Have the gifts of technology truly gone out of hand? As far as understanding the benefits and enumerating their benefits, it seems that owners have failed to put the fine line between honesty and cheating. Worst, the scenario only makes us look like spoon-fed individuals who may at some point act like robots. In short, the robust influx of mobile devices and the Internet seem to have swayed us in the way of failing to make use of our cognitive knowledge. We are unaware that are building cheaters among ourselves.

The study made by Common Sense Media is helpful. But seriously, we all see it today. There are things such as plagiarism, data storage and even leaked answers to exams that can be easily hidden and distributed via the web and mobile devices. In short, we are forgetting the ethical way of learning, only focusing on goals such as passing and honors as the main objective.

Kids have always found ways to cheat, but the tools they have today are more powerful than ever. In this poll, kids reveal that they’re texting each other answers during tests, using notes and information stored on their cell phones during tests, and downloading papers from the Internet to turn in as their own work. Because the digital world is distant, hard to track, and mostly anonymous, kids are less likely to see the consequences of their online actions, especially when they feel they won’t get caught.

With this in mind, have we been victims of our own discoveries? While we cannot stop technology from evolving, the human effort of knowing when and when not to use these technologies should be made clear. It is either this or we are making the next generation look like dumb individuals who may be relying too much on gadgets and advancements.

Other Facts:

• 41% of teens say that storing notes on a cell phone to access during a test is a serious cheating offense, while 23% don’t think it’s cheating at all.
• 45% of teens say that texting friends about answers during tests is a serious cheating offense, while 20% say it’s not cheating at all.
• 76% of parents say that cell phone cheating happens at their teens’ schools, but only 3% believe their own teen has ever used a cell phone to cheat.
• Nearly two-thirds of students with cell phones use them during school, regardless of school policies against it.
• Teens with cell phones send 440 text messages a week and 110 a week while in the classroom.

(Source) Press