Teachers have access to programs which monitor their students’ computers while they are online. There are many different opinions on these apps to view students’ screens.

By using services like Lightspeed Classroom, teachers can view the majority of their students’ screens. A drawback is that some computers are unable to appear on Lightspeed Classroom, meaning the functions don’t work. It’s harder to monitor the students with personal computers. 

“Because I usually cannot observe students on personal devices, I’m usually only able to punish or penalize students who use school computers,” social studies teacher Kelly Dolan said. “Oftentimes, this means students who are less well-off end up being [held] to a higher standard.”

Another concern that teachers have is that they don’t exactly know what their students are doing when they are not monitoring their online behavior.  

“When I give my students class time, which I think is really precious, I want to make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” English teacher Lisa Camera said.

While some teachers use this program because it helps them monitor their students’ online behavior, others do not find it as helpful.

“I know that some teachers find that using this technology is helpful and creates more equitable outcomes for students,” English teacher Darcy Book said. “But for me, I find it to be a little invasive of student privacy, and I don’t like to set up that power dynamic in the classroom where I am monitoring students.”

There are other technologies that allow teachers to have students take tests or do assignments in locked tabs. This is supposed to take off the temptation of students looking up things in other tabs, limiting distractions. There is also a way for teachers to see if their students ever go onto another tab while taking a quiz if it is taken through Canvas.

Generally, teachers have mixed opinions about the ability to view students’ computers. 

“It has its pros and its cons,” Dolan said.