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Schools ban iPod cheaters

A school in Meridian, Idaho, is banning students from taking Apple iPods into exams because two kids were overheard discussing how to use them to cheat.

iPods, or other MP3 players, can, in theory, be loaded with recordings of possible exam answers or written notes can be included as lyric files. Kids at some Californian schools have already been caught with incriminating notes on their music players.

Aaron Maybon, principal at Mountain View High School in Meridian, Idaho told AP: "It doesn't take long to get out of the loop with teenagers. They come up with new ways to cheat pretty fast." There is even talk of a national ban.

One student reckoned cheaters could still get away with running an earpiece up their sleeve and listen to it while appearing to lean on their hands.

It is all a long way from 2004 when Duke University gained valuable publicity by buying 1,650 iPods to help its students keep up with their studies. The idea was students could use the players to store recordings of lectures, freshman calendars and other course information. ® ®

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