The Next Wave of Cheating: Apple Watch
January 12, 2017
If 20 years ago a student had suggested that cheating with a watch was possible, their peers and the world would have scoffed. But, ladies and gentlemen, this hypothetical has become a reality. Though cheating has been around since the beginning of formal education and scholarly pursuits, the act of cheating is now, literally, right at our fingertips; thanks to the introduction of the smart watch.
Apple originally pitched the smart watch as a tool used for increased convenience in the busy lifestyle of the average millennial — specically in health, fitness and communication.The watch offers easily accessible apps such as messages, phone and calendar, in addition to several health and workout apps geared to monitor one’s heart rate, distance and calories.
More companies are starting to dip their toes into the smartwatch market, some of the more well-known being Microsoft, Toshiba, Sony, and Samsung.
But as these smartwatches become more and more attainable, so does the ability to cheat on exams — a growing problem that has revealed itself over the past two years.
Students have discovered various ways to share exam answers, while, at the same time, managing to evade the eyes of (seemingly) watchful test proctors.Many professors are unaware of how simple it is to get an “A” on a test without studying, using the Apple Watch.
College students have proven their capability of cheating using the Apple watch, which has led to several universities in the United Kingdom, like University of New South Wales, London’s City University and La Trobe University issuing a statement prohibiting students from wearing watches of any kind in exam halls and during test-taking.
In the near future, American universities, such as MIT, will be taking steps toward the same ultimate goal.
This issue has not proven itself to be especially prevalent yet in high schools — at least not in our Laguna community.
“I have not heard of any issue here. It’s deffnitely something that you’ve brought to my attention, so I’m happy to think about it… I know that when cell phones first arrived, that was a concern because, ‘Were [students] going to copy pictures of notes, or email questions on the test?’… so that’s why we have a no-phone-during-tests policy here at Laguna,” said Head of Upper School Lolli Lucas, when asked about her understanding of the potential issue.
Apple watches have led the race in a new genre of technology and a whole new way to cheat.
Now, our lives–our phones– remain in close proximity at all times. With features relating to every aspect of our lives, the iWatch has proven itself to encompass all of the glory of the iPhone, within eye sight and easy reach.
The age-old theory has been proven true, once again: students have discovered how to cheat on exams, using a tool that has be- come attainable and easy to send answers back and forth– but now, with only the click of a button.
