By: Madyson Tang, Staff Writer
Hapara has become widely known in the Mills community. For those who don’t know, Hapara is an extension that allows teachers to view students’ tabs and their screens. It is a newly introduced classroom management tool to Mills. Students hate the fact their privacy is being invaded, and screens are being watched throughout classes. So, is Hapara a helpful tool or an invasion of privacy?
Mr. Delimme, a Biology teacher here at Mills regularly uses Hapara in his class. He mentions, “I find it allows me to make transitions on online content very seamlessly. It gives me more control as a teacher, on what students are doing when I’m trying to do a particular lesson.” He mentions, “ I try to use it more as a way to make the lesson go smoother, rather than a way to discipline students for doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.”
Ms. Canas is a beloved English teacher at Mills who also uses Hapara to support her students in completing their assignments in class. This helps them finish work so none of it turns into homework. When asked if Hapara is an invasion of privacy, Canas told me, “I know a lot of our students think it is but I do not look at screens outside of my class time. I only look at screens as students complete work and as they know, once the assignment is done, they can use their computer for whatever they need.” During the interview, Ms.Canas also went over how students just naturally would prefer to play video games on their screens then do class work.
A freshman at Mills also gives their opinion on Hapara, saying, “A lot of people cheat in class or search up answers or use AI, so it’s good to prevent that stuff happening.“ She also followed up with her answer, “Most of the time, especially during class if we can’t view other tabs where the teachers could see what we’re doing it’s kind of creepy.“
Lastly, Mr. Cottrell gave his take on Hapara, “I don’t think I am alone in my thinking here, where students tend to get distracted on devices, and it’s a way for this to be able to redirect some students who may not be using their district technology in a way that is going to support their learning. I actually find it to be pretty helpful and some students have commented about how its helpful too. For example, it doesn’t take as long to find links for things and teachers can share that right away.”
In my opinion, Hapara can be a helpful tool to use to keep students on task. The downside to Hapara is having your screen watched at all times. Not having the freedom to go to different tabs or search questions on your chromebook is the main issue.
Hapara is a topic that comes with many opinions on both sides. If it is an invasion of privacy or useful tool is strictly up to the district and if it shall remain on school issued Chromebooks.
