Just put it on vibrate!

[McDreidel09]

This happened on Tuesday, but homework and socializing have been taking over my life.

I have an eight am math class (shoot me). Normally, I turn my phone off when I leave my dorm room, but my mind was elsewhere and I stopped just outside the classroom to turn my phone off before walking in. Now, I wasn't even in the way. I was off to the side doing this.

A classmate of mine says "You could just turn it on vibrate," and walked inside.

Uh. No. First off, it's pretty frikken rude to even have your cell phone on during class, not only to the professor, but to the students around you. Second, my phone is already on vibrate. The vibration is strong enough to even make Jenna Jameson happy with it.

My grandparents and I are paying to have my ass in that seat. I will not use that money and that time just so I could text. There is no reason why my phone should even be on in any class (well, unless a relative or a friend is in the hospital and in serious condition. Then all I have to do is talk with my professor and they would be cool with letting me take a call, but going outside of the classroom to do so).

I don't know why people think that putting the phone on vibrate makes it quieter. I can still hear the little buzzing noise!

I really do not like most of my age group.

[LadyBarbossa]

I feel you, I took a year of college last year (nurse's aid, phlebo, etc) and there were people constantly whipping out phones or texting or answering calls in class. I dunno what people think anymore, it's not going to be the end of the world if you don't reply to that person right. this. very. second. Or the girl whose baby daddy had their two year old call her every 45 minutes just to say hi. Worst offender was the girl who would text her girlfriend during almost a whole class, and she didn't turn the sound off on her keypad, either

[AdminAssistant]

When I see my students with cell phones, I just look at them, stop whatever I was talking about, and write their names down. "What are you doing?" "Reminding myself to drop your participation grade by a few points." I'd like to say that helps, but it doesn't really.

Also, if a phone rings during class and it's a song, I start dancing. Last time a couple of students joined me.

[Sunsetsky]

I had a professor who told us at the beginning of the semester that she would answer any phones that rang. The class was pretty good about turning off their cellphones but there was one time where a phone rang and she answered it. It was quite a conversation too. XD

Her: Hi...How are you doing?
<Pause>
Her: Oh! Are you his wife?
Student: Ex.
Her: Ooh...

The student was good natured about it but it didn't happen again after that.

[linguist]

i use my phone as a timekeeper during class, and since i also use it as my planner, i keep it on in case i need to add anything to my calendar. however, during class i turn on airplane mode, so that no calls, texts, emails, etc. can be made or received.

[Greenday]

It depends on the class and class size. For gen eds that were large classes, it didn't phase me so much to text someone. Would just whip my phone out and text but I'd just kinda hide it.

Small classes it's a dick move to text in class. You don't really think the teacher doesn't notice, do you? And it's mad disrespectful.

I've actually seen and heard kids answer phones in a class. Politics of Diversity, some girl answered her phone mid-class and tried to talk low like no one would hear her. It's a class of 30 students, did she really think no one would notice?

[powerboy]

The only time that I have mine off is when I am sleeping and am on investigations. But otherwise it is on vibrate unless, I am driving

[McDreidel09]

When I see my students with cell phones, I just look at them, stop whatever I was talking about, and write their names down. "What are you doing?" "Reminding myself to drop your participation grade by a few points." I'd like to say that helps, but it doesn't really.

Also, if a phone rings during class and it's a song, I start dancing. Last time a couple of students joined me.

I love profs who make jokes or embarrass students. One prof (before I dropped his class like a two dollar whore) had a rule where if your phone went off, you had to bring treats for everyone in the class. So 25 treats for a lecture and 50 treats for a lab. That was on top of losing participation points.

The most I have ever had in a class was close to 100 students and that was a history lecture in an actual lecture hall. Lab came second at 50 people. Our class sizes hardly hit 30, so it is pretty frikken obvious when someone has their phone out. Hence, my annoyance.

[guywithashovel]

When I was in college, there was a professor who had a rule that said if someone's cell phone rang in class, the whole class would get a pop quiz. I never had this prof since she taught nursing and I wasn't a nursing major. I think there was a fraternity back at my college who used to give pledges cell phones and tell them that they would call them at some random time during the day when they were in class, and if they didn't answer they wouldn't be allowed into the fraternity. One time, a guy's phone rang in class, and this girl started laughing, saying, "Ha, those teeks are calling him!" ("teeks" refered to TKE).

I have a cousin who is finishing up an associate's degree, though he's not traditional college student age. He's in his early forties. He says a lot of the students sit in class and text the whole time. Why even bother coming to class if you're going to do that?

[aurelemsrealm]

I normally put my phone on silent as I walk from the parking lot to my first class of the day as soon as I find a parking space. I don't shut the phone off because I use the clock and calendar to help me keep track of things I need to remember. Occasionally, I have other thoughts in mind, and forget to put the phone on silent.

One day a few semesters ago, the sociology professor became particularly annoyed with cell phones ringing during class because it happened several times. It was just a very odd day for that class. I'd forgotten to turn the ringer off on my phone. Three or four other students had phones interrupt the lecture. The professor, who was normally cheerful and made the class fun, let loose with a lecture about common courtesy. She emphatically ended her rant with threatening to kick out the next student who had a phone ring. She no sooner resumed the class discussion, and my phone rang.

I was immediately embarrassed, and my brain to mouth filter also failed. "Shit!"

At that point, I don't know if I was more embarrassed by the phone ringing because I'd forgotten to silence the ringer, or because of my sudden outburst.

I quickly fished my phone out of my bookbag and silenced it as I sheepishly apologized. Everyone in the class was fighting to stifle their giggles.

The professor gave me this uncharacteristically serious glare considering her usual fun, joking manner. I imagined myself shrinking in my seat. I could still hear some stifled giggling from a few classmates. Professor just shook her head, "Okay, I won't make you leave, but I want everyone to turn off their phones right now."

She waited until everyone checked their phones before she continued the class dicussion. After class, I did approach her to apologize because I was still embarrassed that the only phone to ring after her blow up was mine. She just laughed and said not to let it happen again.

After that day, she made everyone do a cell phone check before starting the day's lesson.

[Racket_Man]

when I was a TA 20 odd years ago, cells phones were just coming onto their own in the wode consumer market. these were the "brick" big box + handset phones that weighted like 15 pounds that had a built in shoulder strap.

a nice pic of one
http://www.oaktreevintage.com/web_ph..._Phone_Web.jpg

one asshole student insisted (even like people today) that he be able to answer his "phone" during class. no vibrate mode here just a LOUD ring (like an old mecahical desk phone with metal bells for the ringer). the guy would get at LEAST 2 or 3 calls during a 90 minute lecture. even after the Prof told him straight up NOT to answer it, he just laughed and continued on with his conversation. the Prof kicked him out of class but he came back in an sat in the very back of the lecture hall.

a foretelling of things to come as we soo so oftern today.

[Bronzebow]

When I was in college, there was a professor who had a rule that said if someone's cell phone rang in class, the whole class would get a pop quiz. I never had this prof since she taught nursing and I wasn't a nursing major.

AUGH! Teachers who punish the whole class for one asshat deserve to be strapped down and forced to watch bad off-broadway plays till the end of time! It was always the bad ones that did that too. :'-(

/rant off

Heh, we had a professor in college that always stopped class and stared at anyone who got a call. He was one of the best professors I've ever had, but he was really tough on classroom discipline. Almost got caught one time when I'd forgotten to take the phone off, so my only option was to go through the menu and bring the volume down that way (turning it off would make music, and lowering the volume with the buttons would play sample rings). The guy on the side of me sent me a call right after I'd brought the volume down; guess he was a little too late to get me in the hot seat.

[blas87]

I'm not in school, but at work, some people and their phones drive me crazy.

Everyone wants to take break and be able to sit down and smoke or talk or whatever, and there is always someone who has to share the most obnoxious video or graphic text super loud, so it overpowers the conversation you and your friends are having. Last night, someone sitting alone was watching something on their phone that was so loud, we couldn't even hardly hear one another. I mean, it's one thing if a phone chirps or beeps, but when someone is playing a loud game or watching something loud......turn it down or off. Seriously.

[guywithashovel]

Some people are really tactless when it comes to cell phones. However, people are people, and sometimes they forget to do things like turn them off. Though I can understand how frustrating it can be for instructors if phones are going off all the time. For some reason, people's cell phones have a tendency to ring whenever I start explaining stuff to them. At work, I can't tell you how many times I've begun explaining to a student how to set up their email or do this or that, and as soon as the first few words come out, their phone rings. I had the same problem when I worked retail. Numerous times customers would approach me and and ask me something, and as soon as I started explaining, their phone would ring.

[aurelemsrealm]

The phone ringing is only a minor distraction if the person quickly silences the phone, and lets the voicemail get it. What pisses me off is when I'm having a face-to-face conversation with someone, and they more or less put me on hold to answer the phone. I know people who do this, and I just walk away without saying another word. Let the damned voicemail get it! I have better things to do than be a bystander to another's phone call. If my presence is not worth more attention than an unexpected phone call, (barring family emergencies or something truly important) I'll be more than happy find better uses for my time and attention, too.