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Texting in school reaching ‘epidemic’ levels By PATRICIA ALEX The Record MCT
They text in their pockets, they text the person sitting next to them, and they even text their parents. “It’s addictive,� said Joshua Ortiz, a senior at Clifton (N.J.) High School. “During class and in between classes and even when there’s a teacher around.� Texting in class has become widespread — more than 40 percent of teens say they do it despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of schools ban cellphone use, according to a recent survey. Anecdotally, some teens say the percentage may be higher still, and educators concede that the phenomenon may be here to stay. “I’m not naive. I’d like to think they don’t do it, but I know they do,� said Jack Hurley, principal of Rutherford High School. Hurley said he runs a “tight ship,� confiscating phones when students use them during school. Still, it can sometimes feel like swimming against the tide. “It’s epidemic,� he concedes. Cellphone use is ubiquitous. A Pew survey last year found three-quarters of teens and an even higher percentage of their parents have cellphones. And for teens, texting is the thing. “It’s the norm, it’s just part of our culture,� said Drew Olanoff of textPlus, which conducted the survey that found 43 percent of teens text in class. The California-based company offers a free texting application for phones and other devices. The survey found that 17 percent of the kids who text in class said they did so “constantly,� and more than half say they text friends who are sitting in the same class; 22 percent said they’ve texted answers to classmates struggling to answer a teacher’s question. “It’s a new spin on an old story: parents will remember when they slipped little paper notes from one desk to another,� said Michael Yaple of the New Jersey School Boards Association. It was the “covert nature� of texting that spurred its widespread adoption by mostly young people, said Hugh Curnutt, a communications professor at Montclair State University who has studied social media. Texting allows for a relatively unobtrusive way to communicate — more stealth than note-passing, and it even has its own coded language. The vast majority of teens surveyed said they’ve been able to fly under the radar while texting in class. “I haven’t gotten caught,� said Adrianna Gonzalez, a senior at Leonia High School who estimated she texted
Dreamstime
Look fashionable with fabulous faux By ELLEn WARREN Chicago Tribune MCT Dreamstime Texting in class has become widespread — more than 40 percent of teens say they do it despite the fact that the majority of schools ban cellphone use, according to a recent survey.
friends a couple of times per period, usually during “busy work.� Gonzalez said she would never text during a test but the pastime helped her get through the day. “You need some time to zone out rather than constant school work.� Parents apparently need their texting to get through the day as well. Two-thirds of teens said their parents texted them during the school day. At Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, N.J., students are required to leave their cellphones in their lockers. But even the after-hours use of texting can take away from productive school work, said Principal Anthony Orsini. Texting has accelerated adolescent gossip and educators routinely come across exhausted students who have stayed up too late texting, unbeknownst to their parents. “As far as an educational distraction — it’s huge,� said Orsini. “Socially it’s a distraction, too — we’ve had more teasing and bullying issues involving texting than involving Facebook.� But some educators now say it may be time to look for more ways to tap into the medium that has become so integral in their students’ lives. It’s not so much a case of ‘if you can’t beat ‘em then join ‘em’ as it is a recognition that things have changed, they say. “We’re trying to look for ways to embrace it,� said Arthur Powell, chairman of the urban education department at Rutgers-Newark. “It’s a piece of technology that has utility, and it’s not going away.� There have been fledgling steps around the state with using students’ cellphones to set up “live response� systems in class; teachers could blast-text students with relevant information and reminders. and, Smart phones now give students the
capability to carry what is essentially a personal computer in their pockets. “When you think of the options it might open up [...] it would be silly not to have the discussion,� said Dave Janosz, supervisor of technology at Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan, N.J. “I see the potential for information at your fingertips,� said Janosz, who heads the state association of technology educators. Of course, he said, the potential for distraction is also great — for every educational app, there’s there are 10 more for entertainment. “We’d really have to do this responsibly,� he said. Olanoff, from the texting application company, said discussions have begun around the country. “We need to shift the conversation from prohibitions to boundaries,� he said. “We’re seeing things evolve: First it was no cellphones in school, then it was no cellphones out in class. It will be interesting to see how teachers use (the technology) in the future.� “In my class, I see iPhones as a tool,� said Curnutt, from Montclair State. “Students update their calendars and take notes, many are going paperless and they are carrying PDFs on their phones.� For now, even some of the most technology-savvy teachers remain wary of the distraction factor of cellphones in the class. “I love the idea of students being able to access information in the way they are use to,� said Steve Titus, a math teacher at the middle school in Rutherford. “But it’s not a controlledenough environment — for every eight kids who are texting (for research), another 10 could be texting their friends. [...] It’s where I take a step back and say ‘Wait, I’m not sure this is practical.’�
Be a phony. A total faker. And you’ll be the smartest shopper in the room. Until recently, faux fur was fine — if you wanted to look as if you were wearing a Muppet around your neck. And just a couple of years ago, you could spot someone in a pleather coat (that’s plastic “leather�) from a block away. She was the one who couldn’t bend her arms. Today, I’m double-daring you to tell the difference between the real thing and the pretend. Even after you put it on and pet it. I’m serious. The old pleather poly-whatever was made for car upholstery, not the human form. No mas. The new imitation leathers are supple, serviceable, some even scrumptious. And the latest editions of furry faux can even make the animalrights folks wonder if it’s mink or make-believe. The technology that has turned fake into fabulous comes at just the right moment for recession-battered shoppers who love luxe but can’t afford it.
The prices of the impostors can be astoundingly low. Only the price tag will tell you you’re not buying the real thing. That said, not all fake is frugal. Designer Stella McCartney’s shiny tote illustrates that point. It’s priced at $1,095. McCartney’s Web site (StellaMcCartney.com) boasts “no animal has died to make anything in here.� That said, she charges real money for her pretenders. And a word of caution. You still can find plenty of the old, ugly stuff in stores. There’s fur that wouldn’t fool a 5-year-old. It gives acrylic a bad name. And beware of imitation leather that would work better as picnic placemats. Nope, not all faux fashions are equal. When making your choices, be sure to take a good look in the mirror before heading for the checkout. Even the same store can carry some items that brilliantly fool the eye and, on the next rack, an array that screams “cheap.� With that proviso, discriminating shoppers will find coats, jackets, bags, shoes, boots and belts that are easy on the budget and genuinely look like real hair and hide. Nowadays, wearing faux doesn’t have to be a fashion faux pas.
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www.thepenn.org • Tuesday, October 19, 2010 • Page 13