another 14 y/o girl in sexting case in Lacey, WA

[Glenn]

This is a well-written article and thought provoking.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/us/27sexting.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

 

[sequoias]

That's some messed up act they have been doing. Too much influence among kids. :-(

 

[Dixie]

Which is why children under 16 do not need a cell phone.

 

[Glenn]

I know some kids who are mature enough to handle it. I just think it depends on the kid and how they handle things.

 

[lifted]

Which is why children under 16 do not need a cell phone.

That's a bit, um, stretching. Not all people under 16 are going to send sexual-themed text messages or pictures. You might as well say that children under 16 ought not have computers or cameras. The fact is that, however, many people under 16 can use a cell phone without using it for sexual purposes. It sucks that things like this are still happening, but it's just ridiculous to get rid of anything that could cause trouble.

 

[Dixie]

That's a bit, um, stretching. Not all people under 16 are hypersexual or likely to send sexual-themed text messages or pictures. You might as well say that children under 16 ought not have computers or cameras. The fact is that, however, many people under 16 can use a cell phone without using it for sexual purposes. It sucks that things like this are still happening, but it's just ridiculous to get rid of anything that could cause trouble.

But children lack maturity to fully understand the ramifications of forwarding such content just as these children have demonstrated. They can use computers, just don't allow them to have one in their room. It should be in a public part of the house such as the living room or kitchen where their online activities can be easily monitored. They should be allowed to use the computer for academic purposes and social purposes should be limited as it creates another venue for gossip, rumors, and bullying to occur. As for cameras, the pics aren't going much of anywhere unless the child uploads them to the Internet without parental permission.

We have essentially created a generation of people that are going to say and do things they normally would not do because they know they can literally hide behind an online alias or just by hiding behind a keyboard and screen. They don't see the immediate reaction to these things so it doesn't affect them until far far too late.

In some schools, cell phones are banned period. There is no reason why a student should have a cell phone at school. If an emergency arises, the school will call the appropriate person or people to handle the situation. When I was subbing, if I saw a cell phone I gave the student one warning to put it away, if I saw it again I would confiscate it and tell the student they can pick it up from the office after school. It took only two times before this got around to the other students. After that I did not have to remind the students about the cell phone policy. It is prohibited period.

 

[lifted]

But children lack maturity to fully understand the ramifications of forwarding such content just as these children have demonstrated.

At sixteen I did not lack the maturity to fully understand the ramifications of forwarding such content. I also know of at least 100 other people who, at under sixteen, also had the same maturity. I had a cell phone at 14 and I used it for..... texting my friends. And calling my parents if I needed to be picked up after school. I do remember a nude picture getting sent around during freshman year and although it was not sent to me, I was shown it through someone else.

Plenty of people over sixteen don't have the maturity to do lots of things. Businesses are corrupted, adults bully each other just like kids do -- and some people think kids learn bullying behaviour from adults! :roll:

They can use computers, just don't allow them to have one in their room. It should be in a public part of the house such as the living room or kitchen where their online activities can be easily monitored. They should be allowed to use the computer for academic purposes and social purposes should be limited as it creates another venue for gossip, rumors, and bullying to occur.

You know what else is a venue for gossip, rumours and bullying? Schools, friends, cliques, groups, churches, youth groups, businesses, organisations, clubs.

Just existing pretty much means that you are involved in multiple venues for gossip, rumours, and bullying

As for cameras, the pics aren't going much of anywhere unless the child uploads them to the Internet without parental permission.

Copy machines? Posters flying around school? Slipping them under doors, in lockers?

We have essentially created a generation of people that are going to say and do things they normally would not do because they know they can literally hide behind an online alias or just by hiding behind a keyboard and screen. They don't see the immediate reaction to these things so it doesn't affect them until far far too late.

That's exactly true. So parents should talk to their kids about respect for other people -- online and otherwise. However, that doesn't undermine the fact that cell phones and the internet are just tools. Of course, you can hurt a person with an axe, or you can use that axe to cut down a tree for firewood. Taking away cell phones from people under 16 is a gross concept -- like, "well, you could cause trouble with this, so I'm not gonna even give you a chance to use it responsibly". But there is often not a legitimate reason to doubt a person's ability to properly use a tool (ageism is NOT a legitimate reason). You can teach a kid how to use an axe, help them learn how to work it and help them understand that the tool can be used for bad as well as good. You watch them for a while as they get acquainted with the tool, and then you let them know that if they need help they can always go to you for that -- or even just a question. :roll:

In some schools, cell phones are banned period. There is no reason why a student should have a cell phone at school. If an emergency arises, the school will call the appropriate person or people to handle the situation. When I was subbing, if I saw a cell phone I gave the student one warning to put it away, if I saw it again I would confiscate it and tell the student they can pick it up from the office after school. It took only two times before this got around to the other students. After that I did not have to remind the students about the cell phone policy. It is prohibited period.

Bah, schools that ban cell phones really grind my gears. I always had a cell phone in high school and I didn't use it in class (for the most part), but I did always keep it on vibrate. Cell phones are a really important tool, my parents were able to inform me when family emergencies happened, update me on the status of my ill grandfather, let me know if I had something that needed to be done, etc. Texts can be read and responded to in class, calls should be taken outside and then quietly back into class when you are done. Q: Why don't teachers respect that the people they are teaching having lives too?

I went back and forth from a college to a high school environment and was thoroughly disgusted with the way that I was treated in the high school environment as opposed to the college one. And funny enough -- my age (15-16) didn't change as I went back and forth between the two .... only the level of respect I was treated with

 

[Dixie]

At sixteen I did not lack the maturity to fully understand the ramifications of forwarding such content. I also know of at least 100 other people who, at under sixteen, also had the same maturity. I had a cell phone at 14 and I used it for..... texting my friends. And calling my parents if I needed to be picked up after school. I do remember a nude picture getting sent around during freshman year and although it was not sent to me, I was shown it through someone else.

Plenty of people over sixteen don't have the maturity to do lots of things. Businesses are corrupted, adults bully each other just like kids do -- and some people think kids learn bullying behaviour from adults! :roll:

You know what else is a venue for gossip, rumours and bullying? Schools, friends, cliques, groups, churches, youth groups, businesses, organisations, clubs.

Just existing pretty much means that you are involved in multiple venues for gossip, rumours, and bullying

Copy machines? Posters flying around school? Slipping them under doors, in lockers?

That's exactly true. So parents should talk to their kids about respect for other people -- online and otherwise. However, that doesn't undermine the fact that cell phones and the internet are just tools. Of course, you can hurt a person with an axe, or you can use that axe to cut down a tree for firewood. Taking away cell phones from people under 16 is a gross concept -- like, "well, you could cause trouble with this, so I'm not gonna even give you a chance to use it responsibly". But there is often not a legitimate reason to doubt a person's ability to properly use a tool (ageism is NOT a legitimate reason). You can teach a kid how to use an axe, help them learn how to work it and help them understand that the tool can be used for bad as well as good. You watch them for a while as they get acquainted with the tool, and then you let them know that if they need help they can always go to you for that -- or even just a question. :roll:

Bah, schools that ban cell phones really grind my gears. I always had a cell phone in high school and I didn't use it in class (for the most part), but I did always keep it on vibrate. Cell phones are a really important tool, my parents were able to inform me when family emergencies happened, update me on the status of my ill grandfather, let me know if I had something that needed to be done, etc. Texts can be read and responded to in class, calls should be taken outside and then quietly back into class when you are done. Q: Why don't teachers respect that the people they are teaching having lives too?

I went back and forth from a college to a high school environment and was thoroughly disgusted with the way that I was treated in the high school environment as opposed to the college one. And funny enough -- my age (15-16) didn't change as I went back and forth between the two .... only the level of respect I was treated with

If there is a family emergency the parents should contact the school to have you properly pulled from class. If they need to update you then they can send a note to you by way of office aid. Teachers do respect that the students have lives outside of class, but that's just the point OUTSIDE OF CLASS. When you are in class you need to be focused on class not focused on a cell phone and texting and what not. Teachers are not allowed to text and yap on their cell phones in class, and the same should go for students as well. It's just a standard that needs to be met. If the student needs to make a phone to be picked up after school then make the phone call from a pay phone on campus or on the phone in the office. Sorry dude.

 

[lifted]

If there is a family emergency the parents should contact the school to have you properly pulled from class. If they need to update you then they can send a note to you by way of office aid. Teachers do respect that the students have lives outside of class, but that's just the point OUTSIDE OF CLASS. When you are in class you need to be focused on class not focused on a cell phone and texting and what not.

School officials should not be the ones to relay personal messages to people, it is not their job or their business. Also, sending a lot of notes throughout the day is just plain impractical. I did have notes sent to me periodically throughout elementary and even middle school -- that was fine, I was young and didn't have a big need for a mobile phone. I also didn't really care to have one. But once I hit high school I had more personal freedom and responsibility, and the phone came with that. I needed it to get in contact with my parents if I was staying after and needed a ride, and it helped my parents because they could ask me where I was if I went out, etc. I'm not saying every teenager should have a phone -- I had friends that didn't have phones (or only house phones), and it was a pain seeking them out in a campus of 1200 people or waiting until I knew they'd be at home before calling. But some of them just didn't need phones... they wouldn't even really use them.

Teachers are not allowed to text and yap on their cell phones in class, and the same should go for students as well. It's just a standard that needs to be met. If the student needs to make a phone to be picked up after school then make the phone call from a pay phone on campus or on the phone in the office. Sorry dude.

I've had teachers answer calls or respond to texts during class. Doesn't bother me in the slightest. A quick "sorry, family issue" or "sorry, my 8 year old daughter is calling" and then going outside to take it is perfectly acceptable. People are so strict about classrooms and raise teachers to this abnormally high degree of esteem but in actuality we are all human and we all need to take a call in class sooner or later (well, some of us do). It's not a big deal at all!

 

[Dixie]

It's unprofessional. You don't answer calls or texts in a job interview or in an important staff meeting. You don't do it in front of students as the message your relaying to them that it's perfectly acceptable to do this when it's not. When you attend a lecture, you should have your phone turned completely off so as to not distract others who might be more interested in the subject than you. The same applies for the classroom for both instructor and student.

 

[Glenn]

...

I've had teachers answer calls or respond to texts during class. Doesn't bother me in the slightest. A quick "sorry, family issue" or "sorry, my 8 year old daughter is calling" and then going outside to take it is perfectly acceptable. People are so strict about classrooms and raise teachers to this abnormally high degree of esteem but in actuality we are all human and we all need to take a call in class sooner or later (well, some of us do). It's not a big deal at all!

I never saw that happen at university. Most professors would not allow cell phones to be on in class because they distract everyone else.

 

[Banjo]

Which is why children under 16 do not need a cell phone.

When I was a teenager. I had to use a cell phone to send text messages to my parents if I had to stay late after school. They would be at work, calling their workplace would be a real hassle to if I used relay services. It takes much longer to relay message than it would take to send a text message. Not to mention how people easily mistake a relay call for something else. Sending a simple text message is much quicker and easier that way. I never used it in any classroom though since it would be rude and inconsiderate.

It's just about using common sense, don't blame the cell phones for their problems. The teenagers already had problems to start with.

 

[lifted]

It's unprofessional. You don't answer calls or texts in a job interview or in an important staff meeting. You don't do it in front of students as the message your relaying to them that it's perfectly acceptable to do this when it's not. When you attend a lecture, you should have your phone turned completely off so as to not distract others who might be more interested in the subject than you. The same applies for the classroom for both instructor and student.

I don't know, I'm not fond of extraneous rules in any situation. Shutting off every connection you have to the outside world because you're listening to a lecture is just... it's just plain weird. It's not even about respect. Let's be honest, if a teacher really respected their students they would understand that they (the teacher) are not the centre of the world and cannot be expected to be that in their student's minds. They are the focus of the time spent in class, but... things happen and people are still people whether or not they are sitting in a chair trying to pay attention. Of course, if you are in a lecture you should be there because you want to. You wouldn't answer every call that came your way during class. I can understand not taking a call in a job interview... unless it was a long job interview (hopefully the person interviewing you is a human and has some ounce of understanding in their soul!)

 

[Glenn]

You're there to learn, not be connected to the outside world. The outside world isn't going to go away simply because you are inside a classroom learning...it'll be there when class is over.