Teacher Suspended For Using Cell Phone Jammer

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Did anyone else notice that this article says that "Verizon chose not to prosecute" the teacher. Since when did Verizon have the power to "prosecute" anyone?

A Pasco County instructor is busted using a cell phone jamming device in his classroom. Dean Liptak says he was trying to get students to focus on the lesson and not on their phones at Fivay High School in Hudson.
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Well, I mean it was Verizon that showed up saying there is a jamming device.. obviously cellphones must send a signal that they are being jammed, and all this must be a bunch of 'permanent backdooring' in cellphones.. it makes no sense Verizon is just that good to know when a small ares of coverage goes out.
 
ROFL, some great bits in that article:

He says he talked with a deputy, who apparently told him the jammers are only illegal when used with bad intentions.

This is Liptak's second strike with the district. The pro wrestler turned science teacher was reprimanded in 2013 after he used violent questions on a test referencing the velocity of a student thrown against a wall by a teacher and the mass of a car running over a baby.
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They probably meant press charges, rather than prosecute.

I think cellphone jammers in classrooms at all levels up to and through college are a great idea, but the fact is using them is a violation of the law. The FCC has been pretty clear on this.

I'd imagine he wasn't suspended directly for his use of a jammer, but rather indirectly because he violated federal law while on the job.

I can't help but think most employers would do the same.
 
Uvaman said:
Well, I mean it was Verizon that showed up saying there is a jamming device.. obviously cellphones must send a signal that they are being jammed, and all this must be a bunch of 'permanent backdooring' in cellphones.. it makes no sense Verizon is just that good to know when a small ares of coverage goes out.
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Well, I'd imagine that cellphones - as a quality of service measure - automatically report their GPS coordinates when they have poor signal, so that carriers can know where they need to strengthen their networks.

Not doing so would be a wasted opportunity.

I doubt they are looking for jammers directly, but if all of a sudden lots of cellphones from different users all start reporting poor signal in an area where this previously wasn't the case, they would look into it, and when they found nothing wrong with their equipment, it should be a leap to figure out that a jammer was being used.
 
Uvaman said:
Well, I mean it was Verizon that showed up saying there is a jamming device.. obviously cellphones must send a signal that they are being jammed, and all this must be a bunch of 'permanent backdooring' in cellphones.. it makes no sense Verizon is just that good to know when a small ares of coverage goes out.
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Phone regularly report connection information to the carrier. Carriers can then tell when a black hole shows up in their network.
 
so cell phone jammer...
just set up a micro cell site (extenders, etc) and remove the connection at the backend so that the phones will connect but can't connect to the internet.

Or do the passive route and cover the walls with materials that block signals.

An actual jammer that floods the frequencies with signals would probably be illegal via the fcc because you don't have permission to use those frequencies in that way.
 
They should collect the cell phones at the door and give them back at the end of class--with the proviso that cheaters get suspended. I have a lot of sympathy for teachers these days--with all of the roadblocks that greedy lawyers and retarded parents put in the way of student education, it's a wonder that any of them know how to read upon graduation. Cell phones & calculators...what a bunch of whining weenies...;)
 
Most parents are dumb for owning a cell phone. Parents that give their kids phones are even dumber. It's an invented necessity to be constantly wired. But besides the dumbness of humanity, it's not a teacher's job to make sure every unwilling child is paying attention. If they wanna ignore class and be stupid, they'll find some way besides a phone to not pay attention anyhow so jamming signals is an equally unintelligent way of addressing a basic problem in human nature that's exhibited through not just the use of an electronic device, but through staring off into space, picking a nose, drawing pictures, reading some other unrelated book and so forth.
 
If I were an instructor I'd have a no electronic device policy in my classroom.

I'd tell the students that of they weren't serious about paying attention and learning, not to show up and disturb everyone else.

I'd do this at theiddle school, high school and college levels.

I graduated in 2003 which really feels like just yesterday. My entire 4 years in college I never saw a laptop or cellphone used in class.

There was this one kid who had some sort of PDA with a foldout keyboard he used for notes, and everyone made fun of him for it. Notes were taken in paper notebooks with a pen. Period.

I see some classrooms now and they are fun of laptops and cellphones and tablets and students barely seem to be paying attention.

I'm astonished that schools/colleges/instructors/professors put up with it.

I'd throw a student out of my classroom if they pulled out Amy electronic device during my lecture. I'd consider it an insult to me, an insult to the institution and an insult to all his or her fellow students.
 
After fighting a never ending battle against students using cellphones in class .... I gave up. Administration wont back me up, parents are phoning their children in the middle of class, it is absolutely ridiculous and I absolutely don't care anymore.
 
I don't get this whole "cell phones are distraction because students don't focus on the teacher" it is obvious as all hell when they are using them from a teacher's perspective, when you see it, confiscate it. Have schools gotten so pussified lately that they're not allowed to take them until the day is over?
 
Zarathustra[H];1041643387 said:
If I were an instructor I'd have a no electronic device policy in my classroom.

I'd tell the students that of they weren't serious about paying attention and learning, not to show up and disturb everyone else.

I'd do this at theiddle school, high school and college levels.

I graduated in 2003 which really feels like just yesterday. My entire 4 years in college I never saw a laptop or cellphone used in class.

There was this one kid who had some sort of PDA with a foldout keyboard he used for notes, and everyone made fun of him for it. Notes were taken in paper notebooks with a pen. Period.

I see some classrooms now and they are fun of laptops and cellphones and tablets and students barely seem to be paying attention.

I'm astonished that schools/colleges/instructors/professors put up with it.

I'd throw a student out of my classroom if they pulled out Amy electronic device during my lecture. I'd consider it an insult to me, an insult to the institution and an insult to all his or her fellow students.
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You are so right!

We weren't even allowed calculators...computers were a just fad for geeks and didn't have a future at that point...if only I'd have known then...

Sadly the students look at it this way:
OH NOES! I CAN"T GOOGLE THE ANSWERS!!!

And those in charge look at it this way:
OH NOES! THEY CAN"T GOOGLE THE ANSWERS!!!

I don't completely discount electronic learning, but I do believe that it should be limited.

I find that I don't retain info like I used to now that I can just look it up if I need to...except when there's no internet.,so I wouldn't be surprised if even the top students grades suffered while the jamming was happening. We need to bring back real brain learning or we're doomed when the EMPs start dropping (except those of us who learned things the hard way & retained the knowledge).
 
sfsuphysics said:
I don't get this whole "cell phones are distraction because students don't focus on the teacher" it is obvious as all hell when they are using them from a teacher's perspective, when you see it, confiscate it. Have schools gotten so pussified lately that they're not allowed to take them until the day is over?
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My son lost his cell phone at school for using it in class once. Hasn't done it since. He didn't get it back at the end of the day. I had to go pick it up. I thought it was a great policy. That way I know they are using it in class, and the kid usually doesn't do it again.

Yes, I get shit for them having cell phones. But, there have been several times when they've been needed. Different ride home, walk home, parents aren't home go to so-and-so's house, etc.. Very little usage. Not a necessity, but a convenience. But, I'm a tech guy, so I have no problems with it. Just don't take it camping, fishing or on vacation (or leave it in the car, turned off). I take mine hunting for emergency purposes, but it's turned off for obvious reasons. There are times when they are useful, but I have times when they must be off.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041643387 said:
If I were an instructor I'd have a no electronic device policy in my classroom.

I'd tell the students that of they weren't serious about paying attention and learning, not to show up and disturb everyone else.

I'd do this at theiddle school, high school and college levels.

I graduated in 2003 which really feels like just yesterday. My entire 4 years in college I never saw a laptop or cellphone used in class.

There was this one kid who had some sort of PDA with a foldout keyboard he used for notes, and everyone made fun of him for it. Notes were taken in paper notebooks with a pen. Period.

I see some classrooms now and they are fun of laptops and cellphones and tablets and students barely seem to be paying attention.

I'm astonished that schools/colleges/instructors/professors put up with it.

I'd throw a student out of my classroom if they pulled out Amy electronic device during my lecture. I'd consider it an insult to me, an insult to the institution and an insult to all his or her fellow students.
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I disagree with disallowing at the college level. Professors aren't your babysitters, you are paying directly for that education. At that point it is only to the detriment of the student if they do not pay attention. If it is distracting others, that is the only time I would intervene.

As for taking notes only being on notepads with a pencil, I would have laughed at you for making that statement. I used PDAs in college and for a very good reason, I cannot write by hand for more than a few minutes, but I can type almost all day long. The PDA also displayed the text far more clearly and allowed me to organize the information far more effectively than I would be able to with just a pencil and paper.

I am even a proponent for kids having some kind of tablet in high school. If they can get all their text books, assignments, other study materials and take notes on it, that is all to the betterment of the student. Many people learn in different ways and there are tons of studies proving that over and over. Listening to a teacher drone on and on in a lecture doesn't help all students. Having more creative visual aids and hands on assignments can. Having an electronic device with some of those options is a great way to help get a student engaged in the lesson.
 
mynamehere said:
I find that I don't retain info like I used to now that I can just look it up if I need to...except when there's no internet.,so I wouldn't be surprised if even the top students grades suffered while the jamming was happening. We need to bring back real brain learning or we're doomed when the EMPs start dropping (except those of us who learned things the hard way & retained the knowledge).
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Depends on the subject. Computer class? Necessary. I really wish I had Google when I was in high school. BBS's didn't cut it. I only had a shitty book to learn programming (BASIC & C).

History - use books. Math - books. Social studies - probably a combination as things change daily. Art - unless it's digital, no computers. CAD/Drafting - only for AutoCAD, nothing else. Things like that. Make it appropriate for the subject. Reading? I'd push real books and stay away from ebooks, Kindle, etc.. Nothing beats a good physical book. :)
 
Zarathustra[H];1041643387 said:
I'd throw a student out of my classroom if they pulled out Amy electronic device during my lecture. I'd consider it an insult to me, an insult to the institution and an insult to all his or her fellow students.
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You better not be breaking accommodation laws when a student ask.
 
Uvaman said:
Well, I mean it was Verizon that showed up saying there is a jamming device.. obviously cellphones must send a signal that they are being jammed, and all this must be a bunch of 'permanent backdooring' in cellphones.. it makes no sense Verizon is just that good to know when a small ares of coverage goes out.
Click to expand...

I don't think you get how these things work.

The jammer broadcasts a signal. That signal disrupts communication between the phones nd the towers. It means both the phones and the towers are getting a bad signal and the towers know what that signal is and that Jammers cause that kind of signal. From there it's just a matter of using the towers to triangulate the signal to locate it's source just like they are used to locate the location of your cell phone. GPS is more accurate, but if you have several towers that can all hear the signal it get's close enough to pin it to a school campus.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041643359 said:
They probably meant press charges, rather than prosecute.

I think cellphone jammers in classrooms at all levels up to and through college are a great idea, but the fact is using them is a violation of the law. The FCC has been pretty clear on this.

I'd imagine he wasn't suspended directly for his use of a jammer, but rather indirectly because he violated federal law while on the job.

I can't help but think most employers would do the same.
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lol, what's the difference Z?

I don't think that guy was arrested for shooting that asshole, but rather because he discharged his firearm inside the city limits :p
 
Uvaman said:
Well, I mean it was Verizon that showed up saying there is a jamming device.. obviously cellphones must send a signal that they are being jammed, and all this must be a bunch of 'permanent backdooring' in cellphones.. it makes no sense Verizon is just that good to know when a small ares of coverage goes out.
Click to expand...

There's only one man who would DARE give me the raspberry!

In all seriousness, Verizon should have no ability to sue anyone over this. Also, the teacher shouldn't be punished in any way, either.
 
Jammers should be deemed legal in some cases like education.

Pfft, can't expect to much though.
 
So many old school people shouting "we should do it the way we did it in school". Well that is cute and all but how far back to we want to play this game?

I certainly would pull out my walkman at the time and listen to it in stupid classes that did not matter to me. I always failed history, I had no interest in it. So it was just a waste of my time if I wasn't learning the material anyways but I had to be there.

We like to lump education is so important together and yes it is, but when you break it down there are many parts that are useless and uninteresting to different people.

I do feel electronic devices have a place. Note taking, researching, fact checking, references. No they shouldnt be taking selfies or bsing on the phone but lets try to move with the times people instead of staying in the dark ages as some of us grew up in. No my kids shouldn't use paper and pencil because you did growing up, I would rather they learned good typing skills and could have all their notes in a searchable database with proper diagrams and links to sources.

We need to learn how to use the devices not just ban things because we don't like it. Evolving is learning not hiding in a ostrich hole.
 
Hypergreatthing said:
so cell phone jammer...
just set up a micro cell site (extenders, etc) and remove the connection at the backend so that the phones will connect but can't connect to the internet.

Or do the passive route and cover the walls with materials that block signals.

An actual jammer that floods the frequencies with signals would probably be illegal via the fcc because you don't have permission to use those frequencies in that way.
Click to expand...

Did you guys completely miss the part that no one actually wants the kids' phones not to be able to work in an emergency?

An active shooter, a diabetic, an allergic reaction, a few dozen different ways that kids can be in danger and you guys think the answer is to make sure they can't call for help, the teacher's phone wouldn't work either. So someone has to go running down the hall.

Instead of thinking of the problem from a preventative, and frankly, "pussy" point of view. Try looking at it as an opportunity to teach the kids some respect both for what they are there to accomplish and for their teacher who is trying to help them get there. This teacher has got force on the brain, He thinks in terms of how to force things to work the way He wants. Probably has something to do with why his students don't respect his big dumb ass enough to stay off their phones in class. He's less interesting then a cell phone.
 
Hmm just saw my post was pretty much random thoughts. Take what you will from it. Dammit Dayquil give me my sanity back!
 
At college level, It would be impossible to not allow Laptops. Most schools require them. You can't ban technology that is used in almost any job that requires a college degree.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041643387 said:
If I were an instructor I'd have a no electronic device policy in my classroom.

I'd tell the students that of they weren't serious about paying attention and learning, not to show up and disturb everyone else.

I'd do this at theiddle school, high school and college levels.

I graduated in 2003 which really feels like just yesterday. My entire 4 years in college I never saw a laptop or cellphone used in class.

There was this one kid who had some sort of PDA with a foldout keyboard he used for notes, and everyone made fun of him for it. Notes were taken in paper notebooks with a pen. Period.

I see some classrooms now and they are fun of laptops and cellphones and tablets and students barely seem to be paying attention.

I'm astonished that schools/colleges/instructors/professors put up with it.

I'd throw a student out of my classroom if they pulled out Amy electronic device during my lecture. I'd consider it an insult to me, an insult to the institution and an insult to all his or her fellow students.
Click to expand...

Amazing. So since you haven't had a lot of time out in the real world let me clue you into what you will see in the future. Professionals in the world leverage technology. So pretty much every class you have in the future you'll see all those electronic devices being used for what they add to the learning experience. Professionals want to get something out of their opportunities, and professional educators want to enable them to do so. Now I am not going to run down your schools, your education, but I am going to let you in on something. There is more then one way to get most things done. You experienced one of them, but it sure as hell isn't the only way.

Man, in the IT world I work in, books are a sure sign that you are dated in your thinking cause books can't be kept up to date with the rapid development of software and hardware. Used too the well educated had shelves of books in his cubicle, not today, not unless your an old hack who does more management then tech work. Don't believe me ask around.
 
Also parents could do some actual parenting and use the tools provided for them to restrict access during school hours and still keep in contact with them. Verizon's tools for this aren't the greatest, but they are effective.
 
Just make every kid drop their phone in the school approved phone box when they walk in the classroom door, problem solved.
 
I'd be all about immediate detention if a cell is used in class and it's not proven to be an emergency. :eek:
 
it should be used when they have a hard line in each classroom....
 
dandragonrage said:
There's only one man who would DARE give me the raspberry!

In all seriousness, Verizon should have no ability to sue anyone over this. Also, the teacher shouldn't be punished in any way, either.
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Real world bro. Those phone connections being active affect Verizon's business, you block that you risk a law suite.
 
Yakk said:
Jammers should be deemed legal in some cases like education.

Pfft, can't expect to much though.
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Phones often relay critical information in the event of school lockdowns or allow people to call for help. Bad move.
 
lcpiper said:
An active shooter, a diabetic, an allergic reaction, a few dozen different ways that kids can be in danger and you guys think the answer is to make sure they can't call for help, the teacher's phone wouldn't work either. So someone has to go running down the hall.
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.... What percentage of children ever face an active shooter scenario in their lifetime?
Might as well plan for meteors and aliens while you're at it. Maybe also a white walker invasion. The what if shit has to stop. How did parents live back before the year 2000?
 
This cell phone problem is an opportunity in disguise. It's an opportunity to teach kids how to be responsible and how to be respectful of others. Don't waste it by trying to effect draconian rules and funky preventive measures. That being said, students do need to be punished for violating those rules and parents need to be respectful as well.

Phones can be set to vibrate in the classroom, no calls unless there is an emergency, the kids mostly text anyway. After that it becomes a simple thing, a kid is being disruptive or not and it doesn't matter if it's with a phone or a straw and spit-wads. Parents should be required to text their kids when they are at school and not call.

And as for electronic learning aids, I say use those connections, let's those kids Google their asses off, but at the same time show them how to vet information, that not every source is a good source, and then make sure that as part of their learning they are required to perform tasks without the use of these tools when it makes sense to do so. Teach them how to use the tools for the right purposes and then make them perform. It's OK to design your quiz in a way that the kids can use the devices to hunt down information that is in turn useful for completing a task, but the task itself just can't be completed using only a phone.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041643387 said:
If I were an instructor I'd have a no electronic device policy in my classroom.

<snip>I graduated in 2003 which really feels like just yesterday. My entire 4 years in college I never saw a laptop or cellphone used in class.
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2003? Might as well have been 1983. They basically taught the same way back then too. They simply don't teach like that any more. But what you're proposing is completely impractical and not a scenario that either faculty or students want.
 
Hypergreatthing said:
.... What percentage of children ever face an active shooter scenario in their lifetime?
Might as well plan for meteors and aliens while you're at it. Maybe also a white walker invasion. The what if shit has to stop. How did parents live back before the year 2000?
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Same stupid thinking, that a percentage matters to the parents of a dead kid. It DOES HAPPEN EVERY DAMN YEAR and if it's your kid that is dead what ya going to do now pops?

Kids pretty much didn't do this shit before 2000. But before 2000 my Ag Teacher parked his unlocked pickup in the same parking lot with all the kid's cars and his rifle and shotgun were in the gun rack in plain site for any to see. No kid would have dared to open the door to his truck or touch those guns. It's not the same world today.

You can play the stupid odds game if you want, better hope you don't win the "couldn't happen here" lottery though.
 
lcpiper said:
Same stupid thinking, that a percentage matters to the parents of a dead kid. It DOES HAPPEN EVERY DAMN YEAR and if it's your kid that is dead what ya going to do now pops?

Kids pretty much didn't do this shit before 2000. But before 2000 my Ag Teacher parked his unlocked pickup in the same parking lot with all the kid's cars and his rifle and shotgun were in the gun rack in plain site for any to see. No kid would have dared to open the door to his truck or touch those guns. It's not the same world today.

You can play the stupid odds game if you want, better hope you don't win the "couldn't happen here" lottery though.
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Um...school shootings didn't suddenly just start happening in this century. Here's one from the 1980s.

http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/3438627-95/1985-concord-shooting-believe

Anyhow, the important point of mentioning this stuff is that there's like this thing where people start to think that humans are vastly different than they were a generation or three ago and that's just not really true. They've been dumb, violent, murderous idiots forever and that isn't anything new in just the same way that children have mirrored their parents by being the same way both in the past and present. Stuff around us might look different and we might communicate differently with one another, but the meaty goo and whatever hasn't changed at all.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041643387 said:
I'd throw a student out of my classroom if they pulled out Amy electronic device during my lecture. I'd consider it an insult to me, an insult to the institution and an insult to all his or her fellow students.
Click to expand...

I've had professors like this that get all huffy when they see someone texting or whatever during class and end up creating a bigger disturbance than the student was.

If they are genuinely disturbing the class, politely ask them to leave.

If they're sitting in the back and quietly staring into the phone in their lap - who the hell cares. If they genuinely need to be paying attention and aren't then it will sort itself out - they'll flunk the class. It's the student's choice to be in college in the first place. If they want to show up and not pay attention that should be up to them. Frankly if they don't want to show up at all except for exams that ought to be their choice too, but Texas and other states have errantly decided attendance should be mandatory in college.

Respect should be given where respect is due. If someone hasn't gotten that before they reach college they probably never will and it's a waste of time to try and teach it to them at that point. They'll probably get their comeuppance when the get into the workforce.

Some people deserve respect, but a person should not expect or demand it. Humility is a lesson that a lot of professors seem to have skipped out on early too. And anyhow, you shouldn't go around perceiving insult where none is explicitly given. It isn't all about you.
 
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