A Short Reading List on Requiring Cameras During Remote Learning
2 min read
This is a short reading list about why requiring video in classrooms is harmful to students, and erodes trust between students and teachers, and the quality of the learning environment. This list also includes resources for building a fair and equitable learning environment, both fully online, hybrid, or in person.
As an added bonus: in general, practices that respect learner agency and control contribute to a better learning environment, and are better for privacy.
- Why video is more exhausting than in person discussion.
- Suggestions for creating equitable and inclusive learning environments from Stanford. This doc isn't perfect, but it's a start, and while it's focused on online learning, many of the suggestions work equally well in person.
- This piece summarizes how requiring cameras to be on for remote learners violates some of the basic things we know about trauma-aware teaching and universal design for learning:
- The switch to remote learning -- a larger discussion that includes but is not limited to video -- often fails to meet basic accessibility needs. The requirement of camera use emphasizes sight, which embeds some ableist assumptions about what can actually be "seen" and how that "seeing" occurs.
- I was interviewed for this piece on Good Morning America - it highlights some of the equity and privacy issues related to video in the classroom, and requiring videos to be on.
- This infographic from Torrey Trust, Ph.D. shows some helpful do's and don't for using video with learners.
Additions from people shared after this post was initially published:
- 5 Reasons to let students keep cameras off and Engaging students in virtual instruction with the camera off; shared by KelliStatham.
- This post contains some really interesting and compelling insights from the perspective of a teacher and a parent, and was written and shared by WonderTeach.
This list is short and incomplete! If there are other resources you think should be added, please share them with me on Twitter, and I'll add them in as time allows. Any added posts will include a credit to the person sharing it.
