Webcams in all classrooms (BIG BROTHER ALERT!)

USA Today ^

[unixfox]

When students in Biloxi, Miss., show up this morning for the first day of the new school year, a virtual army of digital cameras will be recording every minute of every lesson in every classroom.

Hundreds of Internet-wired video cameras will keep rolling all year long, in the hope that they'll deter crime and general misbehavior among the district's 6,300 students -- and teachers.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[DugwayDuke]

Since when is wanting to monitor what goes on in your child's classroom "fascist"?

[elfman2]

"You honestly think they will give parents the option of watching these things ?"

I'm expect they'd resist with the same vigor as they resist vouchers. But voters have a way of getting their way sooner or later.

[Terriergal]

And you call yourselves free. What a joke.

No man is free unless he is morally constrained within and submitted to the Author of true freedom. And then if those things are true, no man can bind him anyway.

But I understand what you mean. And we do see it happening, it's not a joke. Relatively speaking we are free, compared to other nations that seem to more and more espouse socialism.

[Zipporah]

"Almost anywhere they go these days, Americans are on camera: at work, on the road, at public events. Why should schools be different? They shouldn't, Drawdy and others say... "

UH.. why shouldn't they? WELL could it be that PARENTS don't want their kids pictures all over the net??? I work with several school districts and we have to have parental permission to use kid's photos..

[malia]

I remember, not so long ago, when a few elementary school teachers objected to being videotaped during class instruction instead of an in-person principal evaluation. They wanted to know exactly when and what day. I don't think it was to insure a good hair day.

[Jeff Gordon]

What if a parent complains that a teacher uses class time to promote birth control or drug use, or even terrorism?

Man, that would sure kill the "academic freedom" to commit treason and subvert our nations youth. And if that was not bad enough, someone might find out that some teachers can actually teach while most can not.

[elbucko]

if there was ever an infringement on the privacy rights of people, this is it.

This is not it. Children have no reasonable expectation of privacy in a public school except in the bathroom. The teachers, as public employee's in a public institution, have no reasonable expectation of privacy, except in the lounge and restrooms as well.

What are you? One of those "Living Constitution" types!

[Terriergal]

Why should schools be different?

Because in most cases people are legally FORCED to attend such schools.

[Zipporah]

Schools CAN and DO have cameras throughout schools.. just to monitor kids and teachers..they are kept PRIVATE ..only those who have a reason to see the tapes can.. there is NO reason to have WEBCAMS.

[elfman2]

"Good or bad, we're paying for it. there'll be some good and there Will be, some bad. Really comes down to which falls on who."

I see virtually nothing bad about this. The argument that it's a step toward big brother makes about as much sense as the pro-choice claim that ending abortion is just a step toward ending women's rights. Psychobabble…

Parents have a RIGHT to manage their kids. Now dirt cheep technology may enable more of it. It's all good.

[elfman2]

"WELL could it be that PARENTS don't want their kids pictures all over the net??? "

I imagine viewing would be through passworded accounts and very limited for that reason.

[AFreeBird]

Where do WE draw the line on government?

It is becoming increasingly clear that it is not where we draw the line with government, but if we even can draw the line with government.

I'd still like to think we can, but this Orwellian crap makes me want to puke!

[albee]

...Drawdy says the cameras are there for safety...

Is Larry Drawdy and relation to "Howdy Drawdy...er...I meant Doody?"

[elfman2]

"…there is NO reason to have WEBCAMS."

- Flushes out incompetent and lazy teachers and highlights the good ones.
- Helps ID best practices for teacher training
- Enables parental evolvement.
- Creates a record bad student behavior.

[.cnI redruM]

We no longer can....

This is another example of the degradation of modern society. The cameras are in there to protect the teachers from civil suit and physical assault.

[Clara Lou]

They wanted to know exactly when and what day.
I'll tell you why I want to know when. If a principal is going to do a full-fledged 45-minute evaluation, then, for the full time, I need to have the class doing things that can be evaluated. If students are testing that day or reviewing for a test or or doing an oral presentation-- these happen frequently in my room-- then there is little or nothing to be evaluated. On the other hand, one year I tried to get my observer to do my evaluation based on 5 or 10-minute walk-throughs. Walk-throughs are unannounced and happen 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 10 times a year, depending on the teacher being evaluated. Unfortunately, if you're an "old hand" and well known, you usually only get 1 or 2 walk-throughs because they have 10 or 15 new teachers to observe multiple times.

[archy]

Biloxi, of course, is the town where the mayor was found guilty in having a local judge and his political candidate wife murdered in their home over a debt to members of the southland's *Dixie Mafia. And a Biloxi police officer served as the getaway driver for the triggerman- after all, who would stop him for any on-the-job traffic offense.

I'm sure the new surveillance systems will make it much easier for them to find out when their next victims are alone and vulnerable. What progress, they'll have as many cameras outside the local casinos as inside....

-archy-/-

[4Liberty]

If we privatized or "voucherized" education, the issue of privacy vs. accountabity (including via the use of cameras) could be decided BY THE PARENTS.

~both sides make valid points~

But at present, it seems probable that Teachers Unions truly fear the classroom cameras the most. Heck, at present, they won't even let us have TESTING IN SCHOOLS out here in Calif. for another few years, because too many students WOULD FAIL. Unions don't want the cameras in the classrooms, because the cameras would reveal poor/slovenly teaching practices & excess use of the VCR (as a "sub" for active lecturing and teaching). Teacher Unions actively protect bad or incompetent teachers... as long as they pay their 'union dues' they get a Union attorney to protect them.

If it's "caught" on camera, it's obviously going to be harder to protect them.


Hope this clarifies matters. :)

[Sonny M]

You honestly think they will give parents the option of watching these things ?

The teachers union will fight this to the very bitter end to keep parents from having access, however, I am aware that one school in (I think) chicago has already started this as an experiment, and the parents were given a password and warned not to share it with anyone else including family members. (they noted fear of pedophiles and stalkers as the reason).

I have mixed feelings on this. I don't like camera's being everywhere, and I do think kids should have some kind of constitutional rights and protections at the very least, on the other hand, parents pay for the school and the question is do they have a right to be able to monitor the education of there child and the enviornment in which there child is in, if they pay for it.