This makes me feel guilty for texting my nephew answers to his math tests.

The comments on the cbc site suggested a "Faraday Cage" Which effectively blocks any and all wireless signals from entering or leaving the building. So, they can effectively still have a wireless router and their own Wifi network going on, but it cannot extend past the Faraday cage. I think all schools should have one. Granted it's an expensive venture but as Prag said, if it aint urgent it can wait.

Faraday cages are legal in Canada.

nerd posted:

And what happens when another student(s) bring guns to school and starts shooting up the place?

umm...I never thought you were that kind of paranoid Nerd. *smacks you* Use your common sense.

I am just being the devil's advocate here

Even if the regular phones work fine it's a lot easier to partition kids away from them or to just simply cut the phone lines.

With the recent school shootings who knows how weighted cell phones on students play in the decision making process of someone wanting to execute a shooting in the school?



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2009 11:23AM by nerd.

We weren't even allowed to have any technological devices on campus to begin with when I was in school. I agree, if it's an urgent family matter, they can call the office. I know this is a sticky subject with a lot of people since so many have opted to discontinue use of a landline within the home, so families have shared plans where each member is with a cell phone.

I like that Faraday Cage, pandora. I wish we had it at the office! Some days people's cell phones go off more than their desk phones. It's highly irritating.

nerd posted:

With the recent school shootings who knows how weighted cell phones on students play in the decision making process of someone wanting to execute a shooting in the school?

Interesting thought, but if there was much merit to that then we should see general crime reduction as a whole since a vast majority of the public have cell phones. No one would be shooting anywhere or robbing banks, etc. because someone would be able to call out/text/twiiter(!) on their phone…

Kid IRA posted:

and its the kid's own damn faults if mess with their cell phones instead of learning. dont ban phones, they can just find another distraction to deal with.

Thing is, it's not just affecting the individual who is messing with their phone. It's disrespectful to the class & the teacher & even if the volume is off the clicky-clacking of keys (unless it's touch screen, I suppose) can be distracting. PLUS, for certain it's not just one kid in the class doing this. If half the class or more are focused on their phones instead of the lesson, well…not much is getting done in the way of learning, right?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2009 11:34AM by forkintheeye.

forkintheeye posted:

nerd posted:

With the recent school shootings who knows how weighted cell phones on students play in the decision making process of someone wanting to execute a shooting in the school?

Interesting thought, but if there was much merit to that then we should see general crime reduction as a whole since a vast majority of the public have cell phones. No one would be shooting anywhere or robbing banks, etc. because someone would be able to call out/text/twiiter(!) on their phone…

I think that it's a little harder to make that general comparison to a special case of schools. Public schools are confined spaces that are supposed to be "weapon free" and "safe zones", i.e., there are no guns so if you bring in your own you can be pretty successful in massacring people. Having easier communication to the outside world potentially lowers the expected gain of maximizing "murdering" since it would cut down on the amount of time one would have.

I can't believe I am thinking about this, lol.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2009 12:23PM by nerd.

nerd posted:

forkintheeye posted:

nerd posted:

With the recent school shootings who knows how weighted cell phones on students play in the decision making process of someone wanting to execute a shooting in the school?

Interesting thought, but if there was much merit to that then we should see general crime reduction as a whole since a vast majority of the public have cell phones. No one would be shooting anywhere or robbing banks, etc. because someone would be able to call out/text/twiiter(!) on their phone…

I think that it's a little harder to make that general comparison to a special case of schools. Public schools are confined spaces that are supposed to be "weapon free" and "safe zones", i.e., there are no guns so if you bring in your own you can be pretty successful in massacring people. Having easier communication to the outside world potentially lowers the expected gain of maximizing "murdering" since it would cut down on the amount of time one would have.

I can't believe I am thinking about this, lol.

Thinking is good!

I understand what you are saying, but a lot of other public spaces are supposedly weapon free, too (even if one is licensed to carry, they may not be allowed to bring it) & it still happens. While many who would consider a massacre can be categorized as geniuses, many are also sloppy & not so forward-thinking when it comes to maximizing the damage. Meaning a kid might overlook the detail of everyone having a cell phone…

Basically, I'm a curmudgeon who doesn't think kids should have cell phones in the first place.

pandora114 posted:

The comments on the cbc site suggested a "Faraday Cage" Which effectively blocks any and all wireless signals from entering or leaving the building. So, they can effectively still have a wireless router and their own Wifi network going on, but it cannot extend past the Faraday cage. I think all schools should have one. Granted it's an expensive venture but as Prag said, if it aint urgent it can wait.

Faraday cages are legal in Canada.

Nope, nope, nope.

Mobile Phone Jammer

Faraday Cage

The principal is using a jammer, an electronic device that puts out a signal at the same frequency as devices, disrupting them and making them unusable.

A Faraday cage is a metal container that blocks all electro-magnetic radiation whose wavelengths are longer than the holes of the cage.

Jammers target specific devices. Items that operate on different frequencies, such as radios and televisions, would be unaffected. In an emergency, like a school shooting, the jammer can be turned off. I don't know what the law is in Canada, but jammers are illegal in the U.S. Only the Federal government is allowed to use them and did so during Obama's inauguration.

Farady cages are legal and are frequently used in scientific research and industry. Items within a Faraday cage are still usable but cannot connect wirelessly with devices outside the cage.

You can create a Faraday cage by accident. My house (built in 1938) has interior walls that are plaster on top of mesh screens with cast iron plumbing, metal conduit for electrical wiring and steel frame windows. The WiFi and cordless phones work but people who want to use their cell phones have to go outside.

nerd posted:

--Will-- posted:

nerd posted:

And what happens when another student(s) bring guns to school and starts shooting up the place?

Arm all the kids?

Stop, I am not getting sucked into that one again

hee hee How about home schooling? Video conferencing? Robotic tele-presence?

Cell Phones saved lives in columbine.

Ban the only means of Communication during an emergency!!

Genius!

*ahem*

bat21 posted:

Jammers target specific devices. Items that operate on different frequencies, such as radios and televisions, would be unaffected. In an emergency, like a school shooting, the jammer can be turned off. I don't know what the law is in Canada, but jammers are illegal in the U.S. Only the Federal government is allowed to use them and did so during Obama's inauguration.

Wrap your house in chicken wire.

Sometimes I really think the cell phone jammer is really a necessity in schools. A lot of students are immerging in texting during classes.This is annoying. I saw the site [www.jammerall.com] sells jammers but I don't know whether I can buy one for the sake of classroom order.

hctiwt001 posted:

School kids are just looking at the example of the 'gotta be connected all the time' crowd.. If society in general can't figure out how to put cell phones/devices away while they should be doing other things, kids are never gonna get the clue..

I personally like the idea of cell phone jammers for schools.. as long as there are secure and accessible phones for emergencies kids should have pretty much no need for cell phones in school.. Put the damn phone away and learn something..

This still will not stop all the idiots using cell phones in movies, while driving, and in pretty much every other inappropriate place..

Jammers are a bad idea, I think. Cell signal should be available in case of emergency.

Throwing kids into detention for fucking around on their cell phones during class time, I think, should take care of the rest.

I must admit that, having grown up without mobile phones in school (I remember when my school got its first PC - just the one!) I dont think they need to be in use in that environment.

The trouble is, that there is a lot of 'creep' on this at the moment. For example, our Government having discussions with Twitter, Facebook, and Blackberry about cutting people off. I knew our Government was a collection of idiots, but never underestimate the ingenuity of fools.