习讲座提纲、参与课堂讨论、与朋友们进行网上社交。但是在做这些的同时，学生们必须记住，要控制和平衡好时间。上网时间过长就意味着在现实生活中学习、锻炼或和朋友叙谈的时间过少。学生们不应该让电脑屏幕上的互联网世界使他们脱离外面的现实世界。 大学在20世纪90年代中期迎来互联网，那时许多大学开始给学生寝室接入高速网络。在过去的几年中，学校率先把校园变成了被无线网络覆盖的世界。事实上，美国最近的一项研究发现，信息技术的投入占高校预算的5%-8%，比20世纪80年代中期约2%-3%的投入有所增加。 有一所大学里，学生用无线网络发送即时信息、复习家庭作业以及查看银行账户余额。而就在沿公路往前九英里处，另一所大学一直有种技术不如别人的自卑感。为了弥补这一点，该大学花了数万美元给每一名入学新生免费赠送了一台苹果iPad。 有些大学甚至要求所有学生拥有或租用一台手提电脑。有人说注重技术可以使学生作好准备面对被网络连接的世界。一位大学校长指出：“你必须与世界保持同步，学生们期望通过高带宽获取信息。如果你不能提供，你就会在竞争中处于劣势。” 其他大学正努力从同行当中脱颖而出。大学之间用最现代的网络和最热门的系统来吸引学生的竞争已经达到狂热的地步。一些商科专业的学生可以领到免费的便携式电脑。在永久在线模式下，他们可以根据需要随时随地获取信息。一所大学甚至为新生配备了智能手机，以丰富其大学经历，为他们在一个日新月异的世界上取得成功作好准备。 大学还为那些不喜欢随身携带手提电脑的学生提供了若干个机房。而且，许多大学为那些熬夜学习的学生开设了24小时电脑维修店，电脑第二天就可以修好，而且在电脑送修期间，学生可以使用维修点提供的代用电脑。 在过去10年里，世界各地的大学都在更换其计算机系统，主要是为了给学生提供最先进的免费系统。随时随地的网络连接使教育深受裨益。随着计算机技术的广泛应用，我们将培养出善于解决问题和善于思考的一代人，这对于世界的未来是至关重要的。 |
