Seething over cellphones

[sanctus]

Should cellphones be allowed in the schools?

It's one of this week's hot-button issues as Canadian teachers asked school boards and government for a ban on the mobile gadgets.

Ever since students started bringing phones into schools, there's been a lot of disapproving noise about them. And it's understandable: besides being a distraction, the text messaging feature could be used for cheating. But I'm willing to give students the benefit of the doubt on this one. They're honest enough to not cheat, right? Right?

But things have turned ugly recently.

A few months ago a teacher (and I forget in which province this happened) quit his job after being humiliated by students playing pranks on him, filming the stunts with their cellphone cameras and then posting the clips to video sites like YouTube. That's terrible and displays a lack of respect toward authority figures - unheard of among adolescents. Those kids clearly have no empathy for others.

But what about safety? More than once a crisis has hit a school - like the terrible Dawson College shootings last fall - and cellphones kept parents in touch with their kids during the chaos. The phone-cams also provided police with some valuable footage of what actually happened.

And then we get situations like this one, where a student films a teacher's violent phone-smashing outburst. The irony here is that the teacher might not have exploded had the cellphone not been in the classroom. And yet, we couldn't have seen it all without another student filming it on another cellphone camera, which might actually prove the point teachers are complaining about. (And based on how this was filmed, it also looks like the students might have set up their prof.)



This likely wouldn't be an issue if more kids were mature enough to handle it. But how likely is that? They are kids, after all, and let's face it: teen + cellphone (or any other gadget for that matter) = major distraction, and in some instances a tool for bullying. So where does that leave us? Would a cellphone ban in the classroom help resolve the situation? Or are these measures unnecessary?


-Derek Chezzi

 

[hermanntrude]

I say allow the cellphones but have a zero tolerance on nuisance caused by them. One beep during class, one annoying filming, one moment of distraction caused, and it's confiscated for a week. second offence, letter to parents explaining problem and that on the third offence the phone will no longer be allowed on the premises. third offence child is banned from having the phone on the premises, punishable by suspension.

 

[MikeyDB]

Herm

Half-way 'solutions' never work. No cellphones in school period.

Every school I've ever been in has at least one pay phone.

Children who can't write a grammatically correct sentence need cell-phones...for what?

 

[Gonzo]

It's up to parents not to spoil their children. I know many teachers, and parents are their biggest headaches. Parents always think their kids are perfect little angels. What do they need cell phones for in school? They shouldn't be talking on a phone in class! How did we survive without cell phones? How did we get by without being constantly in touch with everyone?

 

[MikeyDB]

Canadian parents don't parent....

They vote....

 

[tamarin]

Kids are techno-freaks but that doesn't mean they have to drive the rest of us crazy. Too many teens use cellphones to cheat and peep. Nothing savoury about that. Get them out of the schools and let the IQ pumps begin.

 

[sanctus]

Herm

Half-way 'solutions' never work. No cellphones in school period.

Every school I've ever been in has at least one pay phone.

Children who can't write a grammatically correct sentence need cell-phones...for what?

In the region of Ontario I am in, and speaking just for the Catholic schools since that is what I am most familiar with, the boards here have adopted a zero tolerance policy in regards to cellphones in the classrooms.

 

[sanctus]

I say allow the cellphones but have a zero tolerance on nuisance caused by them. One beep during class, one annoying filming, one moment of distraction caused, and it's confiscated for a week. second offence, letter to parents explaining problem and that on the third offence the phone will no longer be allowed on the premises. third offence child is banned from having the phone on the premises, punishable by suspension.

Tell me, why do you think any child NEEDS a cellphone whilst in school?

 

[vinod1975]

Basic cell phones can take on PDA tasks
Several ordinary cell phones can achieve the capabilities of Treos, Sidekicks and BlackBerrys through add-on software and their built-in features. The New York Times offers options for turning a regular cell phone into the "poor man's BlackBerry -- minus the keyboard." The New York Times (free registration) (1/25)

 

[Riyko]

When I was in school cellphones weren't allowed, if you had them in class you'd get it taken away and wouldn't be able to get it unless a parent came with you, teachers weren't even allowed to have cellphones, now at my old high school if you have a cellphone it has to stay in your locker from the time the first bell rings until the final bell to go home rings, you can't even use them during lunch.

I don't think cellphones should be allowed in schools if an emergency happens the parents can call the school and they can notify you.

 

[vinod1975]

Schools Make Rules for Cell Phone No-Nos

Thursday, September 23, 2004
By Catherine Donaldson-Evans

• E-MAIL STORY
• RESPOND TO EDITOR
• PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

Bells aren't the only things ringing in school these days. Cell phones are, too.
With so many students carrying mobiles, cell-phone rules (search) are multiplying at schools across the country, but it's not as simple as turning off a ringer.
Many parents are adamant about having their children of all ages tote phones with them in case of an emergency. But educators have found the mobile devices are often used for sneaky or social reasons, not just to communicate with Mom and Dad in a pinch.
The potential for cheating, for instance, has increased with phones' text messaging and picture-taking capabilities. That's why the Salinas Union High School District (search) in Salinas, Calif., implemented a no-phones-on-campus policy.
“We don’t go around conducting searches looking for them, but if they are out and go off, they will be confiscated,” said Roger Anton, superintendent of the school district.

 

[sanctus]

Canadian parents don't parent....

They vote....

That seems to be very true in many households these days. In fact, teenagers nowadays seem to run the homes, coming and going as they please. Talking as they please and basically setting the standards for their own behaviour.

There is quite a valid and logical reason to give a teenager a cellphone, for easier ways to contact them when necessary. However, that being said, they certainly should not need them in school.

 

[vinod1975]

I can smell somthing.......