Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side: The Changing Perception of
Teachers’Role and Subsequent Worth
Abstract
The introduction of technology has lead to the increasing vulnerability
for teachers who feel insecure about: the integration of technology into
their classroom teaching; the surveillance of students online behaviour;
or the engagement of students with less colorful paper and pencil
activities that lack media animation. Four school districts participated
in this study representing teachers, parents, administrators and IT
staff from the provinces of British Columbia and Ontario. This paper
presents data related to the expectations for teachers to conduct
surveillance of student behaviour online during school hours. Results
indicate a surveillance culture that encourages reporting of teacher
behaviour by all other stakeholders (i.e. use of cellphone) and
implicates teachers roles as changing from teaching to prison guards,
monitoring all student activity and responsible for inappropriate use.
In some cases, references to teachers as “not doing their job” imply a
decrease in the respect for teachers previously warranted.