Negative factors about kids surfing the Net from mobile phones in the classroom

Here’s an interesting note about kids surfing the Net from their mobile phones: Teachers generally aren’t fond of allowing this activity in the classroom. Some schools don’t even let mobile phones into the building or on the grounds unless they’re turned off — no Silent mode and no Vibrate mode. Teachers have good reasons for taking this stance: They want to

- Prevent cheating: You might think that passing around a paper note or looking over someone’s shoulder during a test was a tricky maneuver. Imagine sending a text message, to be passed from mobile phone to mobile phone, with all the multiple-choice questions answered. Not in my classroom, you don’t! Or, wouldn’t it have been handy to be able to go to the made-for-mobile Yahoo! Web site to look up the Pythagorean theorem?

- Minimize disruptions: The issue isn’t just about receiving or accessing information at the wrong time and place. It’s about etiquette — mobile phone etiquette. Teachers have enough to deal with in their classrooms without having to hear the latest annoying ringtone indicating a message from a friend wanting to see whether class is over yet. You can see why mobile phones aren’t well accepted in the classroom. Receiving calls and text messages and surfing made-for-mobile Internet sites can all wait until recess or lunch or until school is over for the day and it’s time to play.

- Respect kids’ privacy needs: Speaking of play, school personnel are also quite conscious about the capabilities of the latest mobile phones and their connectivity to the mobile Internet. Taking pictures and videos of the school yard from a mobile phone to upload to Facebook or Flickr may seem like a cool thing to do, but who’s giving the student permission to share the images? Who knows who’s looking at the images? School boards and parents alike are concerned about the privacy issues on behalf of all students.