More Cameras in Clasrooms
The New York Times today has an article on the Biloxi program of putting cameras in virtually every area of their schools, including all 500 classrooms. While some teachers have expressed concern, for the most part they have been used with little or no controversy. The cameras have been in place almost two years, and so far have only been used to resolve fairly mundane discipline issues, such as missing lunch money, or cheating on tests.
Examples from other schools also point out some of the good and bad of cameras. One school wondered why the kids papers were scattered during the night, and found the custodian had used a leaf blower to clean the floor. In a more troubling incident, a storage area was converted to a dressing room for basketball, but the ceiling camera was overlooked in the remodeling. Images of students changing clothes ended up automatically posted on the Internet.
While nobody seems to question that the student behavior has improved, and discipline is less of a problem, are the kids only learning to behave while they’re being watched?
The article is at www.nytimes.com/2003/09/24/education/24VIDE.html?pagewanted=1. (You need to register to view the article, but the registration is free.)