GROTON, Conn. – Fitch High School is turning to GoGuardian to monitor student computer activity during class.
GoGuardian is a program that allows teachers to oversee what students are doing on school-issued devices. Once initiated, it grants a teacher full permission over a student’s computer, including access to tabs, windows, Search History, Chat, and even the ability to lock screens. Teachers can access this through the GoGuardian Website and can start and stop it at any time. Administrators also use this to block content they cannot block through their providers, such as Lightspeed Filter Agent or iBoss Cloud Connector. This feature is rarely used, except for viewing a Student’s Screen. Teachers can chat with students or turn on the notification feature, but it is off by default.
“It’s early in the school year, but I will say that I’m getting more work from students using computers than I have in previous years,” said Rick Pecka, an English teacher. “So I think it’s helping them stay on-task.”
Some Teachers viewed GoGuardian as a valuable tool to keep students more focused and make managing digital classrooms easier. GoGuardian provides teachers with insight into their students’ activities, ensuring that class time is used wisely and productively, and allowing students to focus on completing their assignments instead of playing games or watching YouTube.
“I like working independently; if I get watched during my work, I get stressed that I have to turn it in right away,” said junior Chrissa Boc. “I’d rather not have GoGuardian, it’s like the same as putting cameras in classrooms.”
While many students want to prove to staff that they can handle responsibilities with the constant oversight. Although GoGuardian was designed to help teachers keep tabs on students to see if they’re doing their assigned work, it has been shown that many students see it as an overstep, GoGuardian shifting the desire for trust into the sense that students are always under suspicion.
As Fitch High School keeps using GoGuardian, the debate remains divided. Teachers and staff see it as a valuable tool to keep students on track and focused, while students are more worried about privacy and stress in the classroom.
