FINALLY...doing something about #$@! cell phones

[bigred]

So you're saying that having to get hold of people in case of an emergency is an issue that's only arisen because of cell-phones?

No, he's saying cell phones = cars.



PS the ignore feature is your friend.

 

[tkingdoll]

So you're saying that having to get hold of people in case of an emergency is an issue that's only arisen because of cell-phones?

No, it's an issue that's no longer an issue due to the availability of cell phones.

 

[Leif Roar]

No, it's an issue that's no longer an issue due to the availability of cell phones.

So it wasn't an issue before cell phones were commonplace, and now, because of cellpones, it's no longer an issue? Right. Gotcha.

 

[Tony]

So the overwhelming majority of kids who don't have cell phones are missing out on a "necessity"?

"Overwhelming majority"? I'm afraid you don't know what you're talking about. It's the overwhelming majority who own cell phones.

 

[Tony]

So you're saying that having to get hold of people in case of an emergency is an issue that's only arisen because of cell-phones?

No, I'm saying that bigred is a moron.

 

[atari24]

"Overwhelming majority"? I'm afraid you don't know what you're talking about. It's the overwhelming majority who own cell phones.

I think you need to come to some of the poor school districts in South Carolina and see if thats still true.

 

[tkingdoll]

So it wasn't an issue before cell phones were commonplace, and now, because of cellpones, it's no longer an issue? Right. Gotcha.

You still have a problem with getting hold of people? Perhaps you should tell them to get cellphones...

 

[Tony]

I think you need to come to some of the poor school districts in South Carolina and see if thats still true.

I don't see how that is relevant.

 

[Leif Roar]

You still have a problem with getting hold of people? Perhaps you should tell them to get cellphones...

No, but then I didn't have much of a problem getting hold of people before cellphones became commonplace either. The whole "getting hold of them in case of an emergency" argument is just an artifical fish. We didn't, and don't, need cellphones for that.

Hell, it's a hookey premise anyway. With the exception of profesions who, by and large, use more reliable means of communication, we rarely actually need to get hold of people immediately in emergencies.

 

[toddjh]

There have been 16 posts in this thread, a no one has prestented a single reason why cell phones should be banned. Not one.

Banned in schools? I can think of quite a few. To prevent cheating via text messages or utility programs. To avoid disrupting class. To encourage children to pay attention to what's going on around them (an increasingly common problem among the adult cell-phone-using population -- two students at my university have been killed in the last few months because they walked in front of buses while yapping on their phones). To avoid annoying the staff.

I think banning them completely is overkill, but I can see plenty of good reasons to disallow their use inside the school, and to ban them altogether inside classrooms.

As for cell phone use in businesses, that's up to the business owners.

 

[Tony]

No, but then I didn't have much of a problem getting hold of people before cellphones became commonplace either. The whole "getting hold of them in case of an emergency" argument is just an artifical fish. We didn't, and don't, need cellphones for that.

So before cell phones, when you had to get ahold of someone in an emergency you did what? What magical methods did you use to get ahold of someone sitting in traffic? Or, in the case of you being stranded/lost/broken down in the middle of no-where what magical methods did you use to get help?

 

[Luke T.]

The primary one for me is that it is important to be able to contact people wherever they are in case of emergency. That's as far as I really have time to go today. If you are interested in more of the debate, please feel free to look it up on any NY news site. It has received a great deal of coverage. I hope that helps.

Gee. You mean there is no other way to reach someone at work or at school than by cell phone? You can't think of another way? Try really, really hard.

I'm sure it is better for a kid to get the bad news their dad just fell off a skyscraper in the middle of a test over their cell phone than to be summoned quietly from the room by the principal and taken down the hall to his office and given the news.

Banning them in school is a good idea.

Banning them at work will just result in their regular phone ringing.

I will now pause while everyone recovers from slapping their head from missing the obvious.

A simple ban of personal calls at work, on any kind of phone, should alleviate most of the problems.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Banned in schools? I can think of quite a few.

Really? Care to share them?

To prevent cheating via text messages or utility programs.

Gee, I guess I need to learn more about these "cell phone" devices. I had no idea that putting one in your backpack could help you cheat on a test. Do calculators also have this ability? What about paper?

To avoid disrupting class. To encourage children to pay attention to what's going on around them (an increasingly common problem among the adult cell-phone-using population -- two students at my university have been killed in the last few months because they walked in front of buses while yapping on their phones). To avoid annoying the staff.

If the class is disrupted, or the staff is annoyed, by a cell phone in someone's backpack, I think that there are issues other than the cell phone that need to be addressed. As for the middle one, that's not really the school's business.

 

[toddjh]

Gee, I guess I need to learn more about these "cell phone" devices. I had no idea that putting one in your backpack could help you cheat on a test.

And I had no idea that teachers could keep an eye on every student during every minute of a test to make sure they never took it out and held it under their desk.

Do calculators also have this ability?

I have no problem with calculators also being banned from classrooms during tests for which they could be used to cheat. Other than that, I see no reason to ban calculators, since they're unlikely to cause any other disruptions or problems, and are in fact necessary for certain classes.

As for paper, the information which it can contain is limited by its size. Any piece of paper large enough to contain more information than the kid could easily remember would be easy to spot. And, even in this digital age, I also imagine paper is still a requirement for a lot of classes.

Also, unlike the examples you mention, cell phones can be used for communication between students during tests, which is, in my opinion, the real danger.

If the class is disrupted, or the staff is annoyed, by a cell phone in someone's backpack, I think that there are issues other than the cell phone that need to be addressed.

Maybe, but those issues may not be the school's concern. Maintaining order and a constructive working/learning environment is, and keeping cell phones out of the picture is a perfectly legitimate way to do it.

ETA: I'd also wonder why, if the student has no intention of using the cell phone during class, he'd care if it was in his backpack as opposed to his locker.

So, the short answer is that schools should be allowed to ban cell phones because doing so might help solve some practical problems, and does not represent an unacceptable violation of the students' rights.

 

[Art Vandelay]

And I had no idea that teachers could keep an eye on every student during every minute of a test to make sure they never took it out and held it under their desk.

So... these teachers are so unobservant that they don't notice students HOLDING a cell phone, but they are able to somehow see cell phones hidden in backpacks? If a teachers can't come up with a good testing procedures, that's their problem. It's unfair to take away students' rights because of it.

As for paper, the information which it can contain is limited by its size. Any piece of paper large enough to contain more information than the kid could easily remember would be easy to spot.

So these teachers can't see a CELL PHONE, but they can see a piece of paper?

Also, unlike the examples you mention, cell phones can be used for communication between students during tests, which is, in my opinion, the real danger.

Some calculators have IR. And paper can be passed between students, especially since we're apparently in a classroom where everything under the desks is invisible. Heck, a student could just look at someone else's test.

So, the short answer is that schools should be allowed to ban cell phones because doing so might help solve some practical problems, and does not represent an unacceptable violation of the students' rights.

Yes, it does. Additionally, it teaches kids that rules are arbitrary, stupid, designed with their maker's interests in mind, and should be freely ignored. Not exactly something we should be teaching our children.

 

[toddjh]

So... these teachers are so unobservant that they don't notice students HOLDING a cell phone, but they are able to somehow see cell phones hidden in backpacks?

They're not omniscient. There's no problem with adding additional safeguards on top of the teachers' eyeballs.

So these teachers can't see a CELL PHONE, but they can see a piece of paper?

Are you perhaps thinking of the 1980s-style cell phones that weighed ten kilos and were attached to brick-sized battery packs? Modern cell phones are, in fact, quite small and easy to conceal in your lap. Kids do it all the time. In fact, just the other day there was an article about a special high-frequency ringtone that was supposedly designed to be inaudible to adults. I doubt something like that would be effective, but the fact that there's demand for it should tell you something.

And paper, in order to hold a significant amount of information, must have a large surface area. In addition, in order to be legible, it must also be relatively high-contrast, which means it will be especially easy for the teacher to spot.

Some calculators have IR.

I'm all in favor of reasonable restrictions on what type of electronic equipment is allowed for tests.

 

[fuelair]

Tony, I am beginning to believe

Spoken like a real old fart. Lemme guess, you also bitch this much when you see someone wearing a baseball cap backwards?



And running out of gas wasn't an issue before people drove cars. What's your point? Or are you just a luddite?



LOL

You're stuck in 1965.

based on the above and previous comments that you have a modest knowledge level and limited abilities in debate.

As for me, I make no assumptions about a ten-year old or lower wearing a reversed baseball/gimme cap - beyond that, I am forced to assume they are trapped in the 90's. Same for baggy pants - though I support them for members of the social elite (feel free to roll your eyes here - sarcasm ahead) as it frequently causes them to trip while fleeing crime scenes - I do support that (especially if important bones/organs are damaged in the process.

But, as to the primary topic, you may well see a reason for cell phones in student possession at school. Oddly, I agree with you iff (not an error, hopefully you know what it is)the school has approved it, it can only be used for calling/receiving calls from home (where there is an invalid needing constant monitoring) and has no photographic or texting capability and no signal but a simple quiet ring. Since few students wish to have such a phone at school, I see no reason for their presence otherwise.

Although I am of the proper age for your designation, I would much rather be an old fart than a young srule8.

 

[UserGoogol]

I read a story once about how cell phone users walk and stand just like zombies.

Take a look next time you are outside and there is a cell-phone user or two near you. It's really creepy.

This was, of course, based on a very serious scientific study conducted by the Institute for the Study of Undead Human Phenomena.

Instead of flapping your gums to someone ELSE all the time, since obviously they're more important to you than wherever you are, go THERE and hang with THEM. ie go away, moron.

You realize that you are talking to someone via telecommunication right now instead of being "THERE." I don't see why talking to someone via a cel-phone should be considered more of a bother than talking to someone who is physically near you.

 

[Katana]

I don't see why talking to someone via a cel-phone should be considered more of a bother than talking to someone who is physically near you.

You have never noticed how much louder people speak when they are talking on cell phones? As though the rest of us want to hear all about their day? People talking face to face can lower their voices and talk discretely. For some reason, I have never seen that courtesy extended by people talking on cell phones.

 

[Almo]

Ban phone use while driving: YES
Ban hands-free phone use while drive: YES
Ban phones at school: Undecided. At least discipline for class disruption
Interrupting current conversation to answer phone: Rude.
Phones beeping alot at work: irritating. Use quieter ringtones, or vibrate only.

Best ringtone I've heard here at work sounds like a cricket chirping at night.