After spending 12 hours observing student behavior in general access computer labs on a college campus, I recognized certain principles of behavior among the people I examined. Overall, it seemed that students interacted more with the technology they were using than with each other. Students used various electronic devices, such as cell phones and iPod’s, which kept them from interacting with the other students in the lab. Students also interacted with friends by using Facebook. This was a way for them to keep in touch with their buddies without having to speak with them in person.
Despite the fact that a majority of the students I observed in the labs did not interact with those around them, there were cases where students entered the lab in groups and sat together. Most of the time, these groups were in the lab to work on a project for a class, but there were instances when two or three people entered the lab together without the intention of working on a collective assignment. These small groups sat with each other, but did not necessarily use the same programs. These findings suggest that students generally interact with other lab users only when they came into the lab with someone else. Students who entered the lab alone were more likely to interact solely with their computer, phone, or music-playing device.
Overall, I noticed that students seem to rely heavily on technology, whether it is for an academic or social purpose. I expected that since computer labs are places where many students gather, that there would be more socializing among the group. However, students seemed more intent on using social networking and cell phones as their main forms of communication.
