Writing Feature Articles - Step 1 - Lesson 1 | Page 55

Writing Feature Articles - Lesson
Writing Feature Articles - Handout . a

Experienced

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ___________________

. a: Feature Articles Packet

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“One Third of Teens Use Cellphones...?” continued
Two thirds of responders to the poll—which surveyed 1,013 teens in late May and early June—say others in their
school have cheated with cellphones. More than half admit to using the Internet to cheat.
But even as teens advance their electronic cheating strategies, educators are beginning to ?ght back with their own
anticheating technologies, such as text-matching software, biometric equipment, virtual students, and cheatproof
tests, experts say.
At the University of Central Florida, for instance, business students now take their tests on cheat-resistant
computers in a supersecure testing center. UCF students report much less cheating than students at other campuses.
"We've scared the living daylights out of them," explains Taylor Ellis, associate dean for undergraduate programs
and technology at UCF's college of business.
Researchers at Common Sense Media and school administrators say that parents should not assume that kids
know what to do or how to behave ethically when it comes to tests on their own. Families should establish open
communication about the use of technology in school—including a strict set of guidelines for kids to follow—and
understand that kids are cheating.
Experts also say that if teachers hold open discussions, issue warnings, and present guidelines for taking tests and
writing papers, kids will be more hesitant about cheating.
Jack Lorenz, principal of Ridgewood High School in New Jersey, doesn't think restricting cellphones is the
answer.
"I think it's a little bit naive to think that that's going to solve the problem," he said in an interview with CBS
News. "If you have a culture in your school where . . . there is an expectation that students are honest about their
academic achievements, where students and the administration promote it, I think you decrease the opportunities
for students to cheat."

Miners, Zach.(June 23, 2009.) “One Third of Teens Use Cell Phones to Cheat in School.”
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-education/2009/06/23/one-third-of-teens-use-cellphones-to-cheat-in-school.html
Permission pending.
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