The article talks about how the program works and it gives the details of how it's used in a classroom with Mr. Guardia. It's being implemented by schools like Texas A&M San Antonio, Clemson, and Stony Brook University. A few people said it was like Big Brother all over again. Because some classes are virtual, the teachers don't know if the textbooks are being read or not, so this company put some technology together to make it where the teachers will know if they open their books.
As a teacher, I sort of like the idea. It would help me keep up with my students' progress and really be able to see if they're reading what I ask them to read. On the other hand, I could just give a pop quiz and see if they're reading or not, too. It would show if someone was having a rough week or if someone was cramming the night before. I don't see how it's any of my business what my student's do, though. As long as they're making good grades, I should stay out of their personal lives.
As a student, I would absolutely HATE this!! The teacher doesn't have to know my business. If I want to take notes on a piece of paper then I should be able to. I'm paying to go to school. It's by my own choice. We have Big Brother everywhere we go, and I don't think they should be in our textbooks that we pay for. Just thinking about them putting something into our books makes me mad. I'm not a big fan of reading textbooks. Actually, the books that I've bought while I've been at South have all gone unused except for 3. And that's for this semester. Last year, I used one book. As a student, I think learning should be more interactive with each other and not all in a textbook. Life isn't black and white. I know math should be in a book because that hardly changes, but some stuff could be taught in a whole different way than some textbook. I just really don't like that idea.
Questions for the teacher:
Do you like this technology?
Do you think it would work for 30 students, 300 students?
Is this program really necessary?
What are the pros and cons of using it?
Is it more beneficial to you or to the students?
How do you interpret the information?
Will you want to use this in the future?
Questions for the students?
Do you like this technology?
Will you open your textbooks more?
Does the fact that you're being watched, make you nervous?
Does it bother you that you don't have a say in what type of books you buy?
Would you prefer not to have textbooks?
Has reading your books helped you on your quizzes?
If the school you're in now chose to incorporate CourseSmart into your textbooks, would you change schools?
For the comment on the website, I'd probably say: "This seems like a great idea, but in reality it's putting more work on the teachers. They have to keep up with that score as well as grades. Students are already being watched, told what to do, adding this CourseSmart to their textbooks will not help them. Some will continue reading their books and some will change their study habits. Students stay stressed about school as it is, adding this to the equation just piles on the load. It's an awesome idea, but I wouldn't buy it.
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