Spy Versus Spy

Apparently students have taken ridiculing teachers to a whole new level going from afterschool gossip circles to all out, internet warfare. It is becoming more and more common for students to film their teachers in class usually in particularly unflattering moments such as boring the class with lecture or upbraiding a student, and posting them online at Youtube.com. Actually, it surprises me that students would go through such elaborate measures to make fun of their teachers. I mean, as a student I don't really take it personally if I feel a teacher is less than satisfactory. I joke to myself, occassionally make one to a classmate, and move on with my life. But as a future teacher, the idea truly scares me. If I ever discovered a video of myself online displaying my quirks and shortcomings, I would probably have a hard time regaining my confidence. I'm not quite sure how I would react in that situation. Normally I am not a very confrontational person, but as a teacher I would probably not let this sort of violation of privacy go unnoticed. When I really thought about it, what seems to be a harmless prank is actually quite a careless, degrading act. It is not as though these videos are posted privately or even in a setting where only students are able to view them. These videos are open for any person to see, and that to me just doesn't seem right. I've also heard a few stories of students making videos of themselves pulling pranks or even physically assaulting homeless people in some way and then posting the video on Youtube. Although the two examples are quite different from one another, there is still a common principle that is being violated. Although I am primarily concerned with the personal privacy and dignity aspect, there are also those who claim the act is a violation of intellectual property despite the fact that no profit is being made from it. I for one could care less. In my opinion the classroom is really not a traditinoal setting for intellectual scholarship to be put forth. It is primarily a setting for common knowledge, opinions, and ideas to be transmitted from one party to another.