Cell Phone High

The Times looks at something Gothamist has been very curious about: How cellphone, PDAs, and other gadgets affect school life. Reporter Ian Urbina reveals that while teachers don't think new technology disrupts the classroom, students think otherwise. One Stuyvesant High School student says, "Someone brought in a universal remote and walked through the halls turning on all the TV's in classrooms." Universal remote. Evil. A Stuy science teacher, Anne Manwell, says about students at the city's top public high school, "They are pretty serious about their work. Really, it doesn't happen much in class that they use their cells or Palm Pilots."

However, when asked about text messaging, an assistant principal at Wagner Junior High School shows the generational technology divide, "You know what, I am not up to speed on this stuff...I said that it's not happening, but maybe I just don't know." Yes, while teens who cheat might be cheaters, but they are also diligent nerds to have programmed formulas onto graphing calculaters or an entire Latin text onto a PDA. And ultimately, as another Stuy student says, "Look, if you are going to cheat, still nothing beats leaning over and looking on the next guy's paper."

There was the made for cable movie, Cheaters, about cheating on that really nerdy of all nerd high school activities, Academic Decathlon. And that was just using sneakers and some pen ink. But you can get your gadget by reading Gizmodo.