001+Live+Cameras





Technology is becoming more and more common in today’s world and classrooms are no exception; they are benefitting from technology as well. Live cameras are an example of one of the many types of technology that is utilized in schools. With their popularity rising, live cameras have many uses inside classrooms.

The first webcam was utilized in 1991 at Cambridge University. The story is that a group of scientists were working there with only one coffee pot for them to get their coffee from. The single coffee pot that they had was a floor above the scientists. The scientists realized that, after walking all the way up the stairs to get coffee, other people were consuming their coffee. In order to fix this problem, they set up a camera on the coffee machine to spy on the people stealing their coffee. The camera would send live feed to the scientists so that they knew when the coffee was available for them to drink (Gadgets). After this development, Jennifer Ringley brought about the idea of using webcams for other reasons other than watching coffee pots. Her website “JenniCam” allowed people to observe her daily life from their computer. This website became extremely popular (Wired). After this phenomenon, webcams became commonly used technology. Their popularity is still rising with new interactions and chat rooms such as “Chat Roulette.” Webcams have been introduced to classrooms, and they have been beneficial for students to experience interactive learning and virtual field trips. Thanks to webcams, students can extend their learning far beyond the restrictions of the classrooms without actually leaving them.

There are several uses for live webcams in classrooms today. Webcams can be used to allow students to view live happenings around the world. For example, a teacher from Alaska was able to show her students the Iditarod live on camera. The teacher’s students were able to view the race checkpoint cameras, meaning that they were updated about the race before it even began. After the race started, the students watched it live from the webcams and could hear the sounds around the race as if they were actually on the race track. Another example is a webcam which was used in a classroom to show the live happenings of a flood in North Dakota. During the flood, the students in North Dakota put a camera on the top of the school to show the water rising as the flood was happening. The camera continued filming until the school lost electricity. Students around the world kept in touch with the students dealing with the North Dakota flood via e-mail. These are just some instances of the many helpful and educational purposes of live cameras in classrooms.

Aside from teaching aids, live cameras can be used for security purposes inside schools as well. USA Today talked about the effects of cameras in the school system. The goal is that if students are aware that there are cameras watching them during and between classes, it will stop violence and students will be and feel safer while in school. At one point, the article says, "Almost anywhere they go these days, Americans are on camera: at work, on the road, at public events. Why should schools be different?" This statement is completely true; why should schools be except from being watched if it can make the environment a safer and honest place? Many believe that webcams in schools will be a way to prevent students starting fights, bullying other students, or vandalizing school property if they knew that their behavior will be caught on tape. A student will be much less likely to conduct this poor behavior if they knew that a camera was at the end of the hall, monitoring their every move, and providing evidence against that student. With such valid proof, the student will know that there will be serious consequences for their actions and that there is no way to get away with what they have done. However, live cameras can be used negativly. According to the filings in Blake J Robbins vs Lower Merion School District(PA), the laptops issed to the highschool students have live cameras that can be secretively activated by the schools' administrators, who have been useing these live cameras to spy on students and their families. The issue was noticed when the Robbins's child was diciplined for "improper behavior in his home" and the Vice Principle used a photo taken by a live camera as evidence. Overall, live webcams have done nothing but benefit schools around the country. Teachers have found many means to use this technology diligently and supply their students with valuable and worldly knowledge. Live webcams have also been proven to, if not put an end to school violence, to at least ensure that the bully is caught. Therefore, not only can live webcams be extremely educational for children in classrooms, but they can also help provide a safe environment for students and teachers alike.

(2008, November 17) The History of Web-Camera Invention. //[] (2009 November 3) HGLF retrieved from http://www.thegrid.org.uk/schoolweb/safety/webcams.shtml Bafile, Cara (2005, November 22). Education World Retrieved from []

Bafile, Cara (2005, November 22). Web cams Bring Lessons to Life. Education World, Retrieved from[]    Doctorow, Cory (2010, Febuary 17). School used student laptop webcams to spy on them at school and home. [] Hart, Hugh (2010, April 14) April 14, 1996: JenniCam Starts Lifecasting. [] Lightbody, K. (2008). Easy Video Conferencing in Schools. Technology in Education, Retrieved from[]

Riser, J.P. (1999). Webcams in the Classroom. Retrieved from<span style="background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Toppo, G., (2003, August 11) USA Today. Retrieved from [] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">

Anna Struhar, Hannah Hare, Courtney Dean, Mary Burkey