What's your take on cell phones and ipods in the classroom?  

we have a daughter in highschool and with most of her teachers, if they hear a cell phone they will take it and give it to the student at the end of class. there is no real rule but its up to the teacher. i think they shouldnt be allowed in class because if a teen has a cell, generally they are glaring at it and not paying attention.

Hi Janey21. I taught at college level for several years and I can tell you I despised cell phones and ipods and would take them away if I saw them being used. I think that the students are distracting others and not paying attention if they are using them. Worse, students are so set on cheating instead of doing the work of studying that they end up plugging calculations, information and the like into the phone or ipod. I wish they would use their creativity elsewhere, but until then, my answer is that electronic devices can't be allowed in the classroom.

there are alot of loop holes to this and this is obviously not a very serious matter to the school authorities. i think they d worry more about they re bills than enforcing these rules to students. and just imagine what the worst thing a school can do to a student who violated the rule more than the maximum count? detention? could be. suspension? less likely. civil service? too harsh. what im trying to say is these rules wouldn t stop the students from using cellphones inside the classroom. it s just too small to make a big deal out of it.

I think it is rude and disresectful for kids to be using thier cell phones or ipods during class. In my son's school if they are caught using any of these items, other during a study hall, they are confiscated and the parent has to go to the school for the item to be picked up. Luckily for me, my son knows that if he gets his phone/ipod taken then I will go to the school and get it when it is convienent for me. This means he may be without the item for 3 or 4 days. So far we have not had anything taken away, I guess I am lucky that he is a good kid.

We too have this rule in our school, but when I looking to other classmates, and I can see that many classmates are ignore this rule. I also sometimes violation this rule. During the lessons classmates are sending photos, songs via bluetooth. This rule is violated when classmates remain bored. Some classmates use WLAN option to use free internet. Sometimes when I have bored, I watch Simpson's on cellphone. But if the teacher caught student with cellphone in the hands, then teacher take it to the wallet. And only students parents can get it back. This rules we have in secondary school.

I think there are rules for a reason and they should not be ebnt or broken. People give in to kids all the time and so kids just keep pushing until they get there way. We have gone thru a number of employees due to them always using their cell phones. They get warned but wont stop so we fire them. Its crazy they dont even care

I agree. There is no point in making these rules if the school will not keep to it's word. Although I don't think it's wise to say that they are going to keep the phones for a week since cell phones are often times expensive. What I think they should do is take away the cell phone if they see the student using it in class & the only way they can get it back is if one of their parents come to pick it up themselves.

As far back as I can remember having any eletronic devices in school was a no-no. The only thing "allowed" were laptops as students were using them for school-related prodjects. But, no cd players Ipods, cell phones, or anything like that. I even had a radio/tape player taken from me because I was accused of listening to the radio part of it during school. When in reality I was checking it to see which tape I had in it. One was a book on tape (which would have been acceptable) and another was a sailor moon tape of an episode. Which quinsidently also had a song on the end of it. Guess which tape was "discovered".

It took some sweet talking, and I got it back, but I have to admit and agree... that students shouldn't be using such gagets in school during school hours and must be taught responsibility.

But, having them in school in general should not really be that much of a real issue. As long as its not on in the classroom that's perfectly fine, but avaible for emgercies would be nice.

I think it's wrong for someone to be sitting using their phone and texting during certain classes especially if it is distracting others in the class. When I was in school we weren't allowed to use our phones in class but a lot of people did anyway. We were allowed to use our ipods and phones in my art class because we were drawing and the teacher wasn't teaching but supervising and it did help me concentrate on what I was drawing.
I think a teacher has or should have the right to confiscate phones and mp3s if it is posing a distraction in the class and is prohibiting students from completing work.

Cell phones and ipods should not be allowed to be used in classrooms. Students are in school to learn not to talk on the phones and/or listening to music while in school. It is one thing to have them in the classroom and turned off so the class and teachers will not be disturbed but they should not be on and students should not be using them during class time. Teachers should take them away if they seeing students using them and giving them back after class and maybe even give them detention.