Cell Phones and Student Cheating

by Ryan Stingle
EDT 500, Summer session II, 2006
Dr. Kinslow

What is the innovation, tool, or practice?



Electronic devices, such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). A PDA is a portable device that performs many of the same functions as a computer, including web browsing, sending and receiving e-mail, playing MP3 audio files, and many other functions. PDAs are operated using a touch-screen and stylus.


How do students use this technology?

The use of these devices in conjunction with schooling is controversial. While many students possess portable electronic devices and use them on a frequent basis, educators and parents are diveded over whether or not student use of these devices in school is desirable. In the wake of highly publicized school shootings and increased violence in the schools, many parents are concerned that they be able to communicate with their child in an emergency situation; therefore, many parents are in favor of students carrying cell phones in school.


However, teachers, administrators, and educational professionals are concerned about students use of portable electronic devices in schools for a variety of reasons:

• Teachers across the nation at both the university and secondary levels have reported that students have used the text-messaging feature of cell phones and the camera feature in some cell phones to cheat on exams. Students have been caught sending test answers to other students via text-messages, and have also used their camera phones to take photographs of exams and send them to other students.
  

• Teachers and administrators have reported that student use of cell phones, as well as listening devices such as iPods, have proven to be a distraction for students by diverting their attention from the learning process.

• With the popularity of websites such as MySpace.com, "cyber-bullying" has become a problem; cyber-bullying occurs when students send electronic messages over the internet or post messages that berate, shame, or otherwise embarass fellow students. Some educators are concerned that cell phones could also be used for cyber-bullying.

• The National School Safety and Security Services, a Cleveland-based private consulting firm, provides a list of five examples of how cell phones can detract from school safety and crisis preparedness; among them are that "cell phone use by students can impede public safety response by accelerating parental response to the scene of an emergency during times when officials may be attempting to evactuate students to another site."

How are teachers and school districts dealing with this situation?

• Some states have attempted to enact litigation to ban cell phones from schools, while other states are enagaged in a debate.

• In states where cell phones are permissible in schools (including Pennsylvania), some schools have adopted a policy of allowing students to carry cell phones in school, but not to use them during the school day except in cases of emergency; in such schools, teachers may or may not consistently enforce this policy.
  

Some concluding remarks...

• In my opinion, student cheating through the use of cell phones and PDAs can be reasonably minimized if teachers are vigilant and clearly state their policies regarding cell phones in class, including penalties for cheating.

• There will always be those few students who cheat and get away with it, regardless of the current cheating technology. However, I believe that conscience and the risk of getting caught probably deters most students from cheating.
  

Resources and additional information:


Beran, Tanya and Qing Li. Cyber-harassment: A Study of a New Method for an Old Behavior. (2005). J. Educational Computing Research, Vol. 32(3) 265-277. Retrieved July 16, 2006 from EBSCOhost on-line database.

Flannery, Mary Ellen. Cyber-Cheating. (2004, November). NEA Today. Retrieved July 16, 2006 from http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0411/cybercheating.html

Hughes, Melanie. Cell phones causing school mayhem. (2006, July 3). The Morning Call. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from http://mcall.com/news/local/all-qtjul03,0,1292167.story

Pardington, Suzanne. Students cheating with cameras, text-messaging on cell phones. (2004, February 26). Contra Costa Times. Retrieved July 16, 2006 from EBSCOhost on-line database.

Students Called on SMS Cheating. (2003, January 30). Wired News. Retrieved July 16, 2006 from http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,57484,00.html

School Safety: Cell Phones, Camera Phones, and Pagers. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/cell_phones.html