James Delahunty
29 Apr 2007 19:02
No matter how many discovered methods are banned, teenagers seem to have a natural ability to find a way to cheat during exam time. Baseball caps have been banned during exam times in places because answers can be written under the brim. Mobile phones were banned because students were found sending text message answers to each other. Now MP3 players are being thrown out because students are using them to cheat too.
Devices like Apple Inc.'s iPod and Microsoft's Zune are easily hidden, while an earbud and wire can be hidden from supervisors. For example, some students have been caught with an earbud and wire concealed in their sleeve which can be held to their ear easily by pretending to rest their head on their hand. MP3 players have been found loaded with mathematic formulas and other material.
"It doesn't take long to get out of the loop with teenagers," said Mountain View High School Principal Aaron Maybon. "They come up with new and creative ways to cheat pretty fast." Mountain View banned digital audio players of all types when cheating activity was discovered. "A teacher overheard a couple of kids talking about it," said Maybon.
Of course, even though MP3 players can be used to cheat, their useful purposes in education should not go unnoticed. A student could easily record themselves speaking out quotations, mathematical formulas and even translations of words in a language being studied. Considering how many teenagers own MP3 players, there are so many who could benefit from using them for education as well as entertainment.
Source:
Yahoo (AP)