Some people do not like having their cameras on during a zoom call. I am one of them because I am a person that does not like to show myself.  Most teachers like it when students have their cameras on so they can see if the students are following along.

“I think [students] should have their cameras on to make sure they are participating,” junior Abigail Goraj said.

Many students disagree with having cameras on and may think of it as an invasion of privacy. Some teachers may even ask students to turn off their cameras if they are working independently.

“We definitely should have our cameras on when the teacher is teaching,” junior Dara Aluko said.

If students have a valid reason to have their cameras off, they should be allowed to do that.

“If [a student] has a [medical issue] or some other reason I don’t think they need to have their cameras on, but they need to let the teachers know,” Goraj said.

Students should keep their cameras on themselves instead of their ceilings that way the teachers know if they are actually paying attention.

“The camera is on me most of the time. In the morning I usually show my forehead” Alyssa Seibert said.

50% of the time students either keep the cameras on them or maybe on their ceiling. The majority of the time cameras are facing the students, but some students do not like showing themselves and face the cameras to the ceiling. They do this because they do not want to be shown for privacy reasons. But students do not have a choice, they must keep their cameras on.

“We should have a choice to turn off our cameras when we do homework though,” Aluko said.

When doing homework in most classes, teachers will expect you to keep your cameras on because they may want to know if you are doing something else instead of the homework. I believe that if we are learning new stuff and it is important, we should have the cameras on. If we are doing homework we should be able to have them off.

“When I do independent work I have it off. If I do work with a partner I’ll have my camera on” Aluko said.

Some other students may keep it on or off depending on how they feel.

“Sometimes I keep it on, sometimes I leave it off when I work independently,” Goraj said.

When students work independently they should have their cameras off, but when they are in the main session they should keep their cameras on. Teachers like it when the students know they are in class. Some teachers will mark students absent if they do not have the cameras on, or want to see the students and recognize them.

“I believe that we should have cameras on during a zoom call. It allows me to get to know my students and build a relationship with them. Also, it allows for better communications, participation, and engagement,” special education teacher Samantha Andrews said.