Post 911 made a lot of us parents a little less hesitant or maybe even anxious to put cell phones in our children's hands. And Florida law keeps them there while they are in school and at school functions.
Florida statute 1006.07(2)(e) states “a student may possess a wireless communications device while the student is on school property or in attendance at a school function”. It also states “each district school board shall adopt rules governing the use of a wireless communications device by a student while the student is on school property or in attendance at a school function”.
Our policy states “cell phones and/or any cellular device shall not be activated or used in any manner during school hours. This includes having such devices in any silent, vibrate, or visual-only mode. Cellular devices shall be defined as any electronic device that reproduces, transmits, or records (voice, pictures, text, or any other type of media)”.
Long story short, this means students are legally able to have cell phones while on school property, but they can’t be turned on or they could be confiscated and the student could be subject to disciplinary action.
This readily accessible technology brings with it a myriad of problems. Cheating being one of the worst. According to a poll by CBS.com 1 in 5 students has cheated; whether by text messaging, taking pictures of test with cell phone cameras, calculators, iPods, or even Bluetooth wireless phone-ear pieces. Students are very innovative when it comes to using technology to cheat.
I am an advocate of technology as a teaching tool and have posted in the past about teachers using technology as a tool. But what about students using technology to cheat?
Any ideas on how should the school district address this issue? We have talked about dampening cell phone reception as one method, but this does not address all of the ways kids are cheating.
Here is an article in the Washington post that gives some strategies on dealing with cheaters.
Thoughts? Teachers…how do you stop students from cheating. And what should be done to students when they are caught?
2 comments:
It is a problem. Some teachers state directions before a test to include, "Take out your phone.. shut it off... put it in your book bag... all book bags are to be put along the front wall". That's what we do during FCAT, too. It's now part of the official directions.
I can't wait and see how many kids will have iphones, accessing the internet for all sorts of things. No firewalls on iphones like we have on the schools' computers.
It's too large for a comment so please see, Mosquito Rings In the Era of the Student Cell Phone
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