Newest "Cheat" method in schools. 2

[SantaMufasa]

Man, things have changed since Beaver Cleaver and I were in school...I just heard that the newest BIG thing in schools (from middle school through college) is to CHEAT on tests via text messaging.

Local schools are implementing a $250 unit that jams cell signals for the entire school.

What are your thoughts on either/both sides of this issue?

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I can provide you with low-cost, remote Database Administration services: see our website and contact me via www.dasages.com]

 

[Stella740pl]

By the way, jamming the cell signal where appropriate is not such a bad idea.

I would say, much better than to waste a professor's valuable teaching time for collecting and returning the devices, tickets, lines, etc., . And I would guess many a professor would resist loading them with financial responsibility for the devices - they are not coat check attendants, after all. And you may expect some level of fraud, too - someone may claim a device they didn't have to start with, but got a ticket for it with their test paper. Or someone else will bring two phones, one to turn in, and one to keep - and a teacher who collected the devices would be less attentive than the one who didn't.

When you go to a movie, musical, opera, most other show events, you are usually asked to turn off your cell phone. You take it out, and - do you have a reception? Most often, you don't. You still have turn it off, but something in there - I don't know what exactly - either a jamming device or sometimes a whole engineering of the space you are in, prevents you from getting the calls, just in case.

May

 

[Dollie]

Kids, well, people will cheat when given the opportunity to do so. If they have the inclination to do so, that is.

Karma's a bitch ('scuse the french) especially when things come back to bite you in the keister. I've always believed that what comes around, goes around, whether it is labelled karma or not.

Things will come around for the cheaters, as LadySlinger said. I completely agree with her (which I've found myself doing quite a bit).

 

[Thadeus]

What I look forward to is jamming cell signals while driving. Preferably I'd like one of those TRJ-89 jammers, as they can block for a 5 mile radius. It will be nice when my drive home will not be affected by the incessant distractions suffered by the cell phone users that happen to be driving.

Of course, even thinking about jamming in the US seems to be banned by law already... The FCC frowns on it to the tune of 11K and possible jail time.

 

[LadySlinger]

Unfortunately, students who are doing this will get a diploma. And then they will get jobs that I'm more qualified for, but don't get because *I* don't have a diploma (college)."

Greg, yes this is true. As you said later on though when they get onto the job, they will fall flat on their face. That's the future I was talking about. Someone cheats gets through schools, gets a diploma, spends oodles of money, and then probably gets the job. However once they get onto the job, then its up to them to keep their job, whether they continue to cheat, lie or not. Most likely these people will somehow wind up being a bagger at your grocery store...with a $40K college debt (Mu-wah-ha-ha-ha).

I don't think jamming in the schools will prevent this. Kids will find another way to get out of studying. It's all about beating the system.

 

[sbudzynski]

Very few people cheat with cellphones, It's the old methods that they use (writing cheat sheets, scribbling on their hand, or looking at someone elses paper).

Hopefully I graduate and don't fall flat on my face (or butt)!

Luckily, I'm not a cheater!

But in all honesty, I don't think college does a good job preparing people for the workforce. Hopefully all my experience will help me when I start my career in the future!


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Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[flapeyre]

Stella-

Unfortuantely, jamming cell phone signals (or any other radio signal) in the USA would be a violation of Federal law.

sbudzynski-

I fail to understand why you defend the rights of cheaters to have the capability to cheat. It's like saying "most people with handguns never shoot them in anger, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt, and allow guns on campus?"

Do not misunderstand. I'm all for personal freedom and responsibility. But when people start to abuse that responsibility, they should not at all be surprised if they lose their freedom. And neither should you be surprised that they screwed it up for everybody.

Solution? Make the cheaters paraiahs. Don't hang out with them. Do not condone the behavior. I know this goes against the grain of the current culture. Fine. If I were in a management position (and thank God I'm not), a cheater on the job gets shown the door without futher ado.

By the way, if these people get caught, they can kiss a lot of opportunity goodbye.

Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui!

 

[Thadeus]

I fail to understand why you defend the rights of cheaters to have the capability to cheat.

Because they have every right to keep their eyes intact? I mean if you would like to take away a cheaters "capability to cheat" then you would of course have to remove their eyes. Oh and their ears, cause a well placed earpiece would work pretty well too.

It's like saying "most people with handguns never shoot them in anger, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt, and allow guns on campus?"

My turn:
It's like saying "most people with cars don't kill anyone, so let's give them the benfit of the doubt, and allow cars on campus"
or wait how about this one:
"Most people with rocks never use them violently, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt, and allow rocks on campus" [small]score: Davey 1, Goliath 0[/small]

Do not misunderstand. I'm all for personal freedom and responsibility. But when people start to abuse that responsibility, they should not at all be surprised if they lose their freedom. And neither should you be surprised that they screwed it up for everybody.

Then help me understand better... Let's rephrase your comment so it actually fits the scenario above:
"But when people start to abuse that responsibility, other people should not be at all surprised if they lose their freedom."
So it would be logical to replace out the words as such:
"But when people start to murder[abuse that responsibility], other (non-murderering) people should not be at all surprised if they go to jail [lose their freedom]."

It isn't as nice and logical as you want it to be. Because one person breaks the rules, does not mean that everyone ought to be punished... in fact, we have legal systems in place to guard against such things.

~Thadeus

 

[sbudzynski]

Exactly

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Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[Dollie]

What I look forward to is jamming cell signals while driving. Preferably I'd like one of those TRJ-89 jammers, as they can block for a 5 mile radius. It will be nice when my drive home will not be affected by the incessant distractions suffered by the cell phone users that happen to be driving.

Bumper mounted tactical weapons would be more fun than a cell phone jammer.

Heck, I'll take a front-mounted-bumper-sticker-launcher with the choice of two stickers: "I brake frequently and for no apparent reason" and "I can't cut the umbilical cord to my cell phone" Maybe on campus at colleges we could add: "I put all my time and energy into cheating instead of studying.

 

[sbudzynski]

I hate when people brake for no apparent reason!

I also hate, (please tell me if anyone else agrees) when people tailgate other people more so then when I am being tailgated myself.

I don't know what it is, but seeing someone tailgate someone else makes me angry.

Maybe I'm weird!

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Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[sleipnir214]

Thadeus:
Interesting. But I see a flaw in your logic. You're using arguments that apply to society as a whole and apply them to the artificial environment of a school.

You might as well argue that since there are no laws against cheating, students should be allowed to do it as much as they want, as businesses get away every day with doing things that are legal but unethical. Schools, however, are artificially-constrained societies that, unlike society as a whole, has a single-minded purpose: educating.

And that difference in how and why schools and larger society operate makes the difference in what can or should be done.


flapeyre:
I'm wondering if that law necessarily would universally apply here. I wonder if, for example, I would not be allowed to turn a room of my house into a Faraday cage, which would keep cell-phones from working in that room. I wonder if I might argue with the FCC that I am not interfering with the transmission, only with the ability of a receiver in my room to receive it.

If so, I'm wondering if I could paint my classroom with the RF-blocking paint from Naturalnano:

http://www.naturalnano.com/applications/RF_shielding/index.html

Want the best answers? Ask the best questions! TANSTAAFL!

 

[flapeyre]

sleipnir214:

That RF-blocking paint looks interesting.

Passive measures, such as a Faraday cage, are OK (I'm sure that the government uses such methods in non-military applications), but active jamming, unless it's a military application, is a big no-no. Unless, of course, one has $10K (or more) to spare and/or wants an unscheduled vacation at Club Fed.


Thadeus:

Never said, nor ment to imply, that test-cheaters deserve jail time. by "lose their freedom", I hean "lose their freedom to have their cell phone in class".


Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui!

 

[sbudzynski]

"Most people with rocks never use them violently, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt, and allow rocks on campus"

That applies to school. Also, it is illegal in the campus environment to cheat. You are breaking a law of the school and will be subject to punishment, much like breaking a law in society.

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Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[chiph]

Sometimes we tend to overcomplicate things.

If I were a teacher, I'd have a wicker basket and collect all the cellphones prior to handing out the test.

Or get them to hold them up so I can see that the screen is off, and then get them to put them out of reach under their chairs.

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first

 

[sbudzynski]

Lets even make things simplier..

If I (the teacher or TA) see or hear a cellphone during the exam then you will be asked to leave and receive a grade of zero on your exam.


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Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[Dollie]

In my college history class last semester, if the teacher even heard a cell phone, there was an immediate pop quiz.

The funny thing is... there were two cell phone beeps all semester, one during mid-terms, once during the final.

I've never owned a cell phone and have a b0rken PDA, and still managed to get a B.

 

[flapeyre]

Lets even make things simplier..

If I (the teacher or TA) see or hear a cellphone during the exam then you will be asked to leave and receive a grade of zero on your exam.

All well and good, but most cellphones have a vibrating alert. What are you going to do about them?

Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui!

 

[sbudzynski]

It could vibrate as much as it wants flapeyre, but if I SEE OR HEAR[\b] a cellphone during the exam then you will be asked to leave and receive a grade of zero on your exam.

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Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[sbudzynski]

got my slash backwards :-(

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Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[rosieb]

Surely it's simple:

For classes, if there's a rule "no phones", then anyone using a phone gets evicted. If there's no rule, anyone disrupting the class by using a phone gets evicted.

For exams, anyone caught cheating gets a zero grade - use of a phone (for any reason) is defined as cheating. Exam invigilators are used to looking for cheats, yhis is just another potential method of cheating

Rosie
"Don't try to improve one thing by 100%, try to improve 100 things by 1%