Wednesday, March 2, 2011

911 Call during Class



In California, a math teacher was placed on administrative leave after one of her 8th grade students called 911 with her cellphone during class. Officers went to Selby Lane School because of reports that a teacher was causing disturbance but found a calm class in session instead. The sergeant later said that it was the table-rattling of the teacher to get the attention of the class that startled the student, although the other members of the class were not bothered by this.

Cellular phones have definitely made communication quick and convenient for everyone. When I was in gradeschool, every time classes would be suspended due to typhoon, we all had to wait in long lines to use the payphone. Nowadays, a cellphone is as necessary as underwear--noone leaves home without it. Everyone is just a text away. You can text TV Patrol if you want to complain about your local community. You can text manong dvd if there are new arrivals. And in this case, you can call 911 while in class because your teacher banged on the table.

Thanks to ICT, emergencies reach the police immediately and their quick response at the scene is very commendable. The flipside of the convenience brought about by such technologies is, to some extent, its overuse. Maybe she was really startled, but in a world without cellular phones, she could have talked to the professor, left the room to relax, complained to another teacher, and a lot of other less disruptive options instead of dialing 911, who could use its men in more serious emergency situations. While I appreciate how technology has empowered us and made everything so much easier, I worry that one day it will all fire back and we cant keep up anymore.

Ma. Anna Katrina C. Eustaquio, Entry #15

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