Sunday, January 13, 2013

Tracking Students with GPS


A teacher forum on Edweek, here, has a discussion on a school system requiring its students to wear GPS badges so they can be tracked throughout the school day.  Students are concerned about privacy rights.   I think the whole idea is ridiculous:


As a high school teacher for 35 years, I am just mostly amused by this "anti-truancy" tool.  Most high school teachers have 25-30 kids in 5 classes a day.  A lot of kids to keep track of!  We've always taken attendance in each of our classes and turned it into the main office for the official attendance record.  So now a GPS record will substitute for this?

How soon before kids start figuring out that all they have to do is toss their attendance badge into the bookbag of their friend taking the class?  When the teacher says, "I don't remember seeing you," the kids says, "No, look, the comptuter says I was there!"  If a test was given in that class the student just says, "You must have lost my test.  I turned it in!"

As far as keeping track of kids, my money is on a teacher attendance record.  Let's use some of that GPS money to buy more books for the school library.

2 comments:

  1. It is weird to think I when I went to school technology to track students was not even thought of. Now it is a serious considerations to have GPS with tracking to make sure students go to class. A lot has changed!

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