x404.co.uk
http://www.x404.co.uk/forum/

Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones
http://www.x404.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=12931
Page 1 of 2

Author:  pcernie [ Tue Mar 08, 2011 11:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

Teachers could get the right to search mobile phone content in a bid to clampdown on cyber-bullying under the new Education Bill.

The bill was introduced into parliament in January and is now being honed in committees, but education officials are split over the need for Draconian rules that would would enable teachers to search a pupil's mobile phone

Part of the bill's remit is to “help teachers maintain good discipline”, and some teachers believe they should be able to investigate smartphone data to find out whether a pupil had been involved in cyber-bullying.

“Cyber-bullying is the curse of many of our schools. Facebook, YouTube and the stuff that sometimes appears on mobile phones are real issues now in many schools,” said Sir Michael Wilshaw, executive principal at the Mossbourne Community Academy, in a parliamentary committee debate about the bill.

“I would have no hesitation in erasing from a mobile phone something that was deeply offensive to other students. That is very pernicious — it is worse than the fight in the playground.”

Teachers that supported the extended powers also said that data on a phone should be no more protected than existing communications, which are routinely examined.

“I would have no problem in erasing stuff from a mobile phone,” said Sally Coates, principal at Burlington Danes Academy.

“Just as I tear up a piece of paper that has something offensive on it and put it in the bin, I would not hesitate to take something off, unless I wanted to keep it for evidence to show the parents or to take the matter further," Coates said.

"First, they should not have a mobile phone. Secondly, they certainly should have nothing such as that on it."

However, politicians and union leaders have cautioned that giving such control to teachers could land them in hot water with the authorities, and such search powers that could be questioned by human rights activists.

“Is it properly a matter for school staff to examine and erase data from pupils’ mobile devices?” said Labour MP Kevin Brennan during the debate. “Is it sensible for teachers to have more powers than police officers would have under those circumstances, for example?”

Teachers could, say experts, also be unsure of what they were and were not allowed to access under different circumstances, leading to potential legal action from angry parents.

“There is the worry that that could get them in more trouble, because you have a grey area of whether that data was illegal, morally bad or dangerous to know," said Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

"It gets professionals into all sorts of areas where the decisions can be even murkier.”

Lack of enforcement

According to Bousted, there are already sufficient powers in place to take on cyber-bullying, but they are not properly used.

“The complaints that we have had are from members who have felt that their school leadership did not back them up when cyber-bullying was going on or pictures had been uploaded,” she said.

“That included one complaint from a young female teacher, who had a picture put on the web with a naked body substituted for her body, and that was flashed around the whole school," she said, adding the complaint was "not backed up by the leadership of the school".

Bousted called for schools to create specific policies for dealing with digital behavioural issues, and follow them through when teachers tried to enforce them.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/education/3 ... martphones

Oi, teacher! Leave those phones alone!

Author:  adidan [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

Why have they even got phones in school?

Author:  bobbdobbs [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

adidan wrote:
Why have they even got phones in school?

because their parents give them smartphones and expect to be able to contact them if required.

Author:  l3v1ck [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

I'm faily sure modern children would know how to encrypt/hide things on their phones more effectively that teachers would know how to find them. We're talking smart phones after all.

Author:  Paul1965 [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

What about installing mobile phone jammers in the school so they at least they can't be used during school hours?

Author:  adidan [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

Paul1965 wrote:
What about installing mobile phone jammers in the school so they at least they can't be used during school hours?

Yup and detention for anyone caught using one. If parents need to get a hold of children they phone the school and have the message passed on.

Author:  paulzolo [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

adidan wrote:
Paul1965 wrote:
What about installing mobile phone jammers in the school so they at least they can't be used during school hours?

If parents need to get a hold of children they phone the school and have the message passed on.


How did we ever get by before mobile phones?

Author:  bobbdobbs [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

paulzolo wrote:
adidan wrote:
Paul1965 wrote:
What about installing mobile phone jammers in the school so they at least they can't be used during school hours?

If parents need to get a hold of children they phone the school and have the message passed on.


How did we ever get by before mobile phones?

carrier pidgeons :lol:

Author:  finlay666 [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 5:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

paulzolo wrote:
How did we ever get by before mobile phones?


Shouting really, really loudly

Author:  saspro [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 6:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

Paul1965 wrote:
What about installing mobile phone jammers in the school so they at least they can't be used during school hours?


They breach wireless regulations.

The phone companies paid a lot of money to be able to use those frequencies. Jamming them breaks the license they have.

Author:  forquare1 [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 6:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

saspro wrote:
Paul1965 wrote:
What about installing mobile phone jammers in the school so they at least they can't be used during school hours?


They breach wireless regulations.

The phone companies paid a lot of money to be able to use those frequencies. Jamming them breaks the license they have.


Plus you'd know the school would get sued when there was a fire and a child was stuck and unable to use their phone to call for help.

Author:  adidan [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 6:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

forquare1 wrote:
Plus you'd know the school would get sued when there was a fire and a child was stuck and unable to use their phone to call for help.

Well they'd be in a class usually. If they were somewhere they shouldn't be then tough t!tt!es.

Author:  rustybucket [ Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

saspro wrote:
Paul1965 wrote:
What about installing mobile phone jammers in the school so they at least they can't be used during school hours?


They breach wireless regulations.

The phone companies paid a lot of money to be able to use those frequencies. Jamming them breaks the license they have.

Plus the power requirements may be prohibitive, cost-wise

Author:  Paul1965 [ Thu Mar 10, 2011 4:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

Couple of these might do the trick. Range of up to 50 metres.

Author:  bubbles [ Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Schools consider searching pupils' smartphones

I would simply refuse to hand over my mobile, and if they made me, I wouldn't tell them the password to it.

Page 1 of 2 All times are UTC
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
https://www.phpbb.com/