August 5, 2004
Let students keep phone-cams
Jac Wilder VerSteeg in an Editorial for the Palm Beach Post, bets on cool technology, in the case of Cool Technology vs. the Palm Beach County School Board.
"Next month, board members could vote to ban cellphones with cameras from campus and school events.
Faced with those potential problems, the school board that this year will open a state-of-the-art technology middle school in Boca Raton is close to deciding that it must take a stand against state-of-the-art cellphones."
According to VerSteeg, the cheating scenario is a stretch from the get-go. Cellphones used that way would be too conspicuous in any classroom where the teacher is paying even minimal attention. Besides, the camera function isn't a key to that kind of cheating. Current phone screens display text, and — though it would take a little more stealth — a cheater could message the questions.
Rather than outright cheating, it seems more likely that students might snap a quick photo of the FCAT tests and perhaps post the questions on the Web. I'm not sure that having a ban makes that kind of espionage less likely. In fact, I'll bet it happens soon, if for no other reason than to protest Gov. Bush's refusal to make FCAT tests from previous years public.
The limited threat of cheating is no reason to ban the phones. It's already the case that students can't have phones out and on during class. Just enforce the policy, and camera phones aren't an issue." hear hear
Safety got cellphones accepted on campus to begin with. Parents want to be able to get in touch with their children in an emergency.
Students might as well learn to deal with camera phones on campus, because they certainly will have to deal with them in real life. As in school, safety and invasion of privacy compete."
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