Online learning - cameras

[radiatorgonemad]

Just want peoples opinions on cameras when during online learning.

I'm in England btw.

Listened to a few of DS's online A level classes (full of 17 and 18 year olds) and there's one teacher who spends the first 15-20 mins of the lesson speaking to individual students in front of the class who won't put their cameras on, saying that if they didn't then they would be marked as absent. This keeps going until everyone puts on their cameras or she gets so frustrated and gives up, marking those absent who didn't put theirs on.

This didn't just happen once but I've listened to a few of the same teacher's lessons this week and they all begin the same way. I only know about this because DS puts his camera on with no problem and then has to listen to his lesson being wasted when she's threatening his classmates with absent marks and he complained to me about it being a waste of time. They are then set the class work that they missed to do in their own time because the class time was wasted.

Is this right? Their classes are 90 minutes long and 20 ish of it is wasted targeting students who may not feel comfortable putting their cameras on. I feel sorry for the kids who don't have their own space to do these lessons so are doing them in the kitchen/living room/shared bedroom, possibly with siblings or parents in the same room at the same time. Or they may not be able to afford devices with suitable cameras and I don't feel like it's appropriate to target them in front of the whole class when there's multiple reasons why they can't have a camera on or don't want to.

What's everyone's opinion? Older DD says she would anonymously contact the school to make them aware of the time wasting, and try to make them understand that kids might not be able to/don't want to put cameras on

DS's other two teachers don't do this so it's not a school policy.

Just wanted to know opinions and what it's like online learning in other places

I have kids at college doing A levels, secondary and primary. All 3 say no cameras allowed, mics are optional.
I’d complain to the college as some kids may not have a camera or not feel comfortable putting it on but also for the time being wasted by this teacher every lesson. It’s a real struggle to fit all the A level syllabus in as it is without losing time each lesson for this.

Yes, "worst case scenario" is anyone in the household or with access to the house of any child on the call. As I said in a pp, mums, dads, step mums, step dads, mum or dad's bf or gf, adult siblings, adult sibling partners, lodgers, bubble members so other family and friends. That's quite a big group and it doesn't count anyone who shouldn't be in the house but might well be, like other, non bubble friends or family.

I think it's different from a school play, partly because of the larger group of people, many of whom would be completely unknown to the school, but also because the child, the teacher and the parents are all unaware of who is watching and have no way of consenting.

I have had to battle the primary to let DS with ASD keep his camera off. If he couldn't he wouldn't be able to do any live lessons (we did try first).

The people viewing kids on a screen paranoia is a bit weird, presumably the kids are in their own house (of unknown location), dressed and sitting down. What exactly is going to happen if an older siblings boyfriend passes by? (I also have teen DD and it still doesn't bother me).

The safeguarding aspect of having cameras off is surely teachers wouldn't be able to see/hear abuse or neglect?

My daughter's secondary school it's camera's and mic's off unless they need to speak. Some do now let them keep cameras on if they want, but it's their choice. They have to either choose a background or sit against a plain wall

My eldest is at uni studying law, all her online classes are with no camera's