Take a Deep Breath and Count to Ten

When attending a college class, turn off your cell phones and then you won't be tempted to answer a call. If you don't, this may happen to you . . .

Talk about dropped calls...

Okay, so you don't take calls during class, but do you text during class? According to a recent study, "43 percent of teens ages 13-17 say they text in class, and of that group, 17 percent of them say they do it constantly."

But, you say, texting is just a high school phenomena? Wrong. Another study shows that the 18-24 age group sends an average of 1,630 texts per month, or three per hour. The college students polled said professors would be shocked to learn how much texting occurs.

First, some statistics: 95 percent of those college students surveyed say they bring their phones to class every day. Ninety-one percent admitted to using their phones to text during class, and about half said it's easy to get away with texting unnoticed by the professor. And even though a quarter of those surveyed said that texting presents a major distraction during class, over half believe they should be allowed to text if they don't disturb others.

And, a shocking 10 percent of respondents have sent a text during an exam.

Texting during an exam? Hmmmm. Here's my response.



How would you feel if you were giving a presentation and one of your peers texted through the whole thing?

Comments

  1. Having a teacher that will terrorize a phone is a teacher I want to have. Having a teacher that is a bit crazy about cell phone rules and is more serious rather than just asking to put the phone away. I would want to have one of those teachers because it would keep me entertained in class. Having a crazy teacher will make it interesting, especially like the teacher who threw the students phone on the ground. It would be something to talk about rather than having a teacher who just disregarded students using their cell phones. It would make the class something to look forward to, instead of sleeping in. I would be looking to seeing the teacher go HULK on someones phone or ipod. Its a good teaching style and will get many hits on youtube.

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  2. I believe a good amount of people text during class. If I was giving a presentation and someone was texting the whole time, I would feel disrespected. But, it's really about how sneaky you are. I mean, if the teacher or any of the students don't notice then it's not distracting at all. People using their laptops in class is even more distracting than texting on a cell phone. Talking on your cell phone during class is a different story though, that's very disrespectful to the students and to the teacher. So if you are texting, be sneaky about it, because no one will notice and it won't be distracting. And for the teachers breaking the kids cell phone, that's not the solution. There's other ways to discipline them, like kicking them out of class. If a teacher broke my phone like that, I'd probably break their laptop or phone if they had one in site.

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  3. I am always amazed at how many people I see constantly texting in class. Not to say that I am not guilty, because I do on occasion if I'm done with my work or something. However when someone texts through the whole lecture and doesn't pay attention I find it really disrespectful towards the teacher. They shouldn't have even bothered showing up. I think it is a little drastic for teachers to destroy people's phones, but I suppose it does get their point across but they are serious about no phones.
    -- Giulianna Beard

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  4. Looking from a teachers point of view, I could see how distracting someone in my class could be because they were texting instead of paying attention. I do agree that it would be very obnoxious and rude for someone to be paying attention to their cellphone rather than taking notes on the subject matter, however I feel that the punishment for breaking a cellphone seems too severe. I would say that this sort of punishment would be okay if it was in fact just meant to scare the class, but to actually physically break someones property would be unjust. It is extremely frustrating when I see my peers not paying attention during lectures and 'slyly' texting underneath their desks. I realize how rude it is, but at the same time I feel as if it does not affect my own personal learning experience. If a person has a cellphone while they are in class and using it, they should not be punished because they are adults responsible for learning the material on their own, which means that they are actually punishing themselves by not paying attention to the lesson and instead being on their phones.

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  5. In the bigger scheme of things attempting to ban texting in class is almost impossible. Everyones going to text in class at one point. The way I see it there are only two real solutions to this problem, one you kick the student out of class or two you just let them continue. Either way the student is missing out on valuable information. If they want to be disrespectful let them seal their own fate. smashing someones phone is a radical way to get your point across. I can seehow it could be effective but destroying someones personal property seems like overkill for such a small nuisance.

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  6. I honestly don't see what's wrong with texting during class. I do it all the time in most of my classes, but I do it during the classes in which I feel like I've mastered the material. I'm one of those people that prefer to teach themselves by reading the textbook rather than listening to a lecture. I go to my chemistry and physics classes already knowing the material, so I think it should be ok for me to text during those classes. I do not think teachers should be so concerned whether or not students text in class. In my case I text because I already know the material so I don't really care if I miss part of the lecture. However, if other students text when they don't understand the material and are struggling in class they are stupid and it is their fault. The teachers shouldn't be offended, they know this whole generation texts so they might as well look at the positive side of it, if students text and do bad in class, the teacher could give them the grade that reflects their performance in the class.

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  7. I personally think it's a good idea to have a teacher/professor that applies the phone/electronic device rule in there class because it motivates me and most likely my fellow classmates to listen in class and stay focused. These teachers have gone way too far for smashing expensive phones. All they could have done was to tell the student to put it away or dismiss them from their classroom. Although, it's also the student's fault in the first video for being stupid to talk on the phone while the teacher is lecturing. He could have obviously given the common courtesy to just walk out the classroom for a moment and take the call besides becoming an interruption to the whole entire class. In the second video, realizing that it was a skit. It thoroughly demonstrated not to be on your phone or even on your laptop (if that's not allowed) during class. Teachers/Professors that apply the "No Electronic Devices" rule can really give the motivation on students not to use their phones in class. That's how I see it.

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  8. Having a teacher like the one in the first video would be awesome. Although throwing the phone may be harsh, I understand why any teacher would be angry with a student for using a phone in class. Personally, I believe texting during class is very rude to the teacher. It doesn't matter if it isn't distracting to anyone in the class nor if the student knows the material. If you truly understand the material, then don't go to class. And if you're texting the majority of your time in class, you're destroying the purpose of going to class.

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  9. Putting myself in a teacher's shoes, I would find it extremely disrespectful to see students texting in my class. The fact that I would put in a large amount of effort to teach students valuable information, and have them text the entire time and not even pay attention would irritate me. But then again, I would continue teaching the class because students are the ones who are paying for their education, and if they want to text and not pay attention and fail all of their tests, that's on them. Getting good grades is the student's responsibility.

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  10. I totally believe 95% of college students text in class. The 10% that text while an exam is going on have no fear. I myself have text during classes but I really try and avoid it because I do feel like im disrespecting the teacher. I do believe it's rude and wouldn't want that to happen to me while im giving a presentation in class. If i was up doing a presentation and students werent paying attention and texting I would feel like im doing a horrible job presenting in class and im that boring that they feel the need to text. I don't think thats polite and its just manners not to disrespect people while in front of the class. Why attend class in students are going to be texting during the period. Class lasts a maximum of two hours, and we won't die if we dont respond to our phones right away.
    Erica Lopez

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  11. I do agree with the fact that many college and high school students text during class when instead they should be paying attention. But I don't think that it shouldn't be allowed because their could be a certain situation or emergency where the student has to respond to a text sent by a parent or guardian. Texting is easy to get away with during class but it also bothers many peers next to you. Also, I agree with the fact that students should not be allowed to answer calls or text during an exam because it would mainly result in cheating which would lead to expulsion. An education is much more important than texting back your friends during class.

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  12. Many high school and college students do text while in class rather than paying attention to what the professor has to say. The professor has full power to set a cell phone policy in their class, which can range from being dismissed from the class to their cell phones being taken away. I would feel annoyed and disrespected if a student was texting throughout my whole presentation. It would seem they do not care for what I have to say and that texting their friend is more important. If the professor is not lecturing and students have free time then there is no problem if a student text. If the professor is lecturing, then the text messages can wait unless it is an absolute emergency. Texting does become a problem because it causes a distraction for the student in the possibility of missing something important or become an annoyance to those around them.

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  13. Unfortunately this is just another example of the lack of respect the institution of teaching and education gets. Professors and teachers are at the service of students in the eye of society which doesn't value the job of knowledge transmitting. I think it's sad in a way that at a college level you need to "remind" students not to use their phone, and the videos above are a great reminder of what the "other" side (the teacher) feels when you are using your phone.

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  14. In highschool I had a teacher that threw away a students fundraiser candy with money because he collected money as the bell rang, I'm afraid to see what he would have done if he caught a student texting. Texting is the modern day way of passing notes. It doesnt surprise me the high rate of texting. It is disrespectful and shouldnt be done.

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  15. I honestly admit to texting in class,but its hard to resist when your phone vibrates durning another boring lecture. However, students should be allowed to text in class as long as it isn't excesive. Just like a phone call a text message can be urgent and may need to be responded to immediately. When texting becomes to much of a distraction, then the teacher or professor may come in and put a stop to it. For instance, the first video the teacher over reacted and shouldnt have been so aggresive. On the other hand, the teacher in the second video was brilliant for that demonstration and teachers should take from that to ensure from day one if they will allow texting in their class.

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  16. Every student who gets caught texting thinks it’s BS when it happens to them. I’ve had many friends who complained in high school for having to get a phone back from the office after school or for having been “hassled” by the teacher for pulling out their phone. The truth is that a student who is texting is saying that the text is more important than the class, and when the text is something like “not up to much what about you” then what does that say about the class?
    Teachers have to have some brass balls when it comes to dealing with kids who don’t want to be there. At some point though, I think every teacher gives up trying to help a student like that and just lets them screw up their own future as a lesson.

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  17. I text all the time in class, well not all the time but probably between 5 and 10 texts a class. I also have an attention span of a ten year old which doesn't help. On the first day of class I strategically place myself where I can get away with texting. It's usually in the middle row, very back seat because usually someone will sit in front of me and I usually have a good angle to where the teacher won't see me. I've been doing this since the day I got texting. I think it is a very bad habit but it gives me something to do instead of sleep through a boring lecture. Yes, it is disrespectful but I think it is more disrespectful to sleep than text because if you're sleeping you don't hear any of the lecture if you're texting you still get to hear the lecture. I agree with some of the other comments about the text may be just as urgent as a phone call so you have to text back. And also feeling the vibe in your pocket that you get this burst of anxiety like "who just texted me at eight in the morning?" then you just have to check it! Then you find out its some pointless mass text and you're bummed. When I give a presentation I would like all eyes on me because I am speaking and I think I deserve the respect that I would give to any other classmate if they are giving a presentation. When people text, I call them out. I think its rude. Yes that is a little contradictory to what I said about teachers but we have to listen to teachers talk for a whole class twice a week which gets old. When a classmate talks that is once a semester so can't we give the student some respect for five or ten minutes?

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  18. I sometimes text during class. I do believe that it is disrespectful but then again I agree with some of the other comments. It may be disrespectful to text while in class but it is worse to be sleep. Texting in class keeps me awake when it gets boring and it is rare that I text for the whole class period. If I was having a presentation I wouldn't mind if people were texting because that takes away some of the nervousness. Besides, if you are talking about something interesting and about something that can relate to the audience, then maybe they wouldn't text while you are presenting!

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  19. I definitely would not like my peers text messaging while I was giving a presentation whether it was my job or a class assignment. It is disrespectful to be texting while someone is talking to an entire classroom or to you directly. Personally, I avoid text messaging during class especially if it is a lecture or discussion. Even as a student I find it really annoying when other students are texting simply because they are not forced to be in college or in class at all. If what they want is to be somewhere else they can and it would reduce the distractions and would make space for other students who truly want to engage in class. Breaking a students cell phone is definitely too extreme instead I would love to have a professor who kicks out students who are caught texting during a lecture.

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  20. Punishments of Texting

    When I first attended college, I did not know that teachers care about students texting in class. It is not acceptable to text during an exam because it is considered as cheating and a waste of the exam time. In a teacher's perspective, if a student text during lecture, it may interrupt the teacher and show disrespect towards the teacher. Hence, I understand that texting in class is inappropriate.

    When I was watching the above videos, I did not believe what I saw. In the first video, I thought that the teacher and the student was acting out a scene for the classmates, but I realized that I was wrong. I thought that the student was disrespectful to answer the phone call while the teacher was talking. If it was me, I would have turned off my phone or putted it on vibrate. The student may be wrong, but I don't agree with the teacher's actions. A cell phone is expensive, and instead of breaking the phone, the teacher could have taken it away from him or kick him out of class. But to be honest, it was funny watching the teacher's reaction as she quickly threw the phone onto the ground and resumed lecture as if nothing happened.

    I was surprised when I was watching the second video. I thought that the teacher was serious about the situation similar to the first video. Before I found out that the whole act was a scheme, I was amused to know that there was a hammer in the lecture hall. I thought that the teacher carries it around in preparation to smash students' phones.

    The videos were surprising to me, but I learned a lot from them. I learned to respect teachers by not texting during lectures and to not put my phone in danger of being "killed."

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  21. I'm glad none of my teachers have ever done that to me because I do occasionally text during class. However, not during exams or even quizzes. If someone were texting through my presentation, I probably wouldn't really care because I only need the attention of the teacher because that's where I'm getting my grade. However, if it's a presentation for a job or something like that I'd be pretty pissed and ask them to leave or stop and just take it from them. When I'm with my friends and they're constantly texting instead of talking to each other I make them give me their phones or physically take it from them. If I'm feeling extra mean I'll threaten them saying they'll walk home if they continue (because I'm usually the one driving).

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  22. I text through class on occasion, but I only ever try to reply to things that need my immediate attention. If someone is just texting me to say hey, I just ignore it until I get out of class because it's rude to sit there and completely disregard a teacher who's trying to teach you for your own benefit. I've never sent a text during a test, because I don't understand how that would benefit me. If i don't understand the questions, that's my own problem and I probably should have studied harder.

    There was this one time when I was a freshmen in high school taking German, that a peer of mine got a phone call and just took the call in the middle of a lecture. The entire class just sat there staring at him in disbelief, and he just kept chittering away about whatever it was he was talking about. The teacher didn't even notice and kept writing on the board, and he hung up before she turned around. It was seriously rude, because none of us even heard what she was saying and we ended up being quizzed on it. I wouldn't take a sledge hammer to the guys phone or anything, but I mean, come on.

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  23. Students will text in class during class lectures because they're bored and have nothing better to do. I text during class if the lecture is not that important to me but when it comes to taking notes about exams and quizzes,that's when I tend to focus and put my phone away. It really depends on the teacher and the class rules they put into. Most students tend to text during class times when the teacher is not doing anything to stop them.

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  24. I've noticed that since I started college I am less attached to my phone. In high school I'd text from beginning to end and it was really a bad habit. I am so lucky i never got caught and put on blast because there are some professors that get a lot out of embarrassing you in front of the entire class. However, in college I am learning to take everything more seriously. It is rude to be talking while someone is giving a presentation but some professors also make it a rule to not speak at all the entire class, which gives the students the option of texting because they get bored of just sitting down. I believe less students would text or use there phones if the classes were a little more engaging.

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  25. In high school, I admit that I would text a lot during class because most of my teachers either didn't notice or didn't really care. Now that I am in college, I rarely text and if I do, it's usually in a class where my teachers aren't so strict about it. The videos in this blog are, to be honest, kind of funny. It's a harsh sight to see when you see a teacher smashing your phone or beating it with a hammer. However, the person deserves it because it is rude for a person to even take a call during class while sitting in class in front of the professor. When someone is constantly on their phone texting while a professor is giving a presentation shows disrespect and is just annoying. If I were the student sitting next to the texter I would be super annoyed. A classroom is an environment where one learns and listens, not spends their time texting or web browsing. If I were the teacher or student giving a presentation and I saw someone texting or on their phone I would simply take the phone away and do just about the same, just smash it. The presentations or lectures given are way more important than text messaging friends because it's the reason why you're attending school-to learn and not to text.

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  26. I have presented in front of the class many, many times, and most of my peers were on their phones. I can honestly say at first I was okay with it because not many people were paying attention to me if I mess up. But as time went on and I got comfortable speaking in front of the class I found it to be very rude and disrespectful. Putting so much time and effort into your presentation and the whole time someone is texting throughout the whole entire thing makes it feel as if I'm 'good enough' to be listened to. Especially if they weren't doing that for other people as well. It makes it seem as if my presentation or e=me being in front if the class is good enough to be listened to.

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