Limiting smartphone net access in a location

[Quackanator]

Has anyone ever had any success with blocking net access via cellphones in a location?

Smart phones are a royal pita for me as they are constantly source of disruption and distraction for my classes. The area is supposedly phone free but there is no real way to enforce it. Several students are currently very close to being defenestrated, but that is not the best option.
We have a 3G/4G web filtering service that supposedly parents sign their children's mobiles up for and it filters webcontent based on appropriateness and time. eg no facebook between 9 - 5 but I think we had 49 of 1300 subscriptions in the past term. Blasted voluntary self regulation crap never works.

Was wondering if anyone has had any success with any of the myriad of probably illegal jammers that are on the market or any other way of stopping facebook/youtube whatever, I don't think there is a way to block just internet access on a phone other than killing phone reception, but if there is I'd love to know.
Cheers just wondering if anyone knows/has had experience and any success with being able to limit smart phone access. Almost tempted to try to find a virus or something that I can send to all the lovely students that ldfgjldfsj their phones up.

cheer and thanks in advance.

 

[400bhp4tw]

I would also be interested in this as my staff takes ages in the toilet because there on there bloody phones, there banned from the shop floor but i guess i need to get stricter with them. ( he says typing whilst having a shit)

 

[dewey2461]

While there may be technical solutions to jam the signal you really don't want to go there unless you are ready for a lawsuit.

"The area is supposedly phone free but there is no real way to enforce it" - this is what you need to change.

IMHO - you get your school to make a rule where any student with a phone out during class looses the phone. Then get parents to agree. Then enforce.

 

[JimJohnson]

I do believe a hotel chain is currently getting a lawsuit for jamming/blocking connection within its hotel. It may have just downgraded it but left it open even.

All you do with blocking it is make people want to figure out how to get around it. Just creating more issues.

You don't like them using phones, start kicking people out of class.

 

[Zero0003]

I had the same issue but I used a different tactic by having them put it on speaker for everyone to hear. They learned after that

 

[Quackanator]

Oh I wish some things were enforceable, but too many people whine and whinge or plain do not cooperate that it makes enforcement a joke. Hence looking for nobody uses phones passive solution.

In theory we had a no phones at school policy, but too many parents whinged that their kids needed phones in case they missed the bus or after school sport or whatever.
Then it was phones turned off and left in lockers during the school day with the threat of confiscation, which is a laughable joke since we cant physically or legally take a phone off a student without a public uproar and loosing your job. Suspension? free time at home, why? how is that a punishment?

Kicking a student out of class just rewards the bad behavior and they will happily go wag somewhere else and play on their phones. And of course usually then fail a subject and have their parents up in arms about how crappy the teacher is since the kids aren't learning anything in class. And of course you are still legally responsible for students if you kick them out of your location.

I mean it's not as if all my students are using their phones all the time, but it only takes one phone going off in a class to stuff it. Might be only a handful of students but dam they can ruin it for everyone.

 

[n00bsgoboom]

I had the same issue but I used a different tactic by having them put it on speaker for everyone to hear. They learned after that

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9rymEWJX38[/ame]

 

[400bhp4tw]

What about painting the walls and ceiling in something that doesnt let a signal through?

 

[cudacuf]

The schools my kids go to have a No Cell Policy where they are not allowed to use phones on school grounds. If they are caught, the phones are confiscated until the end of the day. Parents and students have to sign that the rules are understood.

 

[JimJohnson]

When those kids start to flunk a class, they will learn. Currently they are to ignorant to know what is what. When we lost the ability to actually build character in school not just brain smarts. Schools became useless imo.

Sorry for your touch job. Hopefully you figure something out to reach the punks that are killing your class time.

wtb corporal punishment back.