If a student is determined to cheat, it's pretty hard to nip it in the bud. Sure, teachers are able to prevent some cheating. Walking around and closely observing students helps. I've always wondered if the students that go all out to cheat learn something in spite of themselves. When I was in school, students wrote things on their arms. Surely, some information soaks in to the brain and not just the skin. Of course, that was before the Ipod had been invented. (I still don't own one but think I might be getting one for Mother's Day. I'll let you know.) Some schools are now concerned that students are using their Ipods creatively to have the answers to test questions right at their ear tips.
Schools across the country are targeting digital media players as a potential cheating device. Devices including iPods and Zunes can be hidden under clothing, with just an earbud and a wire snaking behind an ear and into a shirt collar to give them away, school officials say.
"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 recently enacted a ban on digital media players after school officials realized some students were downloading formulas and other material onto the players.
I guess if the bans are successful, some students might just sit down and study. Others might resort to writing on their hands and arms. Technology is offering teachers such wonderful teaching tools. Hopefully, the good will outweigh the bad. Funny thing. My computer didn't recognize the words ipods and zunes. Technology might just be moving faster than itself.