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New Canaan Considers Tracking Devices for Students
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In the tony town of New Canaan, students might someday get tracking tags along with their textbooks.
No decisions have yet been made, but school officials plan to look into the possibility of adding radio frequency tags to student or staff ID cards, or place them on school property, like laptops, the New Canaan Advertiser reports.
The company that makes the devices is SecureRF Corporation, based in Westport. It has applied for a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct science research and wants New Canaan High School to use the technology, the Advertiser reports.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
New Canaan Considers Tracking Devices for Students
New Canaan Public Schools have been invited to participate in a technology experiment — one that would involve potentially placing radio frequency strips on student or staff ID cards or on school items such as laptops to enhance security and increase efficiencies.
However, the school board is awaiting more information before deciding whether to jump on board.
SecureRF Corporation in Westport, a company that examines ways to use and market radio frequency identification tags (RFID), recently approached members of the district after applying for a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct science research.
Scientific research: Tracking students, district property a way of the future?
Nice eh?
Although it is a more than valid concern, I'm going to spare everyone the standard 'oh noes, they are conditioning us for mass tracking' diatribe because it is so obvious it barely needs mentioning.
My issue with all of this stuff, other than the above mentioned one, is more of a societal one at large.
We already have parents tracking their children through their mobile phones, tracking what their kids are up to on the web, and now we have schools considering tracking them during school hours. And although many may hail each one of those individual measure on merits such as child safety, it seems to me that we are also denying children to be children.
At the risk of engaging in a 'old fart' soliloquy, it is my belief that children should be able to do the things that kids naturally do ... you know, cut school, slip away in the evening for a secret kiss, get in trouble, lie to their parents, get caught, learn from their mistakes and that there are consequences to action.
All of this stuff takes away all that .... I mean you might as well attach a tether to the parents and the state so that they may never be alone.
I don't know ... I find the whole thing rather sad.
Oh won't somebody think of the children! extra DIV
In the tony town of New Canaan, students might someday get tracking tags along with their textbooks.
No decisions have yet been made, but school officials plan to look into the possibility of adding radio frequency tags to student or staff ID cards, or place them on school property, like laptops, the New Canaan Advertiser reports.
The company that makes the devices is SecureRF Corporation, based in Westport. It has applied for a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct science research and wants New Canaan High School to use the technology, the Advertiser reports.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
New Canaan Considers Tracking Devices for Students
New Canaan Public Schools have been invited to participate in a technology experiment — one that would involve potentially placing radio frequency strips on student or staff ID cards or on school items such as laptops to enhance security and increase efficiencies.
However, the school board is awaiting more information before deciding whether to jump on board.
SecureRF Corporation in Westport, a company that examines ways to use and market radio frequency identification tags (RFID), recently approached members of the district after applying for a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct science research.
Scientific research: Tracking students, district property a way of the future?
Nice eh?
Although it is a more than valid concern, I'm going to spare everyone the standard 'oh noes, they are conditioning us for mass tracking' diatribe because it is so obvious it barely needs mentioning.
My issue with all of this stuff, other than the above mentioned one, is more of a societal one at large.
We already have parents tracking their children through their mobile phones, tracking what their kids are up to on the web, and now we have schools considering tracking them during school hours. And although many may hail each one of those individual measure on merits such as child safety, it seems to me that we are also denying children to be children.
At the risk of engaging in a 'old fart' soliloquy, it is my belief that children should be able to do the things that kids naturally do ... you know, cut school, slip away in the evening for a secret kiss, get in trouble, lie to their parents, get caught, learn from their mistakes and that there are consequences to action.
All of this stuff takes away all that .... I mean you might as well attach a tether to the parents and the state so that they may never be alone.
I don't know ... I find the whole thing rather sad.
Oh won't somebody think of the children! extra DIV
This is the company: securerf
Argh!
SecureRF delivers the industry's first "onboard" authentication and data protection solutions for passive, semi passive/active, and active RFID tags wireless sensors, and embedded systems.
Our software solutions provide strong security and privacy for high value supply chains, asset management, SmartGrid metering and contactless payment systems.
Our custom security development kits secure machine to machine applications.
Argh!
The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.
You bring up an excellent point. How much freedom are we willing to sacrifice for perceived greater security?
It gets a little more complicated than that, from the school's perspective. They're basically responsible for the little dears and are open to all manner of potential litigation in the event something happens on their watch.
From a societal perspective, I see where you're coming from. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that things are a whole lot different now than they were 30+ years ago. Back in the 60s, early 70s, a fight meant a punch in the nose. Now, it's just as likely to involve gunplay. I went to a large (2,000+ students) city high school, and there were maybe a dozen student pregnancies during my 4 years (guessing, but I bet I'm close). Certainly none in the lower grades. Now? It's rampant if not epidemic.
Drugs were around, but not anywhere close to the degree they are now.
It's a very different world. The kids aren't any better equipped emotionally, but they sure have opportunity for trouble I didn't have. Seems like they're 12 going on 25 in comparison, from a potential trouble standpoint.
Cutting class to get a Coke, or a little harmless youthful indiscretion is one thing. What seems to be happening now, is a whole other deal. Question is, any chance this new tech will really make a positive difference? It's sad that things have reached a point where these sorts of measures even need to be considered.
As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. "
- Benjamin Franlin
I really cant say it better than that.
~meathead
- Benjamin Franlin
I really cant say it better than that.
~meathead
reply to post by yeahright
Yeah I know ... I remember seeing the movie "Kids" when it first came out, I was 28 at the time and working in the night club business. Hardly an old man or living a conservative lifestyle. And yet the characters in that movie were from another world to me ... I instantly felt like I was sixty. Such is the pace of 'development' that it seems the generational gaps are now counted in years rather than decades.
The reasoning I suppose would be that since it is the pace of technology that dictates 'development' it is technology that should be the solution. The perpetual catch 22 dynamic to that response is obvious and glaring.
I don't have children and I'm not smart enough to have an answer to the above ... it's just that this fells fundamentally sad to me.
[edit on 24 Aug 2010 by schrodingers dog]
Yeah I know ... I remember seeing the movie "Kids" when it first came out, I was 28 at the time and working in the night club business. Hardly an old man or living a conservative lifestyle. And yet the characters in that movie were from another world to me ... I instantly felt like I was sixty. Such is the pace of 'development' that it seems the generational gaps are now counted in years rather than decades.
The reasoning I suppose would be that since it is the pace of technology that dictates 'development' it is technology that should be the solution. The perpetual catch 22 dynamic to that response is obvious and glaring.
I don't have children and I'm not smart enough to have an answer to the above ... it's just that this fells fundamentally sad to me.
[edit on 24 Aug 2010 by schrodingers dog]
I think this is more a combination of the fact that New Canaan simply has the money to do this, coupled with the fact that nobody trusts the kids
there. Cops will regularly pull someone over just because they look young. To be fair there is a major coke problem in the schools, and it's not rare
to see a 15 year old joyriding in their parents' car while drunk.
The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.
reply to post by Mike Stivic
As a parent, I spend a significant amount of time minimizing the "liberty" of two teenagers. They don't give it up, I take it. I'm not about to apologize for that. If a school can take some measures to help facilitate keeping the students safe, and Job One there is to know where the hell they are, I'm not opposed to it.
Is technology the best solution? I'm not sure, but if it helps, then
Yeah, 'dog it is sad. If Mayberry ever existed, it's long gone now.
As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.
Originally posted by yeahright
Is technology the best solution? I'm not sure, but if it helps, then
It appears that the 'parent' hat and the 'conspiratorial' hat can be hard to balance ... it also appears that the former is worn more frequently that the latter.
As well it should be.
reply to post by schrodingers dog
So they track the kids. Then what? Will there be a special "Mischief Corp"
to track down the kids that aren't where they are supposed to be.
The kids are much more hip than we give them credit for. They will hack the tracking devices, exchange them with friends, disable them, plant them on unsuspecting bovines, etc.
If I had kids I would tell the authorities to leave the parenting to the parents or put tracking devices on all the school administrators, faculty and staff to track their indiscretions and carnal trysts.
goose/gander
[edit on 24-8-2010 by whaaa]
So they track the kids. Then what? Will there be a special "Mischief Corp"
to track down the kids that aren't where they are supposed to be.
The kids are much more hip than we give them credit for. They will hack the tracking devices, exchange them with friends, disable them, plant them on unsuspecting bovines, etc.
If I had kids I would tell the authorities to leave the parenting to the parents or put tracking devices on all the school administrators, faculty and staff to track their indiscretions and carnal trysts.
goose/gander
[edit on 24-8-2010 by whaaa]
The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.
Originally posted by whaaa
If I had kids I would tell the authorities to leave the parenting to the parents.
If you had kids, you'd be willing to accept all the competent, well meaning help you could get.
As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.
Originally posted by yeahright
Originally posted by whaaa
If I had kids I would tell the authorities to leave the parenting to the parents.
If you had kids, you'd be willing to accept all the competent, well meaning help you could get.
I can see what you mean, but even if I had kids, it would take an act of God to make me view authority figures with anything other than suspicion and disdain.
School systems do a pretty poor job of overseeing students even when they are IN school.
[edit on 24-8-2010 by whaaa]
The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.
reply to post by whaaa
Which is why they need all the help they can get. From the link-
Student involvement would be voluntary and parents would have to agree to it, Supt. Dr. David Abbey, told the Advertiser.
The tracking will be done on school property. It's not like they're surgically implanting something. To me, it looks like a good idea. Who knows? Maybe cut down on some of the Amber Alerts where kids get snatched by a non-custodial parent. Or worse. I'm prepared to allow tech to assist with keeping track of children as zealously as we do with our cars.
As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.
reply to post by yeahright
You are right when you say:
__________________________________________________
"As a parent, I spend a significant amount of time minimizing the "liberty" of two teenagers. They don't give it up, I take it. I'm not about to apologize for that. "
__________________________________________________
I will not argue that. and am not at all asking for an apology, frankly, I commend you for setting boundries and being firm !
I probably could have at least quotes shrodinger as well to put the quote i posted into context.
Shrodinger:
___________________________________________________
"At the risk of engaging in a 'old fart' soliloquy, it is my belief that children should be able to do the things that kids naturally do ... you know, cut school, slip away in the evening for a secret kiss, get in trouble, lie to their parents, get caught, learn from their mistakes and that there are consequences to action."
___________________________________________________
He/she hit the nail on the head their in my opinion.
~meathead
You are right when you say:
__________________________________________________
"As a parent, I spend a significant amount of time minimizing the "liberty" of two teenagers. They don't give it up, I take it. I'm not about to apologize for that. "
__________________________________________________
I will not argue that. and am not at all asking for an apology, frankly, I commend you for setting boundries and being firm !
I probably could have at least quotes shrodinger as well to put the quote i posted into context.
Shrodinger:
___________________________________________________
"At the risk of engaging in a 'old fart' soliloquy, it is my belief that children should be able to do the things that kids naturally do ... you know, cut school, slip away in the evening for a secret kiss, get in trouble, lie to their parents, get caught, learn from their mistakes and that there are consequences to action."
___________________________________________________
He/she hit the nail on the head their in my opinion.
~meathead
reply to post by Mike Stivic
Precisely! Now I see what the conservatives mean when they say "Nanny state"
Precisely! Now I see what the conservatives mean when they say "Nanny state"
The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.
reply to post by Mike Stivic
You make a valid point. This is my concern... when you're talking about kids, they're either free to do what they will, or they aren't. If you give them the freedom, it won't be the minor indiscretions in many cases. It's the Big Ones, these days especially.
Now when I turn my kid over to the school, they accept responsibility. And I'll hold them accountable. If I call the school to get my child out for an appointment or to speak to them for some reason, the school better damn well know where they are. "Oops, we're not sure... can't seem to locate them", will be a response that will generate a none too pleasant reaction from Yours Truly. Nobody wants that.
People seem to balk at accountability. My kids sure do, and there have been situations in the past where the school wasn't too thrilled about it, either. At this point, I'm not sure who likes me less, the school or the kids. Not that I lose any sleep over it. Trust me, if you want to be liked, buy a dog. If you want to be hated, set limits for a teenager.
As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.
reply to post by yeahright
Shrodinger made the point, i just copy pasted it because i agreed.
This statement here,
yeahright:
____________________________________________________
"At this point, I'm not sure who likes me less, the school or the kids. Not that I lose any sleep over it. Trust me, if you want to be liked, buy a dog. If you want to be hated, set limits for a teenager."
____________________________________________________
Is full of WIN.
Again my respect and gratitude for setting boundries and not caving in. If more parents were like you over the past 30-40 years then this sort of monitering would not be asked for/accepted to begin with...
And yes, I dont have kids and dont plan on it, But my Dog loves me with his whole being and i see it everytime he looks in my eyes.
~meathead
Shrodinger made the point, i just copy pasted it because i agreed.
This statement here,
yeahright:
____________________________________________________
"At this point, I'm not sure who likes me less, the school or the kids. Not that I lose any sleep over it. Trust me, if you want to be liked, buy a dog. If you want to be hated, set limits for a teenager."
____________________________________________________
Is full of WIN.
Again my respect and gratitude for setting boundries and not caving in. If more parents were like you over the past 30-40 years then this sort of monitering would not be asked for/accepted to begin with...
And yes, I dont have kids and dont plan on it, But my Dog loves me with his whole being and i see it everytime he looks in my eyes.
~meathead
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