Los Angeles Times examines camera phone videos taken in California schools

Thanks to Edward Goto for sending me the link to this Los Angeles Times article about the ramifications of California high school students using camera phones to record their teachers and posting the videos on YouTube and elsewhere.

As an example, the article points to a camera phone video of Vincent Bernota, a substitute teacher at Malibu High School who "loses control of the class and raises his voice while students laugh at him" (see below).

The article examines the debate among students, administrators and parents about the problem, trying to balance the value of cellular and students' rights versus the negative aspects of secretly video recording students and teachers as well as the potential for cheating.

Free speech versus disruptions

Mark Kelly, the principal of Malibu High School says, "We want to recognize our students' free speech rights, but on the other hand we have to assess the educational impact to the students and our school.  Is this going to disrupt the education process of the school day?"

Kelly's statement is much more "liberal" than most of what I've read in the press from school administrators.  Basically, a principal will say, "We ban cellular phones" -- and that's the end of the discussion.

To be fair, safety and parental concerns do figure into a school's and school board's discussions about the use (or non use) of cellular phones on the premises.

Video recording for educational purposes

Although students aren't supposed to use cellular phones during class, as one student says in the article, it's easy to hide a handset on your lap, between books and covered with a sweater.

Interestingly, a Malibu High School English teacher and journalism advisor says students might have legitimate reasons for using phones in class.  Nancy Martinez says students might be video recording a lesson in order to review it later.

As a result, some teachers might be reluctant to tell students to turn off their camera phones during class, the Los Angeles Times says.  Hmm, that's an interesting point.

I went to school so many millennia ago that cellular phones, let alone camera phones or anything "digital" weren't even much considered.  (Although I did take a computer course in high school where I did fascinating things like enter the Pythagorean theorem on punch cards -- that completely turned me off of computers until I bought an Apple II.)

Contacting Web sites, parents

Lisa Soronen, a staff attorney for the National School Boards Association says videos are "another way for teenagers to torture people.  She says YouTube and MySpace generally will remove videos if the school board asks them to.

"And the easiest thing to do is contact the parents and tell them what's going on.  In most cases, they'll put a stop to it," she says.

Another article....

Update (2/13/07):  For another look at kids using camera phones and taking videos in schools and elsewhere, check out The New York Times article, "Teenagers Misbehaving, For All Online to Watch."  Trying to become an online star through videos.