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Japan university uses iPhones to nab truants

by on29 May 2009

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We look for the smug ones

 

A top Japanese university is giving away hundreds of iPhones so that it can use its Global Positioning System to nab students that skip class.

Apparently Japanese students fake attendance by getting friends to answer roll-call or hand in signed attendance cards. Since keeping a seat warm is a key requirement for graduation in the Land of the Rising Sun, many see this as cheating.

Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo is giving Apple iPhone 3G to 550 students in its School of Social Informatics, which studies the use of Internet and computer technology in society. While it is good for studies, it also comes with GPS, a satellite navigation system that automatically checks on its whereabouts. 

So, teachers will know where the kids are, unless they left their iPhone at home of course or give their phone to a mate to take to class. The school is banking on the fact that students would never lend their mobile phones, which are packed with personal information and e-mail.

The iPhone will be used to relay course materials, lecture videos and tests. So the kids will still need it even if they don't want to get out of bed in the morning.

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