Use of Phone Cameras Essay Example for Free

Use of Phone Cameras Essay Over the years, technology has reached new heights in terms of the services it offers to today’s generation. Our youth’s ingenuity has also evolved into higher levels in terms of getting away from studying. The rampant use of modern electronic devices to cheat on examinations have been so that carrying a cell phone, digital camera or some other electronic gadget has been banned in schools in China, South Korea, and the Philippines. (West, 2000) Cell phones have proved to be the leading gadget used for cheating in secondary school. The earlier method was using text massages to forward questions to other people outside the classroom who would look up the answers. With the advent of digital cameras being augmented to cellular phone features, the application has reached greater levels. In the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, students photographed test questions using their cell phone cameras. These images were then sent to classmates outside the exam room who had the job of looking up the answers and sending them back to their friends in the examination room. Ros Yabin, the dean of their college was amazed at the students’ ingenuity and at the same time exasperated at the dishonorable act saying: If theyd spend as much time studying, theyd all be A students. (Glater, 2006) In China, a move to ban the use of cellular phones during examinations has been implemented to prevent massive cheating that has supposedly happened during their previous nationwide examinations. Further more, cell phone scramblers have been procured for the examination sites to beef up proctoring security. China’s minister of education hopes that these measures will be sufficient to regain the quality of their nationwide exam results. Similar actions are being done by South Korea, ever since 183 students in four organizations, including six female high school students were involved in an exam scandal that offered students to send correct answers to a nationwide examination in exchange for money. (Lee, 2004) These techniques are not limited to cellular phones. Another student from a California secondary school loaded his notes onto a Sidekick digital micro recorder and tried to access it during the examination. When questioned by the teacher, he initially reasoned that he was merely using the dictionary feature. The student was investigated by school authorities and was eventually proven guilty. (Glater, 2006) iPods have not yet achieved high popularity as a tool for cheating, but it is quickly rising through the ranks. Since it has gotten a lot easier to record one’s voice with the use of a computer, students have begun to take advantage of their iPods in their examinations. One Pepperdine student in 2004, who dictated all his notes in a file in his iPod and listened to it while taking the exam. He would have gotten away with it had it not been for one of his classmates who told on him. (Glater, 2006) At the journalism school at San Jose State University, students who were caught using spell check on their laptops, their examinations were invalidated because part of the writing test was to measure their ability in spelling. Whether they’re cell phones, digital camera features, micro recorders, or any other new-fangled device out on the market, student ingenuity will make use and abuse the possibilities of his new toys in making it easier for him to pass his weekly quizzes. It is up to teachers and proctors to keep open eyes and ears, to be mindful about any device that the student brings to the table. It is also the responsibility of school officials and the government to uphold the quality of education in their respective areas. References: Glater, Jonathan (April, 2006).Cheating gets easier with gadgetry. New York Times V. 125 Is. 43 23 – 24 Glater, Jonathan (May, 2006). Colleges Chase as Cheats Shift to Higher Tech. New York Times V. 125 Is. 44 11 – 13 Lee, Howard (2004). Exam Scandal: Answers Relayed From Other Organizations. Seoul Today V. 87 Is. 13 28 32 China Moves to Block Cellphone Cheats. Retrieved April 24, 2007 from The Chronicle website: http://chronicle. com/wiredcampus/article/1307/china-moves-to-block-cellphone-cheats West, Jordan (2000). Cheating and Technology. San Diego: Holdfast