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　　When it comes to using technology to foster education, the prevailing wisdom has been that more is better．Over the past decade, universities around the globe have invested heavily in the wired classroom, adding everything from external laptop connections to Blu-ray DVD players．But there is little evidence that these devices enhance learning－and, critics believe, they might actually hinder it, making both students and teachers passive．What if classrooms were restored to the pre-Internet days of wooden tables and chalk?

　　Take technology out of the classroom．Jose Nowen, dean of the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Texas, has done just that．He wants his faculty to “teach naked”, meaning without the aid of any machines．“Just because you have a PowerPoint presentation doesn’t mean you have a good lecture,” he argues．Classroom time should be reserved for discussions with the prefessor, aimed at teaching students to think critically, argue, and raise new questions．Due to the grim economic climate at most universities, he says, avoiding new technology is also a sound way to save money．

　　Bowen, who teaches music, delivers content via podcasts(播客), which students must listen to on their own time．He then quizzes them on the material before every class to make sure they’ve done the work, and uses class time for discussions and research according to the recorded lessons．He’s been teaching the same material for 25 years, but since he implemented the new way, he says, his students have been more engaged and scored better on exams．College students asked by researchers to list what motivates them have consistently emphasized teacher enthusiasm, organization, and raport(融洽的关系), while naming lack of active participation as a major disincentive(遏制因素)．Last spring the British Educational Research Journal published a survey that found that 59 percent of students called at least half their lectures boring－particularly those involving PowerPoint．

　　Technology has a place in education, but it should be used independently by students outside the classroom．That gives them more time to absorb lectures via podcast or video, and frees teachers to spend class time coaching students in how to apply the material rather than simply absorb it．