The Problem with Student Surveillance: A Critical Examination of Google Drive

As a result of COVID-19, schools around the world quickly (and in some cases completely) shifted their instruction to online platforms. While this solved a number of temporary problems and allowed students to continue their education during the pandemic, scholars warn that an uncritical adoption of education technology can be problematic for a number of reasons, including the surveillance and “datafication” of students and control of student behaviors This article gives a critical examination of education technology that purports to have only positive effects on student learning and growth. Using Foucault’s theory of the panopticon and how surveillance is often used as a means of power, fear, control, and identity formation, the article argues that education technology can have a negative consequence. In particular, the article interrogates instructors’ use of Google Docs, which is an increasingly popular online platform that has been part of the Google Suite for Education since 2006. It has become so commonplace in education institutions that it is almost invisible, which is an important reason why this application—along with the various other old and new education technologies on the rise—merit a second look. The research questions of this article are two-fold: 1) Does the required use of Google Docs jeopardize student privacy and autonomy? 2) If so, how does this affect students’ learning, equity, self-perception, and self-determination? Ultimately, the article argues that Google Docs, and many other technologies like it, further extend and centralize the authority of the professor and that this can have negative consequences on student independence, equity, morale, and learning. © Common Ground Research Networks, Cara Miller, All Rights Reserved.