The other day I let one of my classes leave about 20 minutes early than they were slated to do so. Why? About four to five students were texting, as I was talking about their paper assignment. I found that I kept on looking at the students' hands and phones and was distracted.

I then made a judgment call and let them go. They looked surprised. Hey, if you're sitting in the first row and sitting within a few feet of the podium--not best to text during lecture. I think from here on out, I will now have to add something to my syllabus about this. It really is distracting to me.