As you all know, we have been watching different parts of a documentary for the past few weeks. One segment that I found particularly interesting was the one that talked about the school in New York City that gave all students laptops to use inside as well as outside of the classroom. This opportunity has numerous benefits for students. They are allowed, by using technology in the classroom to not only understand computers in a brand new way but also the
subject being taught. Also, it allows teachers to conform to some pressures that educators are facing with regards to computers, and more specifically the Internet, becoming the new way of teaching. By allowing students to have laptops in class, teachers implement important new methods for teaching while still allowing educators to use a lecture format during the period.
However, one downside would be that sometimes, administrators take advantage of being able to hack, in a sense, into students' laptops to see what they are doing. In fact, a case just broke in the news cycle when a student accused a school district in Pennsylvania for monitoring students when they were not in school (you can find the link right here:
In a sense, this is a student's worse nightmare. They feel that, in the security of their own home, they should not worry about being monitored by anyone, let alone a school representative. To be honest, that is really creepy! If you are worried about particular adolescents selling drugs or pills (which was the claim in this article), they should monitor them at school. Also, administrators should not feel that they have the authority to commit these acts. Not only does this cross a line of what is appropriate, but also one of privacy.
If school districts allow students to have laptops, they should make sure that there are some regulations in place to insure that officials cannot take advantage of the power they have. Students should have privacy at home. In school, I think it is a different issue because teachers and administrators have a right to know what is being accomplished in a school setting. But there has to be limits. If not their whole life is an open book.
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