Checking the results requires a fee to check in every day, increasing the burden, and the hidden danger of information bundling
Low-quality education apps flooded with "smart campus"
Our reporter Liu Fangzhou and Xie Ying
Checking class schedules, reading homework, checking grades, receiving school notifications... In recent years, with the construction of "smart campuses" in various places, more and more educational apps have become essential software in parents' mobile phones.
The Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter found that although many schools do not force parents to download, apps are an important channel for obtaining campus information.
Because the apps used by schools are different, some of them open various functions to parents for free, while others require parents to pay monthly and annual fees before they can use it. Some apps record student arrivals and departures through face recognition and other methods. Time has also caused many parents to worry about the security of their information.
150 yuan a year, just to check the results 4 times?
Recently, some parents in Changsha, Hunan reported that some schools are promoting an app called "Education+".
After downloading and registering, parents can see their children’s daily homework and class schedules, check test scores, and receive various notifications from the school on the software.
The premise is to pay a one-time annual fee of 150 yuan or a monthly fee of 15 yuan per month.
"The software was intensively promoted at the parent meeting when the school started in September last year." Ms. Wang, a parent of a primary school student in Changsha City, told reporters that the employees of the company that developed the educational App came to the classroom to explain the software functions to the parents and demonstrate the operation steps. , She paid a one-time annual fee of 150 yuan, and then activated the service.
According to Ms. Wang, although the school does not explicitly force parents to download and use the "Education+" app, the children's grades can only be checked through the software.
"It's a voluntary act, but if you don't pay, the child's information is not open to parents?"
Another student's parent, Ms. Tang, chose to pay the monthly fee during the semester and stop the App service during the holidays.
"In addition to checking the mid-term results of each semester, other functions are not irreplaceable." Ms. Tang questioned that the Ministry of Education clearly stipulates that schools in the compulsory education phase cannot publish student scores and rankings, but schools provide this information to companies, and companies have Is it against the public interest of education to "sell" information to parents for a fee?
The reporter learned during the interview that this is not an exception.
Previously, parents of students in Anhui, Hebei, Henan and other places reported that some apps promoted and used by schools provide performance inquiry services through annual fees and fee-based fees.
Ms. Wang believes that the current App charges are unreasonable and will increase the financial burden of parents because it only meets the results query service twice a semester.
"Smart Management" has drawbacks
With the continuous advancement of "smart campus" and "campus informatization construction", more and more education management apps have begun to enter primary and secondary school campuses.
However, in the actual use of some educational apps, in addition to compulsory fees and increasing the financial burden of parents, there are still many drawbacks.
Many apps have their own exercises and test content, which become the homework content assigned by some teachers.
Shifting the work position to the App has become a new way to evade supervision.
“The school requires parents to upload photos of reading, skipping, and homework inspections every day. On the teacher’s side, how many people check in every day is clear at a glance, but the parents are miserable.” A parent did not understand this very much. “It’s not advocating that parents should not be checked. Homework, it’s not allowed to assign homework that needs to be done with a mobile phone, but the school requires you to use the App to check in every day. Isn’t that a disguised burden on students and parents?
The reporter's investigation found that such apps still have the risk of bundling personal information and leaking privacy.
Ms. Deng, a parent of a high school student in Changsha, said that her child’s high school uses an educational app to provide parents with services including inquiring on campus consumption, test results, etc., and enters student information through face recognition so that parents can know their children’s Time of entering and leaving school.
"Although this method allows parents to understand the situation of their children in school, all the children's information is in a'transparent' state under the big data." Ms. Deng said that she is worried about the safety of such apps.
Ms. Deng also reported that after registering and logging in to the App, the parents’ mobile phone number, geographic location and other basic information must be bundled. After the test results are announced, she often receives calls from various offline and online educational institutions. Promote the course.
In addition, multiple check-ins are also the reason why such apps are frequently criticized.
Many apps claim to be "good helpers" for students, parents, and teachers, but in fact, the user experience is very poor.
The reporter saw on the mobile phone software download page that an educational app that displayed "7.2 million downloads" was criticized by users for "flashing back", "frozen", "unable to log in", "slow", and "will not download if it is not required by the school." .
Some parents reported that the apps recommended by many schools seem to be powerful, but in fact they only use the traditional functions that can be achieved by ordinary websites such as "post photos" and "publish menus". The information that can be seen is not more convenient, but more troublesome."
Some parents also complained, "An app is released for class information, an app for oral English practice, and an app for reading and checking in during summer vacation... Why is it that content that can be completed by one app is forcibly split into multiple?"
"Nowadays, all schools are promoting informatization construction and creating'smart campus'. This is an irresistible trend in the'Internet +'era. However, the flood of low-quality apps has not only failed to make the campus'smart', but has increased the number of Necessary troubles, among which may breed'movements' or educational corruption issues, are more worthy of vigilance." said Li Bin, a professor of sociology at Central South University.
Electronic content is not equal to education modernization
After receiving reports from parents, on April 25, the Changsha Municipal Education Bureau issued regulations stating that self-developed education apps shall not charge any fees, and other apps selected shall not charge for basic functions such as grades and comments. The charging functions must be open and transparent. Voluntary choice, and must not be linked to evaluation.
In recent years, "Internet + education" and "smart campus" have been rapidly developed in various places. How to make this "wisdom" not only stay in form, but embark on a reasonable and sustainable path?
Xiong Bingqi, dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, believes that educational modernization must be the modernization of educational concepts and systems. Simply digitizing paper-based teaching content or using facial recognition technology to monitor students’ expressions and behaviors in class is not educational modernization. .
"The use of modern information technology should be to liberate people, not to restrain them." Xiong Bingqi said.
Xiong Bingqi suggested that when schools promote informatization reform, they should first clarify that education informatization should be used to improve management efficiency and explore process education evaluation.
Such as reducing school meetings, improving communication efficiency, realizing paperless office, advancing information disclosure, tracking information on changes in student status, protecting each child's right to education, and so on.
"As a means of educational informatization, the use of educational apps should be demonstrated by the school's teacher committee based on the actual needs of teaching, and the opinions of students and parents should be extensively listened to. The investment in promoting educational informatization cannot be simply passed on to students. With parents." Xiong Bingqi said.
Ding Jiayong, a professor at Hunan Normal University, pointed out that consumers should be given more options for using apps on campus.
What are the functions of the software, what are the needs of teachers and parents, and what is the charging standard of the App. All these information should be made public, so that parents and teachers can vote.
If parents agree to charge for the project, they can also consider integrating and customizing campus functional services on an App, and open tenders to software development companies.
Xiong Bingqi pointed out that the informatization of education cannot be compulsorily used as an indicator for evaluating the modernization of schools, and schools should not use the informatization of education to charge students and parents indiscriminately.