Cameras in the classroom

[franceslievens]

Used in certain ways cameras in the classroom can add to your teaching abilities. You can tape lessons to work on your teaching style, or to share things you've done in class with fellow teachers. You can use a webcam to have an ill child participate in class from home. You can make videos with the students.

What I don't like is this: CCTV doesn't belong in a classroom. The relation between teacher and pupil is build on trust. The cameras break that trust, because it takes the ability of the pupil away to have a private conversation with the teacher. Yes, the CCTV might come in handy if there's bullying or theft or when student and teacher accuse each other, but there are other means to solve these problems. I find it worrisome that a principal can't think of any other means to ban bad behaviour from school premises. For many children the school is their home. I wouldn't want CCTV in my living room.

Comments

[sister-luck.livejournal.com]

Eurgh.

That's so wrong, wrong, wrong for the reasons you mention and many others.

(I actually to some extent understand the reasoning behind limited CCTV on school premises that is only switched on when there is no school taking place and that for example monitors the main entrance to prevent burglary and vandalism.)

But CCTV in classrooms? Who is going to watch all that material and how long is it going to be stored?

It does show a certain helplessness, a lack of trust in teachers and pupils and their abilities and personalities. In short: it's a broad declaration that all pedagogy has failed.

[frances-lievens.livejournal.com]

it's a broad declaration that all pedagogy has failed

That's exactly the feeling I had, but I couldn't quite express it so well.

I think some schools have limited CCTV as you describe. It's simply some form of burglary alarm, because schools obviously get targeted a lot, with no-one being present during school holidays and lots of expensive equipment present. Also very common is the bell with camera so you know who's at the door. Especially in Brussels this is widely used: late-comers can't sneak past the secretary and people who have no reason to be at the school can't come in. Hey even I've got CCTV when someone rings my bell. It's quite handy!

[sister-luck.livejournal.com]

I know that one school close to mine has a camera like that.

My headteacher's philosophy is sort of the opposite which has its drawbacks, too. She is all for an open school, so even in the afternoon all the doors are wide open and consequently it sometimes leads to things going walkabout (and because our caretaker is a lazy sod who disappears frequently).

She doesn't even like locked classroom doors during break or when there's no one in the room.

[frances-lievens.livejournal.com]

The school where I used to go the gate was open and you could simply walk in and our classrooms weren't locked either. But we only kept our schoolbooks there. The rooms with expensive equipment or computers were locked.

I always need to lock my classroom now, because persons who have nothing to do with the school have the opportunity to wander through our hallways. Both schools share their building with other education institutions, so there are always outsiders walking around. In one of the schools my class is conveniently located on the same hallway as the secretary, so it got broken in twice, even though there was nothing of value in there.