Having just seen Sarahs tweet about thoughts on Glow now enabling cameras for students heres my insight as I’ve now had 6 weeks of teaching this way this academic year to schools pupils as part of our college program. I started with a tweet reply then realised that won’t work so might as well do what I do and write about it.

I have divided opinion on the whole should students be made to use their cameras for remote teaching more so if they have the ability which students in Glow have now been given. Mainly as I have been teaching fully remotely so far this year. On one had it’s great to put faces to the names (I teach an NPA class which comprises S5/6 pupils & so I have found it difficult to build that initial rapport with them like you would normally do at the start of the year (totally different if you know the students from last year but with brand new starts its hard). Plus no one wants to talk on mic either (or maybe they don’t have the facility to do so I cannot assume that they won’t). A compromise is having a picture – if not of themselves then something that represents what they like. Sadly the schools class I had were from an authority that didn’t allow pupils to change their profile pictures so until they got student accounts I was left teaching to a class of initials for 3 or 4 weeks. Granted they were happy to at least contribute in the chat window. I know from experience last term that a lot of my students were really happy to chat online but not show themselves and fair enough that’s their decision I am not sure its one we can make for them. Theres also the issue of things like do they actually have a camera  – granted phones will but you cannot assume then theres enough internet as using video takes up a lot more bandwith than just even voice chatting. Your students comfort should I believe be first and foremost and if they don’t want to video chat I don’t think we should push the issue as this in turn may put them off even attending virtually. I know for a fact my 15 year old would not want to be on camera to her teachers and she gets on really well with them – I have great respect for them too so it’s nothing against them at all. Its just a thing where I think many folk feel different about being in front of a camera than they do in person. I know I do and I have to teach. Don’t get me wrong it would be great to see them for sure but I think that needs to be a decision the students make and not us. Even then I think there has to be some guidance as to acceptable practise (eg maybe using blurred background or something).  I am happy if my students are communicating with me and yes things would be different if we were face to face in a class but we aren’t and do have to make the best of situations.