Passing notes in grade school was always fun until the teacher intercepted them. But technology has provided us with a newer more sophisticated technique: text messaging.

Diverted eyes and twiddling fingers underneath desks is a dead giveaway for students, but what seems blatantly obvious to us consistently slides by professors.

“Text messaging is a good way to communicate without interrupting the class,” said College sophomore Amr Refaat. “But I think it’s underutilized in the U.S. compared to the rest of the world, especially Europe.

“During those long lectures, I do it occasionally,” said College sophomore Victoria Wilbur. “Whether it’s about meeting a friend for lunch after class or other things that come up, it provides for distraction.”

Texting is the AIM of the classroom- a nice breather between note-taking and raising your hand for those coveted participation points.

But it’s not all fun and games. Text messaging has fostered sophisticated cheating schemes. In response, administers of standardized tests have increased monitoring efforts to ensure cell phones are not used.

It’s a double-edged sword. Cell phones have a fun side and another that poses an array of ways to thwart honest academic achievement.

Check back later today for more from The Spin, including Amruta Godbole on money buying joy and Caroline Pearsall on the virtues of the family portrait.

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