On looking at the reports available from the LMS (learning management system), I was struck by the amount of information we have about students’ activities online. What links they have followed, how many times they have added to a forum, whether they have updated a wiki or downloaded a reading.
It reminded me of my dim, distant undergrad years reading Foucault and his description of the Panopticon, a correctional - or educational - institution, where the inmates are always visible to the authority. The inmates don’t know when they are under scrutiny, but they know they could be at any time.
This rather sinister ability to see otherwise hidden activity is about hierarchy and power, not ideas of learner-centred teaching and intrinsic motivation. The ability of technology to trace what used to be private information is a current issue wider than education. I wonder what educators are thinking about this ability to look over each student’s virtual shoulder - do they self-censor? Is it really an issue or are people inured by the gaze of Google and Facebook?
By the way, I have a feeling that most students don’t understand that these LMS records exist. Certainly many deadline evasion strategies are easily exposed by a quick look at usage logs.
What also struck me is how much information we don’t have about students’ activities, at least the activities and thought processes associated with deeper learning. This alchemy is not so easily viewable.
