There's a widely shared image on the Internet of a teacher's note that says: 'Dear students, I know when you're texting in class. Seriously, no one just looks down at their crotch and smiles.'

网上有一张流传很广的图片，上面是一位老师给学生的便条：“亲爱的学生们，我知道你们在课上发短信。说真的，没人会低头看着自己的胯部微笑。”

College students returning to class this month would be wise to heed such warnings. You're not as clever as you think -- your professors are on to you. The best way to stay in their good graces is to learn what behavior they expect with technology in and around the classroom.

Let's start with the million-dollar question: May computers (laptops, tablets, smartphones) be used in class? Some instructors are as permissive as parents who let you set your own curfew. Others are more controlling and believe that having your phone on means your brain is off and that relying on Google for answers results in a digital lobotomy.

这个月返回校园的大学生们应该明智地留意到这样的警告。你可不像自己以为的那么聪明――你的教授盯上你了。和他们保持良好关系的最好办法就是弄清楚他们能容忍学生在课堂上有哪些使用科技产品的行为。

Professors are united, though, in the conviction that the classroom is a communal space and that students share the responsibility for ensuring that nobody abuses it by diminishing opportunities to learn. An instructor who lets you squander your tuition by using class time to fuss with your iPhone is likely to have zero tolerance for distracting activities that make it hard for the rest of the class to pay attention.

让我们从这个最最重要的问题开始：上课时可以用电脑（笔记本、平板电脑、智能手机）吗？有些老师和家长一样宽容，会让你自己控制时间。还有的老师比较严格，他们认为开着手机意味着你没动脑子，并且认为依赖谷歌(Google)找答案会造成脑退化。

One of my colleagues has resorted to a severe policy that he calls the 'Facebook rule,' which turns the classroom into a wild west of bounty hunters and social media outlaws. Students are encouraged to earn extra credit by busting classmates who use their computers for activities like social networking, shopping or gaming during his lectures.

不过教授们一致认为，教室是公共空间，学生有共同责任确保无人滥用这个空间减少学习机会。允许你利用上课时间玩iPhone浪费你自己学费的老师大概也绝不能容忍你做出令其他学生难以集中注意力的干扰活动。

Other professors prefer imposing the scarlet letters themselves. One colleague became so fed up with a student who played games whenever the class went to a computer lab that he installed speakers on the offender's machine. Halfway through the class, the speakers got turned on and everyone stared as the post-apocalyptic sound track started blaring.

我的一位同事使用一种他称之为“Facebook规则”的严厉政策，把教室变成了满是赏金猎人和社交媒体罪犯的西部荒野。他鼓励学生举报在上课时间用电脑进行社交、购物和玩游戏的同学，举报者可获得额外学分。

Ultimately, rule-breakers are their own worst enemies. Students may be savvy enough to text the occasional query to partners-in-crime during exams. But it is only a matter of time before the mute button isn't pushed and the whole class gets to hear your 'I'm sexy and I know it' ringtone.

有些教授更喜欢亲自动手。一位同事有一个学生，每次在计算机实验室上课时都会玩游戏。他实在受不了了，就在这名学生的机器上装了喇叭。课上到一半时，喇叭就会打开，所有人都盯着那台发出世界末日般音效的机器 。

Emailing professors is another self-sabotaging land mine. Some instructors appreciate students who don't bother with formalities and shoot off quick, direct questions about an assignment or grade. Others, however, expect a formal greeting and sign off, and view the cut-to-the-chase approach as a rude affront that treats educational conversation like an automated customer-service call.

说到底，犯规者最大的敌人是他们自己。精明的学生可能会在考试时偶尔发短信给同伙，但总有一天静音键会不小心没关掉，全班都会听到你那“我很性感，我自己知道”的铃声。

As for that funny personal email address you got because it seemed cool in high school, ditch it. Your note from lovetoparty@____.com is on a collision course with a spam folder. And if it does reach your professors, they may question your judgment and priorities. If you forget to include your name, you can expect a reply like: 'Dear alwaysstoned@____.com, I guess we know the real reason you missed class.'

给教授写邮件是另外一个自取灭亡的地雷。有些老师喜欢学生不拘泥于形式，对作业或者分数有问题就迅速直接地提出来。不过有些老师则要求邮件有正式的问候语及结尾，认为开门见山的方法粗鲁无礼，是把师生对话当作自动客服电话。

To avoid the double whammy of irritating professors and peers at the same time, record classes only if you have explicit permission. Privacy concerns in the digital age extend beyond worries about sharing personal information. Complete transcripts of class discussions will make some peers feel like you're the NSA. And when a digital recording gets posted online, the whole class is at risk of having outside parties receive and misconstrue sensitive remarks. Recordings also make students self-conscious and less spontaneous, which ruins the free exchange of ideas.

至于你那在高中看起来很酷的滑稽的个人电邮地址，现在也别再用了。你从lovetoparty@____.com发出的邮件很有可能会被归为垃圾邮件。如果邮件有幸真的被教授收到，他们可能会质疑你的判断力和分辨轻重缓急的能力。如果你忘了写自己的名字，很有可能会收到这样的回复：“亲爱的alwaysstoned@____.com，我想我们知道你缺课的真正原因了。”

As students consider how to use their devices in the classroom, they should remember, above all, that tuition merely gets them into the lecture hall. If they want college to culminate in life-changing courses, mentoring from dedicated teachers and compelling recommendations for the world after graduation, they will earn these things the time-honored way, with courtesy and hard work.

要避免激怒教授的同时又引起其他同学反感，只有在得到明确许可的情况下才可以录音。数字时代的隐私问题已经超越了分享个人信息。课堂讨论的完整文字记录会让有些同学觉得你是国家安全局的(NSA)。当一份数字记录传到网上时，全班都处于敏感话语被外界得知并被曲解的危险之中。课堂记录还会使学生讨论时显得不自然，主动性降低，有损思想的自由交流。

As for professors, we can make things easier for students by including detailed etiquette policies in our syllabi. Too many of us leave our likes and dislikes to be discovered by trial and error.

当学生们考虑课堂上该如何使用电子设备时，他们应谨记，最重要的是学费只是让他们能够进入教室而已。如果他们想让大学起到改变生活轨迹的作用，想从敬业的老师那里获得真知，想在毕业后获得强有力的推荐，那么他们需要以久经考验的方法赢取这些东西，需要礼貌和勤奋。

But even the most detailed code of conduct can't hope to specify or resolve every possible sticking point. Society writ large is constantly struggling to come to grips with technological disruption, and so too are the adults at the front of the college lecture hall and the wired, distracted young adults who are there to learn from them.

至于教授，我们可以在课程表中列出详细的课堂文明规范，这样就容易多了。我们太多人都喜欢反复尝试，留待学生去发现我们的喜好。

Mr. Selinger is a professor of philosophy at the Rochester Institute of Technology and a fellow at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology.

不过即使最详细的行为规范也不能保证会涵盖或解决每一个可能的问题。整个社会都一直在不断努力应对技术的变革，站在大学讲堂前面的教授以及在那里学习的易走神的年轻人们都一样。