Students and teachers met yesterday to discuss implications of the use of wireless Internet (WiFi) in campus classrooms, voicing both challenges and advantages associated with the technology.

"The wireless classroom is here," began Scott Mah, assistant vice president of Computing and Communication.

Begun in 2004 as simply an idea, a proposal to make UW "wireless" has turned into a major undertaking and has expanded to include the Bothell and Tacoma campuses as well.

The venture, set in motion in 2005, has been allotted $7.5 million and is due for completion by 2008, Mah said.

Yesterday's forum, sponsored in part by the UW Catalyst Spark Sessions, welcomed professors, students and faculty members to share their thoughts about the positive and negative aspects of using WiFi as an interactive teaching aide.

"I see an enormous use for this technology in my classroom," said Ana Larson, lecturer of astronomy.

Larson was one of four panel members who led the discussion at yesterday's forum. Other panelists included Mike Eisenberg, dean emeritus and professor of the Information School; Taso Lagos, lecturer of communications; and Christopher Blair, a senior in the Jackson School of International Studies.

Larson took forum members through a virtual tour of her Astronomy 101 Web site, which included a mock quiz to show one possible use of WiFi technology.

The quiz was designed to gauge students' understanding of material recently covered in lecture and had a section where students could write comments or questions regarding the lessons.

"I can see where I stand," Larson said.

She felt this tool would be greatly beneficial in better understanding student needs prior to exams and would allow for more interactive learning.

Blair offered a student's perspective to the forum and ultimately pledged his support.

He felt the use of WiFi in smaller classes could prompt collaborative work between students, and allow teachers to impart their knowledge personally as they moved from group to group.

Several forum members shared their concerns, recalling incidences when students had been wandering the Internet and distracting other students when they should have been paying attention. Others recounted episodes when students had been caught text-messaging exam answers to classmates.

Eisenberg shared that after having had similar experiences, he created an online chat for his students to use during class time and had great success. He said students wrote questions and comments about the material he was addressing in the lecture.

"Having technology does not substitute good teaching," Lagos said.

He and Eisenberg stressed that it is not simply technology that should be the center of concern, but making sure students are learning.

"PowerPoint doesn't kill people; bad teachers do," Eisenberg said.

Reach reporter Brittany Rogers at news@thedaily.washington.edu.