in-class cell phone use

Other than excessive greetings and professional title usage, I've noticed another thing that's different about Ecuadorian classrooms: cell phone usage.

Now, in the US, at least at Puget Sound, cell phone use was always discouraged, and although it certainly happened during class, it was always hidden. Most people put their phones on silent, and would "discreetly" text under the table or desk if they were going to do so. If a cell phone went off, the user usually fumbled for a while to quickly and awkardly silence it, and then either made a vocal apology or proceeded to look incredibly embarrassed for the rest of the class time.

Here, cell phone is equally discouraged, but not equally hidden or nearly as embarrassing. As far as I can tell, I'm the only one who puts my phone on silent, and everyone else's silent phone merely means that they didn't receive any calls. Some people receive calls, but there is certainly no floundering to silence it and- get this- some people actually accept calls in class. Most people murmur "I'm in class, I'll call you back later", but I've now experience several classmates who make no attempt to hide the fact that they're on the phone, pick up their phone and even maintain a (albeit brief) conversation! I think that some people actually might keep their phone NOT on silent so that they can turn it off, and somehow appear as if they respect the class and professor more because they can show that they're NOT taking calls. The middle ground is that some people will rush out of the classroom with their cell phone in hand, and then return in a few minutes. Some people will text with their phones on their desks (not hidden at all), and some people will have lengthly text message conversations THAT BEEP EVERY TIME THEY GET A MESSAGE!

This all seems different to me. I have one professor who strictly told a girl who answered her phone (on the first day of class!) in class that it was not acceptable and not to happen again, but most professors seem frustrated but unable to do anything about the cell phone phenomenon. I am guilty of texting in class (not often!), but even then I hide my phone under the desk and try to maintain eye contact with the professor the entire time, meaning that it takes me about 10 tries to send a text message that's not just jumble. Granted, my texting isn't usually pointless (how's it going?) but rather semi-urgent (i'm going to be late to the meeting because the professor is still lecturing, please don't leave without me), although I suppose my classmates' texting could be urgent too- it just seems less likely to me. Who would have guessed that Ecuador, where popular cell phone usage is more recent- would have laxer cell phone societal protocol?