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.

[Clara Lou]

- Flushes out incompetent and lazy teachers and highlights the good ones.
These teachers "out" themselves in a matter of weeks. Fortunately, if a teacher is lazy and incompetent in the classroom, he or she is the same way outside the classroom. No webcam necessary.
- Helps ID best practices for teacher training
So, do you expect principals to sit around after they get home from work and watch their teachers teach in order to identify these "practices"? How did your teachers and mine ever teach us successfully without webcams?
- Enables parental evolvement.
Parents can get involved by coming to school now and then-- to volunteer and to come sit in the classroom.
- Creates a record bad student behavior.
Actually, we do just fine recording bad student behavior without having cameras on students all day everywhere.

[dr_who_2]

Flushes out incompetent and lazy teachers and highlights the good ones,
How a teacher performs in front of a camera tells you absolutely nothing about how good a teacher is, especially if there's no audio and the kids are trying as hard as the teacher is to look like they're paying attention.

Helps ID best practices for teacher training
Sure, hours and hours of video taped performances by professional teachers will supplement the mindless pablum they get when they're studying reeeeel hard for their teaching certificate.
Enables parental evolvement
...if your parent is kind of pillar of society that is fond of watching taped episodes of Jerry Springer.

Creates a record bad student behavior

...that will be filed away in a huge database until five years after said bad student has dropped out of school or ended up in jail for murdering another student.

[meyer]

And kids will start using shaving cream to disable the cams before they start causing trouble.

Shaving cream, spray paint, baseball bats, chairs, wire cutters. I'd be quite the delinquent if I were that age. :)

[elfman2]

"Fortunately, if a teacher is lazy and incompetent in the classroom, he or she is the same way outside the classroom. No webcam necessary. "
You're right. There are so few lazy and incompetent teachers. No webcam necessary.

" So, do you expect principals to sit around after they get home from work and watch their teachers teach in order to identify these "practices"? "
You're right. Principals couldn't view them during the day. No webcam necessary.

" How did your teachers and mine ever teach us successfully without webcams? "
Increased bureaucracy, political activism in the curriculum and activist teachers union's couldn't have changed the playing field. You're right, no webcam necessary.

" Parents can get involved by coming to school now and then-- to volunteer and to come sit in the classroom. "
You're right. Driving to the classroom's just as attractive as logging in on their computer, and nothing changes when a parent's in the room. No webcam necessary.

" Actually, we do just fine recording bad student behavior without having cameras on students all day everywhere."
You're right. You're doing a "fine" job at recording bad behavior.

[vpintheak]

More tax dollars needed, more tax dollars wasted. Who is going to pay for this? Are you willing to give up more of your paycheck to solve a problem that really doesn't need solving? There may be few instances where this may help, but its not worth it. This only leads to more government intervention into lives of the citizen. Public schools are a mouthpiece for, and a strong tool of the statists, period. We shouldn't be enabling them destroy our liberties.

[vpintheak]

Lets put a camera in your office or place of work watching you all day long to make sure your not slacking off. Doesn't sound like fun does it? I guess if you're a prison Gaurd your used to it though. Although the cameras there are actually needed for the safety and welfare of the gaurds and the public.

[Amelia]

Lets put a camera in your office or place of work watching you all day long to make sure your not slacking off.

....or FReeping. ;-)

[elfman2]

" How a teacher performs in front of a camera tells you absolutely nothing about how good a teacher is, especially if there's no audio and the kids are trying as hard as the teacher is to look like they're paying attention."
Why do you want to eliminate the audio? Why do you think you can't evaluate teacher performance from watching and listening to them. How can kids look like they're paying attention 6 hours a day without improving their attention?

" Sure, hours and hours of video taped performances by professional teachers will supplement the mindless pablum they get when they're studying reeeeel hard for their teaching certificate."
Sure, teaching certification couldn't possibly be improved by including a few snips for real world problems or solutions. Excuse me for suggesting that there's room for improvement.

"...if your parent is kind of pillar of society that is fond of watching taped episodes of Jerry Springer."
You do know we're discussing webcam, not just taped video right? Why would you assume that it would be Jerry Springer parents that would watch the most?

"...that will be filed away in a huge database until five years after said bad student has dropped out of school or ended up in jail for murdering another student"
Why can't you imagine the benefit of a teacher going back and snipping the part where a kid flipped her off or called her a name few hours earlier after the kid denies it?

[elfman2]

"Your not doing anything Illegal and never will, right. So whats the problem. What do you think, sound all good. "

What part of "RIGHT to manage your kids" as a justification for this do you imagine to be in common with all these other things you listed. The only thing I see is that there's a video camera involve.

[elfman2]

"This only leads to more government intervention into lives of the citizen."

I can't imagine what you're thinking. I'm promoting the rights of parents to monitor their kids.

[elfman2]

"Lets put a camera in your office or place of work watching you all day long to make sure your not slacking off. "

Poor pitiful teachers… Why would I expect anyone to want to monitor me if I were in charge of their kids and shaping their minds for 6 hours a day. That's so unreasonable and intrusive. I think I'll strike.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Public schools should be PUBLIC. I want to know exactly what kind of political misinformation (and general error) is being fed the kiddies on my dime.

Parents should have the right to replay any lesson of the days to help with homework, and to answer questions about what wierdness junior is being offered.

Focus the cameras on the teachers, first and foremost.

Imagine the websites that would be devoted to the ignorance spewed by public school teachers.

[Atlas Sneezed]

"Creates a record bad student behavior"

Good point. Parents could sue the school when they ignore dangerous or disruptive behacior of others.

[Atlas Sneezed]

"Schools CAN and DO have cameras throughout schools.. just to monitor kids and teachers..they are kept PRIVATE"

They can replay the audio of each teacher's lecture each day?

[Atlas Sneezed]

There is a big difference between the government monitoring citizens, and citizens monitoring the government education camps where their own children are taught.

[ladylib]

Home school your kid and then you won't have to worry about "cameras in the classroom."

[Fintan]

''It helps honest people be more honest,'' says district Superintendent Larry Drawdy...
 

And this nitwit has been entrusted with your child's education.

 

Be afraid. Be very, very afraid...

 

 

 

 

 

[unixfox]

We are absolutely letting ourselves be legislated into a tyranny.

EXACTLY !! And...we are paying the tyrants through our taxes to allow it to happen.