Jamming Cell Phones in the Classroom

Cell phones.  As a tech-geek teacher, I strongly believe that using cell phones as teaching devices is a perfectly acceptable use of technology in the classroom.  But, the reality is that cell phones have become more of a distraction in the classroom under the existing school policy than something that could benefit teachers.  This is the catch-22.  Because the school doesn’t allow cell phone use at all, as a teacher I have to enforce the school rules.  If I don’t, I become an exception to the policy and ensure the enmity of my colleagues.  If there was an acceptable use policy, then the teachers individually could decide whether they should be allowed or not.  Jess and I have discussed all kinds of options.  She is very specific concerning the rules in the class and would enforce strict penalties consistently.  I would use the ‘soft power’ approach and would politely ask students who were using the phones to put them away.  Generally, this would only affect the students who are addicted.  Most would not bother.  Of course, my students were generally juniors and seniors and Jess’s were freshman.  Different ages creates different opportunities in classroom management.

Getting back to the subject, Jess’s supervisor last year bought and tested a cell phone jammer at the end of the school year.  It worked really well and had a radius of about 30 feet.  So now the question is whether this is legal or not.  The FCC says no.  Under the Communications Act of 1934, it is apparently illegal to block transmissions.  Some schools have found this out the hard way.  Others have been a little more creative in blocking signals, from surrounding the class walls and ceilings in conductive material (like a Farraday cage) to using nanotechnology to jam the signals.