Author: Julie Campbell

The ubiquitous nature of smartphones among students is starting to cause concerns over the potential for cheating.

In India, a new concern has arisen with regards to the use of mobile technology among students, as the risks of the spread of copies of the HSC (higher secondary school certificate) exams throughout the web continue to grow.

Officials are now considering the implementation of more strict regulations with regards to the use of mobile devices.

The hope is to reduce the use of mobile technology by students and exam supervisors throughout the examination process. Currently, there is already a regulation from the state board that bans students from carrying cell phones into the exam halls. According to a divisional board standing committee member, Uday Nare, “It is dangerous for both students and supervisors to carry mobile phones to the exam hall, as it could lead to cheating. Although we have rules to prevent it, they should be stricter.”

Equally, most exam centers have permitted mobile technology devices to be carried in as long as they are turned off.

Mithibai College, Vile Parle principal, Swapna Durve, explained that student mobile devices can be very expensive, nowadays, and the exam centers are hesitant to “take any chance by asking them keep the phones in their bags outside the classrooms. So, we ask students to switch off the phone and keep it in their pockets.”

Unfortunately, there have been problems that have arisen with this honor system based policy. On March 4, a student was caught by an exam supervisor. That student had been using a cell phone to cheat during the Vile Parle exam center’s SSC examination.

These types of issues are popping up as colleges are, understandably, not frequently willing to actually frisk the students to ensure that they are not carrying any mobile devices. The principal at the Jai Hind College in Churchgate, Jyoti Thakur, explained that “We cannot frisk students, as girl students might raise objections.”

In order to help to overcome some of the mobile technology related issues, some of the centers have now hired women staff specifically to be able to check female students for devices before they enter the exam halls.

Pebble believes that some of the current wearables that are being released have been overcomplicated.

It is starting to become difficult to find a smartphone or electronics manufacturer that has not either released, unveiled, or at least considered the creation of its own smartwatches, but at the same time, these devices have yet to truly take off.

Many in the industry believe that the rollout of the Apple Watch will bring these wearables into the mainstream.

However, one of the most established brands of smartwatches has now stated that it feels that many of the companies that have attempted to create their own gadgets have actually over thought what the devices should be. Primarily, the difference between a standard wristwatch and the upgraded wearable technology is that it offers a range of additional features aside from telling the time and date, and perhaps even adding a stopwatch or alarm clock option. They tend to bring the user notifications for incoming calls and texts and have controls for music playback, for example.

But as the market for smartwatches becomes increasingly crowded, brands are working hard to stand out.

This has caused them to add broad spectrums of new features and options that may or may not be all that appealing to the user. According to Pebble, many of the additional features that are being incorporated into the devices in the name of differentiating them from one another have actually been overcomplicating things. Speaking of the wearable technology devices that have been launched by Samsung and Apple, Monica Isla, a Pebble spokesperson, said that “I think they overthink what people are going to do with them.”

Isla later went on to say that “We don’t lose sight that it’s a watch. I think a lot of people lose the fact that it’s a watch. It’s not a phone. It’s not a gadget. It’s a watch and time is what matters to people.”

Clearly, it is Pebble’s opinion that smartwatches are great to act as wristwatches that also have additional bonus features such as alerts and notifications, but when all is said and done, the more complex tasks can simply be done on a smartphone, where they will be more convenient and efficient, anyway.