Rem Salem assignment : Phone Etiquette

Observation One Friday, January 24, 2014 Time: 1:30PM-2:00PM Description of The Location: The University of North Carolina at charlotte is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina. There are about 25,000 students that attend this university. This location consists of many different areas in which can be observed. I focused on 3 main areas to conduct my observations. The first area on campus I observed was in front of the student union, where there is a lot of student traffic especially in between classes. The second one was an in class observation. The in class observation was the most interesting because it included students and teachers. The final observation I conducted was the on campus library at UNCC, Atkins library, this location was perfect to study since it was an extremely quiet setting

Comment [Rs1]: Be more specific about the location, include information about the class that I observed and how strict the professor is in that class about using electronics and phones. Use the specific policy from the syllabus

Rem Salem assignment : Phone Etiquette

Figured World: A figured world is a social community where people share similarities such as standards of behavior and communication. The figured world I observed will be phone usage in an educational place. The more specific educational area I will observing is the University of North Carolina at charlotte. The main reason I conducted the observations in different areas of this location is to see how students and staff follow proper cellular phone etiquette depending on their setting. Cellular phone etiquette isnt something that is properly practiced by everyone. Since this is something that depends on ones surroundings people tend to forget to follow the proper etiquette at the appropriate time. For an in class setting it purely depends on the professors policy when it comes to cellular phone usage. In a library or quiet setting on campus its known that cell phone usage is restricted in respect to surrounding individuals. In contrast, outside of buildings it is expected behavior to be on your phone, talking, texting and catching up with friends and family. Cellular phone etiquette applies to the student as well as the instructor and staff. Although there are times in class where teachers may allow students to be on their phones for educational purposes its common sense to not answer your phone during class or leave the ringer on loud. All these situations will disrupt the lesson and students around you. Nowadays phone etiquette says a lot about an individuals character and how respectful they are of their surroundings. There are some situations where the expectations for cellular phone etiquette is changed, such as before class starts and if the teacher instructs that phone usage is permitted. Its always important to use good judgment and common sense when it comes to cellphone usage. I am expecting to observe many different discourse communities when it comes to cellphone usage . Professors with strict phone policy which restricts the usage of cellphones in class, and in contrast those who dont mind phone usage and in some cases encourage phones to research topics in class. When it comes to students I expect some students to be compliant with the teachers policy and respectable towards their surrounds while others will be disruptive.

Comment [Rs2]: For the entire formatting of the paper include all the head titles in bold so it will stand out to the reader. Times in the interviews should also be bold so they can stand out.

Actors: actors are characters that are being observed in the figured world. Their behavior plays the key role in comparison between the expected behavior. Dr.Jew: Dr. Jew is a part of the Chemistry department at uncc. He is an instructor for chemistry 1251 and 1252. He plays a main role in this figured world since he sets the ground rules for behavior and cell phone etiquette in the classroom environment. Dr.jew is a professor that follows his guidelines strictly and will hardly ever let the use of a cellphone disrupt his class Classmates: Classmates behavior and cellphone etiquettes are observed in a classroom setting. They can be split into two categories, those that follow the expected phone etiquette in class, and those who are disruptive. Most of the behavior being observed is that of the classmates. Students: students will be observed in an out of classroom setting. The significant of observation students verses observing classmates to see how change in setting will alter their behavior in phone etiquette. The two contrasting areas that students will be observed in is the library verses students outside the student union and between buildings.

Comment [Rs3]: Fix the definition for classmates in order to make it better understood to the reader. I repeated myself for the first and last part.

Rem Salem assignment : Phone Etiquette

Artifacts: artifacts can be defined as objects that play a significant role in a figured world. They are vital to the actors in the figured world. Cellphones: are the most obvious artifacts in this figured world. The usage of them will set the standards for what is expected and what is restricted in a specific setting. The observations will show how disruptive or helpful phones can be. The classroom: the classroom is an artifact since its where instruction will be given during the observation. Inside the classroom we can observe how phones will be used verses an outside of classroom setting The library: in this area students are expected to be studying and doing their homework. Phone usage is permitted in some areas of the library however there is still strict phone etiquette one must follow. Outside the student union: this is an area where staff students and visitors can be observed. Phone usage is permitted in areas on campus such as this area. Literacy Practices: These are the expectations for the actors behaviors in the community. For our situation it would include phone etiquette. Phone etiquette is required in an educational setting from both the student and the staff. How you use your phone nowadays says a lot about the kind of person you are. You are required to respect your surroundings and know when it is necessary to be more attentive rather than using your cellular device. The Observation: 1:30PM- Before class starts a few students have already been seated while others still continue to walk in. About half of those students seated are on their phones. None of thems are making calls but they all seem to be texting or using social networks. A few students have their headphones in at this time while waiting for professor jew to enter . 1:30PM- jew enters the class and the remaining few students find a seat. As he starts to give instructions students seated at the front of the class that had their phones out put them away . Some of the phones were placed on their desks. Other students put their phones in their pockets or back packs . Of those students that placed their phones on their desks . some of them had them flipped back side up while others left them front side up to see if they received any texts tweets calls etc. 1:30PM- During the first 10 minutes of class dr jew went over daily announcements and reviewed over what he has done in the past class. During this time students either drifted away from lecture and went back to their phones. Other students sat their organizing their notes in preparation to start note taking once dr. jew started writing himself. 1:30PM- during the of the lecture there were those students that never put their phones down during the entire time they were seated towards the back of the class. Students constantly checked their phones .
Comment [Rs4]: Give a more detailed definition of literacy practices. More examples should be provided about the literacy practices that have to do with this specific figured world in order to provide more detail.

Comment [Rs5]: Change students to classmates. Students are defined as those who are around campus rather than in an in class setting.

Rem Salem assignment : Phone Etiquette

1:32PM- students phone gives off a ringtone during lecture as teacher is talking about intermolecular forces between atomic particles. Most of the students look towards where the ringtone came from . Some students took out their phones after this occur like it was a reminder to check for notifications on their devices 1:33PM- Teacher continues to teacher after this incident. Smartboard on the overhead projector stops working properly . Teacher takes out his phone puts it on speaker and calls tech so they can go in manually from their location and fix it 1:35PM- Smartboard gets fixed and class continues. Many students at this time have their phones out text. No one is trying to make any calls for obvious reasons. Teacher gives a clicker question to the class , many students take out their phones to google for the answer while other put their phones away and take an attempt at the question . 1:37PM- Once Dr. jew says 30 seconds left to submit an answer I see many students take out their phones to use the calculator on it. Other classmates are discussing the answer with their classmates. 1:38PM-once the clicker answer has been revealed Dr. jew goes back to lecturing while most students take notes on the topics being discussed. At this point most the students have their phones at their desks and taking notes since the topic tends to be harder in the middle of the lecture. All the attention is needed. However there are still those occasional classmates that constantly stay on their phones. 1:40PM- Dr. Jew erases the board to make more space to write , during the time he spends to clear off the chalk from the board many students have already pulled out their phones to continue texting conversations they have been carrying throughout the day. 1:42PM- The last 15 minutes of class about every 3 out of 10 students have their phones out texting and surfing the web. During this time students have their faces down looking into their laps. Barley anyone is paying attention to Dr. Jew. Since there is no service in burson I would assume that most students are either using social Medias or surfing the web off the school Wi-Fi. 1:55- As students walk out of the lecture hall most of them have their phones in their hands. As they leave the class room some of them start to make phone calls since they are now getting service. However those that have their phones out continue to text. Observation Two Thursday, January 30, 2014 Time: 10:00AM-10:30AM 10:02AM- Upon entering the library from the ground floor entrance I see that the staff working at the reception desk has her phone out while surfing the web on the desktop. I see that she is paying no attention to students walking in and out of the library. 10:03AM- 2 girls are walking around the library looking for a place to study. They walk in silence making no conversation with one another since they are both using their cellphones while
Comment [Rs6]: Put the observations in order of time . make the observations in correct and equal time intervals.

Rem Salem assignment : Phone Etiquette

walking .they find a seat and sit down . Place their phones face up and take out their books place them on the table and continue to text for a few moments. 10:00AM-10:15AM- There is a girl sitting face to the window talking on the phone. She was speaking in a whisper since it was an indoor library setting. I heard an occasional laugh every minute or so. Other students around are getting uneasy since they are trying to do their work. She hangs up the phone after 5 minutes or so. 10:05AM- As I walk towards the elevator to go upstairs I see many students sitting at desk with their phones out. They look like they are relaxing and texting rather than studying . In the elevator a student is texting waiting to get on her desired floor. As I walk into the quiet study area it says on a sign in read no talking, no food, no phones. Students sat studying in this area , most of them seemed to be really concentrating , working , and studying. There was a girl sitting in one of the desks with her phone out smiling into it. 10:06AM- as I walked to the coffee shop on the ground floor of Atkins library there were more and more people talking on their phones as I got closer to the coffee shop. People sitting on the couches and chairs in the coffee shop were having conversations while others were one their electronics such as tablets and phones. 10:21AM- Students and staff waiting in the line to order. One girl had her headphones in listening to music, while a man behind her was on the phone. When it was his turn to order he told the caller that he would call back when he was free. 10:08AM- As I walked up stairs many people were going up and down the stairs as well. Of those students talking on the phone in the stair case they seemed to be louder than those on the library floor. The boy walking in front of me seemed to be joking and laughing on the phone once we got to the first floor his tone of voice was lowered all the way down to a whisper. 10:10AM- many students were gathered around the computers each sitting and doing work on the computer. One student had their headphones in while completing an assignment. That student occasionally checked their phone and changed the song. 10:13AM- Some students were checking out laptops from the front desk and a group of students were sitting on a study group table yet all of them had their phones in their hands texting and no conversation or communication was going on. They all looked distracted in whatever they were doing on their phones at the time. They continued to be on their phones for about 5 more minutes.

Observation Three Monday, February 3, 2014 Time: 8:00AM-8:30AM

Rem Salem assignment : Phone Etiquette

Note: (I decided to make this observation sitting outside of the conference to see what response I would get. Towards the end of my observation you will note people were getting extremely paranoid about me sitting there taking notes.) 8:00AM- I walk outside the student union and start heading towards burson. Students eyes are glued to their phones. I crossed to the other side of craver road. 8:02AM- as I walk many students are making phone calls since they are going from class to class. My friend is talking to her mom about a quiz she just took. Then she makes a calls back to back . One of the calls made was to her boyfriend catching him up and her day. 8:03AM-during my walk to burson I noticed that it was very uncommon to see a student not using their phone since it was the main source for communication . 8:04AM- I also observed drivers driving down the road also texting and making phone calls inside their cars. A parked car I passed by had a passenger and driver both on their phones. The guy was making a call while the girl was texting or surfing the web. 8:05AM- 8:15AM- In the smoking area on campus many students were their smoking and using their phones. Most of the people in the smoking area that were using their phones were not making calls but seem to be using it to pass the time or out of boredom 8:20AM- I walked passed atkins library. There I saw many people standing outside the library to make calls . This was because there is barley any service on the ground floor of the library so it would be necessary to be outside or near a window to make a call. 8:30AM- I started heading towards fretwell . There I passed though prospector. Prospector is a dining area with chickfila and other restaurants. The area was so busy and since it was in between classes the lines were extremely long. Most of the students were using their phones while waiting in line and most of the students talking on the phone didnt hang up when it was their turn to order in line. Interview Student at UNCC Interview Questions 1. How much time do you think you spend on your phone rather than paying attention to instruction? I would say I pay attention to half of the instruction given to me in my day due to my phone distracting to me. I know I have a phone problem like a lot of other students I am with in class. I dont care how strict the teacher is I feel like it cant stop me from using my phone. 2. Do you find it disrespectful to use your phone in class and if so do you do it anyways
Comment [Rs8]: Include more information about the student that was interviewed . This information can include things such as grade level of student . How long shes been attending UNCC. Students name and age Comment [Rs9]: Include an interview from a professors point of view. This will be different from a students perspective and will show how instructors feel when students use their phones in class.

Comment [Rs7]: Do not include the word I since I should be talking more about what is going on in the observation rather than my specific actions at the given time.

Comment [Rs10]: Weak question because its sort of a given answer. You should follow the question format that was given in class by Ashlyn .

Rem Salem assignment : Phone Etiquette

Yes I do find it disrespectful to the professor to use your phone in class regardless if they see you or not. I do use my phone in class on a daily bases to check for text send texts Facebook and twitter. 3. Is it necessary to check your phone during class Sometimes it is necessary but I feel like I do it out of boredom most of the time rather than for a more serious purpose. I just check Instagram to see if any one posted anything or if I got a text from my boyfriend. 4. How do you feel when professors use their phones in class I feel like they should give us mutual respect. If they say that phone usage is restricted I dont want to see them on their phones
Comment [Rs11]: Also a weak phrased question . reword in order to get a better answer from the person being interviewed.

5. What is it about your phone that is so distracting? Getting notifications from twitter Instagram and all those social Medias is so distracting. I also have day long convos with my boyfriend and I feel like I need to respond quickly so I constantly check for texts from him and my friends.