Photo Credit: Joi Ito (Flickr)[/caption]Helpful:
By Meghan O'Shaughnessy
Cell phones—these days, it’s almost impossible to go out in public without seeing them everywhere, in the hands of both teenagers and adults alike. In fact, even some children are currently being given cell phones--and current studies show that over 166 million people in the United States own a smartphone. Advanced cellular technology means only good things for the modern age society now resides in, connecting us with information within seconds and shrinking communication barriers down to size.
Rather than making users antisocial, as is a common stereotype, cell phone users are now able to communicate with people from across the globe, making international friendships a reality for millions of people. Cell phones help to bridge the gap of communication with people here at home as well—text messaging opens up new opportunities to those who prefer textual communication as well as those who require it, such as the deaf.
Modern-day smartphones have made perhaps the largest strides in personal technological advancement in the last decade alone, developing ever faster to include yet more features that an individual can access with the touch of a screen. Most smartphones come built in with wireless internet access, allowing users to access information in seconds, wherever they are--not to mention update social media. Thanks to new developments in technology, smartphone users now have access to the weather, advanced camera and photo storage settings, large music libraries to store tunes, GPS systems to plot driving routes—even an intelligent personal assistant program to aid users (more commonly known as Siri). Smartphones allow users access to all the information they could ever dream of- all accessible within seconds.
Smartphones and cellular technology have advanced society significantly, making communication easier and information more accessible. Thanks to smartphone technology, the digital age is one of connection and conversation and has created a generation of informed, social youth. Teenagers—and even adults—who use their phones often should not be shamed; instead, the age of cellular technology as a major part of global communication should be accepted and even embraced.
Harmful:
By Sami Dickerson
Cellphone use in America is like the ultimate television screen. You get hooked onto it, enthralled by all the information it has to offer. Not only can you communicate with it, but many people find themselves putting their whole lives into one mobile device. Homework is completed on it, our health is recorded on it, all of our secrets captured by it. The question we have to ask ourselves is, “How is the essence of another human captured through this device?” How can a cellphone user substitute honest human interaction with a small screen and codes? Can we trust ourselves to not overuse this technology?
A recent survey at the Pew Research Center in Washington, DC found that over 91 percent of adults have cell phones in the United States. This is an exponential growth rate from 2005, when they were a mere 60 percent. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the same research center concluded that 78 percent of children ages 12 to 17 own and regularly use a cell phone. These numbers are at first startling, but then you can truly see that the root of the problem is the rate at which cell phone ownership has grown.
This exponential growth has been linked to social anxiety and depression in the last 10 years. In a 2008 study by leaders in social anxiety research at the University of Florida, out of 136 social anxiety patients, 36 percent of these being students, almost half linked their social anxiety causes to the ability to avoid human interaction through cell phone use.
People that own cell phones also have the availability to access the internet off of many of the phones that are sold; even the most basic models offer this feature. Over 24 percent of teens are addicted to internet use. Surprisingly enough, parents of teens have higher ratings than their teens do. During the time that these families are spending on their jobs, school, and basic necessities, how much time do they spend on their cell phones instead of interacting? One of the most viewed and discussed problems of cell phone use is the loss of honest, human-to-human interactions.
In a Gallup Poll from 2003, only 28 percent of families, including kids and parents, eat together seven nights a week. This number has drastically dropped since that study. People may ask, “Why is it so important to eat within a family unit?” Eating in any type of family unit produces higher self confidence, the ability to speak to large crowds, and the ability to form precise and intellectual reasoning, which are all attributes of skilled leaders.
Photo Credit: Newsbie Pix (Flickr Username). License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. A plane taking off from the airport.[/caption]Soon it will be possible for passengers to text on airplanes in flight. The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Thursday, December 12 that it will allow the use of smartphones, tablets, and other personal electronics during nearly the entire duration of flight.
Gogo, which provides inflight internet service to airlines, unveiled Text & Talk on Friday. The service will allow travelers to receive and make phone calls, browse the internet, get on social networking sites, and send and receive text messages. "Passengers will eventually be able to read e-books, play games, and watch videos on their devices during all phases of flight, with very limited exceptions," the agency wrote in a release.
Users can purchase and activate a software key and log into the service using the airplane's Wi-Fi while the phone remains in airplane mode. Calls and texts are sent using the Gogo Biz app."There is strong demand for this service and the ability to text in flight," Gogo Vice President Brad Jaehn said, according to NBC. "We think a lot of our users will want to have the option to text while in flight.”
“Modern technologies can deliver mobile services in the air safely and reliably, and the time is right to review our outdated and restrictive rules," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a statement. "I look forward to working closely with my colleagues, the FAA, and the airline industry on this review of new mobile opportunities for consumers."
The new service launch comes shortly after the FAA announced a lift on the ban of personal electronic devices during takeoff and landing. The FAA still prohibits texting and talking, but Gogo's service gets around this by using Wi-Fi and providing the service only above 10,000 feet.
According to CNET, the service proved fast and useful for text messaging when it was tested. Phone calls were "dodgy," with the connection heavily reliant on the strength of the plane's Wi-Fi.
Planes may one day have to offer quiet or phone-only sections. The Huffington Post says, “While a person sending and receiving text messages (with the phone on silent or vibrate) isn't very disruptive to nearby fliers, the prospect of being surrounded by people talking on their cell phones for hours on end is incredibly scary.”
For years, the FCC has banned talking on mobile phones aboard aircrafts in flight due to concerns that high-flying phones could disrupt cellular towers on the ground, but now with Gogo’s new Wi-Fi service, electronics on airplanes are becoming a new reality.
Photo Credit: Maddie Norwood. A student is caught cheating on a test using the ol "write it on your palm" trick.[/caption]Cheating is a huge problem for many schools, and there is no questioning that technology has made it easier. Students are able to look up test answers online, view documents that aid them on quizzes, and share homework with other students. However, does this mean more students are cheating? Phyllis Farlow, a counselor, said that teachers are “not any more worried” about cheating, but “with cellphones and technology, we have to be even more diligent.”
The biggest concern for OHS faculty is the use of technology like cell phones and laptops in class. The laptops have benefited students in many ways, and Mark Greenstreet, an English teacher, said that the “benefits [of technology] do outweigh the costs.” He believes that “some people who normally wouldn’t have cheated cheat.”
A survey of 21 OHS teachers showed that most teachers agree with Greenstreet. Teachers were asked to rank how concerned they are about cheating on a scale of one to five, one being the least concerned and five being the most concerned. The average result was 3.86. Using the same scale, they were also asked to rank how often they see students cheating on tests (with one being not often and five being very often) and how strictly they respond to cheating if they notice it (with one being leniently and five being very strictly). The average results were two and 4.43, respectively. From this data, it is evident that teachers are usually very strict about cheating, even though they rarely notice it.
Students and teachers disagree on how often students cheat. An anonymous OHS student said, “A lot more people cheat than [teachers] realize.” The student explained why he cheats. “I cheat because the teachers of this school are oblivious.”
Some policies teachers have for how they react to cheaters are giving a “zero for the assignment or test,” making “the student admit to me and a parent that he or she cheated,” making “sure that the student receives no more than a high F on the test,” and requiring that students “retake [the test] on a one-on-one setting.” Typically, teachers will call the student’s parent. In the survey, some teachers commented on how technology has affected cheating:
“Cell phones make it harder to catch kids.”
“Students now take pictures of their notes and use it during tests while pretending to listen to music.”
“Kids think they are smarter than they are. It’s humorous to see what students think they can get away with.”
“Students have too much access and little self-restraint. They do not understand that learning is more than grades.”
Many teachers had humorous stories to share of cheating they have seen in their classes. “I once had a kid use a blank sheet of paper to cheat with. It was brilliant. I was so impressed that I gave him a second chance-- the only time I’ve allowed a second chance for cheating,” said a teacher. Another teacher said, “I had a student last semester who would wait to take his quiz until we were going over the answers. He didn’t know that his time stamp was twenty minutes after the other students’ until I confronted him.” One teacher used a creative method to convince a student not to cheat. “Many years ago, I had a student who got all [of the] answers correct for form A of [a] test. Unfortunately, he had form B. He was on the wrestling team, so I informed Coach Shriner. After a week of intense workouts and running, the student apologized profusely and guaranteed me it would never happen again.”
Greenstreet said that he sees cheating about 10 percent of the time on tests. He believes that technology has made cheating easier because students can access the web and share documents with each other. Even with the problems technology creates, “so much good is possible through it,” according to Greenstreet. Before technology, he thinks the most prevalent form of cheating was copying another student’s work. “[Students] still do that,” Greenstreet commented.
He said that students who cheat are “cheating [themselves].” Some students’ “utter denial [of the fact that they were cheating] terrifies me,” said Greenstreet. He sees students cheating once as the “student calling for help.” If a student cheats a second time, then he treats the cheating more seriously.
Greenstreet said that cheating can get progressively worse and can cause a student to believe cheating in relationships and jobs is acceptable. “I can get away with this, look where else I can use it,” he illustrated.
On standardized tests like MSLs, EOGs, and EOCs, there are strict guidelines regarding cheating and what teachers must do if it occurs. If a student is caught cheating, they are removed from the testing room and do not receive their score. Teachers must file a testing irregularity report that is reviewed by Mary Calhoun, the district testing coordinator. Calhoun discusses the issue with the school principal and superintendent, and may have to report the incident to the state. Eventually, a decision will be made as to whether or not the student can retake the test. In some cases, officials will decide that scores of people testing in the same room as the cheater must be thrown out.
However, cheating on standardized tests is rare because there are many measures put in place to keep tests secure. For example, tests have different form numbers and colors, and teachers try to keep students with the same test from sitting near each other. Two other measures are that tests are locked up securely before they are administered and teachers have scripts telling them what to say when they administer a test. “That’s why we sound weird,” said Farlow. She said that there were no testing irregularities last year and that OHS students “do a really good job” at not cheating on tests.