Florida science teacher suspended for signal-jamming students’ cell phones

A good teacher would figure out how to use the phones to their own advantage, rather than shut down the signal.

If the kids are on phones during class, then come up with some sort of entertaining app that will actively encourage kids to use their phones as part of the learning process.

When I was a corporate trainer, I actively encouraged people to use phones in class and came up with ways to incorporate them into the class activities.

originally posted by: Cauliflower
Interesting article, the cell phone infrastructure obviously has kill switch capability built in.

Yeah, it's called "jamming". Not sure I would call it a "kill switch", unless you consider a stronger local signal a kill switch.

Did any of you ever think that the jaming was done to keep them from cheating on tests and quizzes?

That may be why he jammed them so they couldn't give answers to one another.

#freehim

I am 100% behind him.

a reply to: roadgravel

Disabling / blocking communications is illegal.

If an emergency occurred and phones didn't work and as a result a person dies....

As annoying as phone use in class is this teacher could have found a better way to deal with his issues.

I made a cellphone jammer I take to every movie. I also set it aside so it looks like litter and grab it on the way out. Its beautiful.

a reply to: roadgravel

What is a Superintendant and why is he important? Genuinely don't get that.......

Anyhow, back on topic..... I quite simply don't know how the rules work in the US but over here phones are banned from classrooms. However, the reality is that obviously the little darlings take them into class with them - it is a game of cat and mouse with the teachers (and was the case before i stopped teaching nearly 10 years ago - im sure its worse now with smartphones). The kids don't want the phones confiscating, the teachers don't want them using phones in lessons - so surely what this science teacher did was a win win scenario?

I have yet to see the obvious answer. Why is the teacher even in this loop? It's not his or her job to prevent this - it's the parents job. If the schools rules state that electronic devices are forbidden in class then it's up to the parents to instill and reinforce the idea that following the rule is mandatory.

When did we stop being a society of "I'm going to call your parents" and become a society of "I'll make a machine to jam things" - or more and more often "We opted to call the police, lawyers, etc.".

My kids ( biological and step ) followed the rules at school or they dealt with me. Granted this was at a time when cell phones were phones and not multimedia devices. But still. They had portable games and mp3 players and they knew better.

Another thought comes to mind as well, somewhat contradictory... Are we doing a service by trying to keep electronic devices OUT of a classroom? We've got a generation, now, who have grown up connected for their entire lives. They tend to be way ahead of the average adult, regarding tech and how to utilize it in innovative ways. It seems to me a natural progression that trying to include these devices into curriculum would probably be beneficial. When I was in school lugging around a large cassette recorder was not uncommon - to record lectures. Now kids can not just record the audio, but the video, in HD - edit it, post it or stream it to one another... all without having to get out of their seats.

It seems to me that using the things kids love to teach them is a lost art and might merit a comeback.

originally posted by: Hefficide
The scarier implication is that if that these average people can knock out a tower on meager wages and without high tech... and land lines are nearly relics at this point... how hard would it be for our or any government to do the same on a broad scale if they wanted to suppress some heinous and vile act - like mass killings or the forced sequestration of entire cities?

They devices have been made, virtually every city has them. Officially they exist to knock out communications abilities of rioters.

Anyways, this teacher was in the right. Cell phones should be jammed during class hours. That or the phones need to remain in the students locker.

Most of education is learning how to accomplish tasks without electronic help.

a reply to: roadgravel

They should give this guy the Medal of Freedom. He's a freaking hero.

originally posted by: roadgravel
i wouldn't be surprised if the school gets a payment from Verizon for tower location. Both sides win.

Are there not schools with rules about not using phones in the classroom?

Yes, and also using facebook in class.

It was a bad move on his part for jamming it because someone might need to call 911, but in today's world, young people think they have to take their cell phones everywhere. In class, no, they should not be using it, but you can't even get young people today to not take them to work.

Didn't you know that high school is no longer about learning? That's why there are so many grammar mistakes all over the internet and a bunch of people saying "Stop being a grammar Nazi, I'm smarter than you are!".

Yeah, OK, whatevz, kitteh wants cheezburger. SMH, IKR.

Smart isn't about knowing how to turn your phone on and texting like this...

Bra, dis schul be dumb, U want 2 go 2 de mall?

And THAT is communication in the modern era.

The heck? When I was in school, cell phones were a BIG no-no. You got caught using one and it was immediately confiscated with a threat of not even getting it back until the end of the year. Now they are requirements? Seriously? A teacher can call the police if there NEEDS to be a 911 call anyways. This is beyond stupid.

a reply to: Xcathdra

Did you read the OP?

He also said a local police officer told him before he deployed the device that "there are no state laws against using them as long as you don’t use them for malicious intent."

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
The heck? When I was in school, cell phones were a BIG no-no. You got caught using one and it was immediately confiscated with a threat of not even getting it back until the end of the year. Now they are requirements? Seriously? A teacher can call the police if there NEEDS to be a 911 call anyways. This is beyond stupid.

The heck? You had cell phones? I thought you were older.

Sorry dude, I really thought you were at least old enough to have gone to school before there ever were cell phones, my bad. When I was in high school we barely were into the touch tone phones, and then we got cordless phones. Way back when I was young you still had to rent the phones from the telephone company.

All my home health aids are young and consistently bring their Iphones to work, while they are supposed to be on the clock, and their company requires them to have their cell phones, but they think it means to be on them the whole time. My brother works for the Indiana DFSS, and he says that while the young workers are talking to clients, they are also texting friends at the same time.

I think it's a Millenials thing, they can't go without texting, like their phones are glued to their hands. There was a time when psychologists were saying there was a real disorder called Internet Addiction, now it seems there is Cell Phone Addiction.

I remember the 9th grade Science class, two girls kept talking and the teacher Mr. Bannister got agitated after telling them three times to stop, so he threw the black board eraser at them....those were the days when teachers could get your attention with quasi-violence.

I think that cell signal blockers should be used at schools. With only 1 exceptions. Emergency situations, the blockers can be turned off then. There is really no need to have a cell phone turned on during class time.

originally posted by: WarminIndy

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
The heck? When I was in school, cell phones were a BIG no-no. You got caught using one and it was immediately confiscated with a threat of not even getting it back until the end of the year. Now they are requirements? Seriously? A teacher can call the police if there NEEDS to be a 911 call anyways. This is beyond stupid.

The heck? You had cell phones? I thought you were older.

Sorry dude, I really thought you were at least old enough to have gone to school before there ever were cell phones, my bad. When I was in high school we barely were into the touch tone phones, and then we got cordless phones. Way back when I was young you still had to rent the phones from the telephone company.

I'm 30. When I was a sophomore, it was 1999. I had a part time job and bought my first cell phone and cell phone plan.

All my home health aids are young and consistently bring their Iphones to work, while they are supposed to be on the clock, and their company requires them to have their cell phones, but they think it means to be on them the whole time. My brother works for the Indiana DFSS, and he says that while the young workers are talking to clients, they are also texting friends at the same time.

I think it's a Millenials thing, they can't go without texting, like their phones are glued to their hands. There was a time when psychologists were saying there was a real disorder called Internet Addiction, now it seems there is Cell Phone Addiction.

I remember the 9th grade Science class, two girls kept talking and the teacher Mr. Bannister got agitated after telling them three times to stop, so he threw the black board eraser at them....those were the days when teachers could get your attention with quasi-violence.

Now a days, that teacher would be fired and it would be national news. We'd even have a discussion about it here on ATS.