Bob Sprankle's Article (Week 9)

Reading, “Caught on Video” by Bob Sprankle allowed my mind to drift and really ask myself if his idea of using point and shoot cameras would really be beneficial, or just outright ridiculous.  I wouldn’t go as far as that, and I actually think this could work; however, like I’ve mentioned in similar posts, there has to be a happy medium.  I felt at times Sprankle was a little too excited and optimistic about his plans.  There were things Mr. Sprankle didn’t mention, or touch on in his article. 

My first concern with Sprankle’s idea was the issue of privacy.  The thought of a student always being watched makes me uncomfortable.  Having someone, or in this case something, for the most part always looking over you shoulder during your studies leaves the student with little privacy.  Students need to at times learn how to progress and discipline themselves on their own.  This is one way a student can grow both in the classroom and even life.  Also on the topic of privacy, with these point and shoot cameras, students could easily document anything on the web.  Both positive and negative material within seconds could be put up online for the world to see.  I understand that this can already occur with smart phone accessibility; however, we as teachers would be promoting video taking.

Don’t get me wrong; the positives Sprankle mentions are beneficial. I agree that in many cases this idea would work; however, there would need to be a plan in place with strict rules and regulations prior to implementing his idea. I feel if this was not done properly, this method could be very counter productive and could easily spiral out of control.