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[John Hall]

From Yahoo! Canada:

TORONTO (CP) - They play music, receive e-mail, access the Internet - and are wreaking such havoc in classrooms across Canada that some frustrated teachers and administrators are calling on school boards and governments for a crackdown on cellphones in school.


For many students, cellphones are a must-have accessory. Teachers, however, consider them a menace that not only disrupt class by ringing all the time, but also pose serious privacy concerns and make it far too easy for students to cheat on exams.


"Every year there is some new advancement of the technology that we have to deal with," said Irene Lanzinger, vice-president of the B.C. Teachers Federation.


"It's amazing how much change we've seen over the last 10 years in what kids have and what they bring to a classroom. Five or 10 years ago, you weren't taking pictures or videos with your cellphone."


Some say it's up to the teachers themselves to maintain order. But the increasing prevalence of modern technology in class has Ontario teachers pleading with school boards and the provincial government for help keeping the peace in class.


"It's increasingly becoming an issue for teachers," said Rhonda Kimberley-Young, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation.


"If it falls down to well over 100,000 teachers individually across this province to deal with it, I don't think it's unreasonable for direction to be given to them as professionals. It shouldn't be left to (their) discretion."


Modern cellphones, with features that allow users to take photos or shoot video, raise grave concerns about privacy, since candid snapshots and video clips can easily be posted to the Internet or e-mailed to others.


Text messaging and access to the Internet also make it easier for students to cheat while ringtones are evolving into long ballads which disrupt an entire classroom - especially if the student answers the phone.


Teachers are routinely pressured by students and parents alike who don't want cellphones left in school lockers for safety reasons, Kimberley-Young said. But teachers shouldn't be trying to stem the tide of modern technology without some formal guidance, she added.


"They can be a distraction to learning," Kimberley-Young said. "But there are all kinds of issues raised around cellphones in classrooms that extend beyond a distraction."


Toronto District School Board trustee Josh Matlow is calling for a board-wide ban on cellphone use in schools, but the Ontario government isn't interested in setting a provincewide policy, said Education Minister Kathleen Wynne.


Teens shouldn't be allowed to have their cellphones on in class, but it's up to school boards and teachers to deal with the problem, Wynne said Wednesday.


"A classroom management strategy would probably be for kids not to have their cellphones on," she said. "That's my opinion. But it's a local issue and I'm sure teachers and school principals will work that out."


Phones are even creeping into In Nova Scotia's junior high schools, said Mary-Lou Donnelly, the president of the province's teachers' union. While the provincial government hasn't stepped in, Donnelly said schools have handled the problem well on their own.


A provincial or board-wide policy may not be a good fit for every school or classroom, she said.


"Schools have dealt with it like schools deal with dress codes," Donnelly said. A cellphone ban might be appropriate for an urban school with 1,000 kids, but less so for a smaller, rural one, she added.

But pressure to deal with the issue is rising at Ontario school boards. Matlow said he plans to raise the issue of a board-wide cellphone policy at the board's next meeting later this month.

Indeed, Rick Johnson, president of the Ontario Public School Boards Association, acknowledged that the use of cellphones is so widespread boards may soon have no choice but to develop a formal policy.

"In an exam situation, kids could be texting answers back and forth," Johnson said. "It raises cheating to a new level if it gets that far."

Still some say there are more pressing issues in modern classrooms than annoying ringtones. Annie Kidder of the Ontario parent's group People for Education said there are always going to be gadgets and gizmos that distract students from their schoolwork.

Decisions about whether to confiscate cellphones are better left to individual teachers than provincial policy wonks, Kidder said.

"I think most teachers tell their students they can't be on their phone or text messaging people in class," she said.

"There's a lot of need for a lot of on-high policies, (but) I'm not sure that's one of them."



I thought I would just post this to see if this is a problem for teachers on this board. And if so, what is your solution to the problem?

[Jizzo T. Clown]

Kids in Jr High School have no business owning a cell phone anyway!

I just tell my students to keep their phones turned off. My classes are small enough that cellular cheating isn't a problem.

[John Hall]

It is for me. Especially the text-messaging thing during exams. A very silent way to cheat in large classes.

[cangringo]

John, this may not work as it depends what the economic climate is like and being sensitive to students with not a lot of money but assuming you are in a school where it's not a sensitive issue - you could charge students per cell phone call, just a small amount, and put it in a jar. When you collect enough you can order pizza or some other treat for the class. I have heard this suggested for students that insist on speaking in their native language and it apparently works very well. The students of course want the pizza so they will tell you if someone else is using their phone - it sounds a lot like tattling but it may help with the problem?? Just a thought.

[laura1d]

Hi,

I teach very small classes now (max of 15 students) but throughout my teaching career (in some countries up to 55 students) I have found a foolproof method to deal with mobile phones.

If I hear a bleep or a ringing noise I find it immediately then answer the phone myself (students are so gob smacked by the request for the phone they usually just hand it over) and then hang up. Otherwise, I threaten (and pretend) to ring England. It soon dissuades their friends from keeping their phones on in class!

Laura

[cangringo]

that is a good idea laura, I like that a lot

[Jetgirly]

I loved it when my Business English students' cell phones rang! Especially in individual lessons, as I could just leave the room and wait for their conversation to be over! It was like a bonus coffee break. I don't really feel that I can ask any paying adults not to use cell phones in the class, but I can ask them to step out of the room if they need to carry on a conversation.

I'm now in Canada in Grade 7 and 8 classrooms, and we don't have any problems with cell phones. I never hear them ring. The students aren't supposed to have them turned on if they're on school property, but my feeling is that they should be free to use them in the halls and if they need to speak to a family member they should ask permission in advance and sit close to the door so that they can step into the hall (and hope the principal doesn't see!) if the phone rings. In general I try to the turn the kind of blind eye where I ignore it and the students don't realize I've noticed.

[Stephen Jones]

There are blocking mechanisms, but although that will stop ringing it won't stop cheating by bluetooth.

I'd argue for a permanent ban; the possibilities for disruption are endless.

Cheating in exams is less of a problem, since you can check for earphones. In general the main way of cheating is still whispering the answer, though sometimes elaborate finger codes are devised.

[Dragonlady]

deleted

out of date

[John Hall]

Stephen, apparently you don't know what text-messaging is. You don't have to listen to receive and read a text message. Also, students can cheat by taking a photo of their exam sheet, and then sending the image to another friend (of course, both phones have to be the kind that take pictures).

[John Hall]

[ls650]

My students are too poor to afford cel phones.

Just like their teachers...

[Glenski]

I don't get the reason for a debate on this issue.

Ban cell phones in class. Students have no reason to use them for sending or receiving calls (unless that's part of your lesson!). Some cell phones may be used for clock timers, dictionaries, or calculators, but during an exam, there is no reason for those functions. None. And, using them for such purposes poses such a risk of cheating anyway, that they should be banned in the classroom (turned off and not used, that is). Period. Done deal.

Why should they be allowed? Answer me that.

[ls650]

A lot of these folks work for private EF-type language chains, I suspect. What are you going to do when (not if) a teen student ignores the ban? Punish the student? Expel the student? Fail the student?

The student will complain, and the school will turn a blind eye. Next class, the student is back with the cel phone.

Complain to the parents? The parents might say they'll punish the student, but nothing happens. That's right, the next class that student is back with the cel phone again.

[Jetgirly]

I'm in two K-12 classrooms. Thirty-two students in each. During tests I watch my students like a hawk. I've caught lots of students trying to cheat in old-fashioned ways, but I've never seen someone actually try to get their cell phone out and send a text message or take a photo. If I'm doing my job (supervising during the test) then they won't have time to get their phone out, use it and put it away without me noticing. If I don't notice, then it's my own fault they cheated and I should have been watching more closely.