Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side: The Changing Perception of Teachers’Role and Subsequent Worth

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.