Smartwatches belong to a new category in the world of tech and with lots of players jumping into the smartwatch-making bandwagon, many wearables are starting to emerge this year. As much as they are made to make the consumer's life easier and more convenient, they do the same to students. However, student life is not designed to be convenient, especially during exams.
Schools in Japan, England and Australia started to ban smartwatches from exam schools. The same is true with SAT test centers and AP program in the U.S., reported Phandroid.
As students will try their best to pass a test, they use technology like the smartwatches as cheating tools to get the answer or have someone send the answer, but that is already cheating. A smartwatch is easy to hide, either under a long sleeve or inside a backpack.
Schools already prohibit phones and do their best to prevent students from cheating, including the use of new technology. As the tech industry is a dynamic one, there will be more innovative products in the future which students can use as cheating tools. The schools just have to be alert always.
According to The Verge, Kyoto University is the first school in Japan that bans smartwatches, which can potentially be their cheating tools. In fact, they ban all watches during exams for cheating concerns. The school is one of the venues of the biggest student cheating scandals. A student in 2011 posted questions online during an exam through his phone. He asked answers from forum readers.
Schools have already been aware of students using new technology in cheating. Last year, China reportedly fought high-tech cheating for a year. One of its anti-cheating tactics is for the school staff members to check students with scanners, or monitor radio signals, reported CNN.
Some said such technologies will make teachers seem useless. However, Shelly Palmer, digital media consultant said not all teachers are aware of the latest trends in the tech world. "They don't know about the latest wearable technology, you only see that in medical schools or in a research lab."
