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In a new paper, education researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) say that while the technology may be innovative, ClassDojo encourages an archaic approach to school discipline and neglects a genuinely educational approach to developing behaviour.
Further, they express concern that the app conditions children to accept rising levels of surveillance and control.
"Class Dojo can be understood as yet another data-gathering surveillance technology that is contributing to a culture of surveillance that has become normalised in schools", said Jamie Manolev, a doctoral candidate at UniSA and the study's lead author.
Is ClassDojo helping parents learn what their kids are getting up to at school, or is it normalizing surveillance for students?
(Score: 2, Troll) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 22 2019, @10:07PM (13 children)
Yes, on both counts.
One of the most chilling laws in recent history was the Federal mandatory child restraint seats, for safety, of course. Let's just get the kids before they can even talk and train them to be used to being strapped down for long periods of time, shall we? It's for the safety of the children? I think, rather, it's for the safety of the arresting officers and a way to make the whole arrest process go more smoothly.
As for surveillance at school, on the one hand it's a good thing that has been a long time coming. In 6th grade I managed to fool my parents (both teachers themselves, but at different schools with different reporting calendars) and not show them my report card past the mid-term report of the next reporting period - nearly 6 weeks IIRC, a relative eternity for a kid. That was the system in the late '70s. Being able to communicate problems in a day, or less, instead of months can really improve the corrective action / loop closure.
On the other hand, learning independence - without your parents looking over your shoulder every minute, is another lesson that is taught in school and later college in ever increasing doses. If they're going to have this constant monitoring across the whole educational system, they're going to create a workforce that requires micromanagement and constant supervision.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday January 22 2019, @10:21PM (7 children)
Thank you for bringing up auto restraints. Go back a little before baby seats though, to regular seat belts. And, even those have evolved - they started out as an entirely optional feature in cars, in the form of lap belts. Then they became still optional three point harnesses. Then they were no longer optional, they became a secondary infraction, IF the cops had a reason to pull you over. Then they became a primary infraction, and the cops can stop you even if they have no other reason to be interested in you. This is "progress" in the modern world.
There was a lot wrong with the world in which I grew up, so I don't mean to paint some rosy picture of the '60's. But, I sure wish we had made all the civil rights progress that we've made in 50 years, WITHOUT all the authoritarian bullshit. Take the kids of today, and transplant them into such a world, and they wouldn't recognize the place at all. Why, 6 year old kids could walk to the park all by themselves, to enjoy a carefree day of play with any other kids who happened to show up. Outrageous, huh?
(Score: 4, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 22 2019, @10:33PM (2 children)
Even in the early 70s, I was a latchkey kid - making my own oatmeal in the morning and letting myself in the house after school, in 1st grade. Of course I could leave my parent's sight with very little other than a mention of "hey, I'm leaving" - and by age 12 I remember riding my bike for an hour+ away from home without much concern from them - and they were normal.
By 2003, we lived in a house with a neighborhood park across the street, and to let your kids under the age of about 12 go to the park without eyes-on supervision seemed like an invitation for an investigation by DCF. Friends of ours took their 1 year old to the hospital to treat minor burns (accidentally caused by bathwater and a muted pain response in the infant) and DCF took their toddler away from them for over a week while they investigated.
Learning to deal with the world on your own is part of growing up - we did it before age 10, now it seems to only come after you get a drivers' license (or friends with one) and lots of the younger generation doesn't seem to care nearly as much about getting their own car as we did back in the 60s-80s.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 22 2019, @10:44PM
You and I are probably the same age, and I was a latchkey kid too. One big difference is that we didn't have 24 hour news and Facebook feeds, so your neighborhood was seen to be what it really was, which was probably not a scary place. The scary things were happening overseas, or in some other part of the country, whereas in suburbia, things were pretty good. There wasn't a molester behind every bush like there seems to be these days (at least according to the news feeds).
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday January 23 2019, @03:45AM
And then... Terminator 2 happened and the parents became aware of the risks, right? Dam' you, Robert Patrick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 23 2019, @04:07PM (3 children)
Fewer deaths and serious injuries from car accidents is progress. This equals less of a burden on emergency services and emergency care, which often affects others besides the individual that doesn't like wearing seat belts.
Your argument would hold up better against activities that only cause self-harm without an increased burden on society.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday January 23 2019, @04:19PM (2 children)
Ho-hum. A free man or woman decides for him/herself what risks he/she is willing to take. It is not the place of government to decide for me what risks I may or may not take. Government doesn't take the same sort of interest in my financial risks, does it?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 23 2019, @06:00PM (1 child)
It is in society's interest when they become a burden because of their actions. Uninsured and underinsured people without seat belts cause a financial burden on society as well as taking the time and resources of emergency services. Car manufacturers are required to design more expensive air bag systems because of how common it is for people to not wear seat belts.
The government does regulate financial risks. Not that those regulations have any bearing on your position.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday January 24 2019, @12:44AM
It's amazing how tyrants can rationalize the necessity of their tyranny.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 22 2019, @10:30PM (4 children)
One of these things just doesn't belong. And is ridiculous on its face.
Can you guess which one it is?
Is it this?
Or this?
Or this?
You can figure it out. Sure you can. I knew you could.
Because the police are so concerned that toddlers are going to pull out their nines, shoot up a police car, then hole up in a fleabag motel, finally ending it via suicide by cop. Please.
Because it can't possibly be related to child deaths in traffic accidents. Since they're generally too small to safely wear a seat belt, they should just fly into the windshield and crush their skulls in an accident. Is that your point?
It's has to be all about indoctrinating our kids to being restrained so that when Hillary and Podesta strap them down in the basement of Comet Ping Pong to be molested by Pelosi, Schumer and the evil, evil Ocasio-Cortez, they will know it's their rightful fate. amirite?
I don't get it. Your second and third points were spot on. Why put in such ridiculous bullshit right at the beginning? Or is this Poe's Law [wikipedia.org] at work?
(Score: 3, Funny) by bob_super on Tuesday January 22 2019, @10:47PM (3 children)
You don't seem to understand, man!
That thing is used by 2nd-grade teacher to reward or warn kids about their behavior, but then they can keep track of it when it's time to sentence you for speaking against the Established Deep State Illuminati Order when you're 25 !
It's obvious, man ! Teach the kids early that the teacher has some kind of Authority over you, and your actions have consquences ! It's a plot by those giant commie participation-trophy government lovers who are soft on crime ! Totally makes sense.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 22 2019, @10:56PM
I recognize the sarcasm, friend. Well done!
All the same, teachers today are watched much more closely (and thank goodness!).
Back when I was a kid teachers were so much less authoritarian. Take Mr. Shapiro, my sixth grade teacher. He would yell and otherwise bloviate at the students, berating and demeaning 11 year-olds for trivial stuff.
And heaven forbid you should fall asleep in class. He'd motion for everyone to be quiet and then sneak over to the "offender's" desk with a hammer and bang on the desk with the hammer. Many desks had dents from the hammer. I sincerely hope that bullying piece of shit got his comeuppance. That would never fly today.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 22 2019, @11:15PM (1 child)
Training is training, whether it's the concept that somebody is always watching, or records are forever, or bodily restraint is something you should put up with.
My Kindergarten report card mentioned: "likes to make up his own rules..." nothing ever changes.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 23 2019, @04:23AM
You are so right! Those evil gub'mint types just want to make you docile and complacent with all their "rules." If you want to dump battery acid in the town's water supply, who are they to say you can't? And what's all this interference with families? Your six year-old daughter needs to learn how to please a man and it's your responsibility to teach her. Those deep-state pigs don't want you to teach your family the right way to live.
You show 'em how wrong they are Joe! That's what AR-15s with high capacity magazines are for. amirite?
Why don't you head out to your local amusement park, get on the biggest roller coaster you can find and make sure the evil ride masters don't "restrain" you in the roller coaster car. They're just trying to control and condition you to accept being put in chains, and you're not going to allow that are you?
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!