Back to LoJack’ing our kids with RFID
Tags :Rant
I had talked about a cool implementation of
RFID last
year at an amusement park
in Europe. While this proved to be an interesting read, this newer
one from California is better. Network Fusion first had an
editorial about it in February,
a harsh one. With a more recent rebuttal/agreement
in March.
So in letting you read those first, let me give my opinion on the whole
idea of embedding RFID tags with student id cards. Currently a lot
of employers have this type of technology that is used for entry doors
and exits combined with biometrics (we do just that). We find the
benefit in not knowing where someone is, but in where they have been for
audit trails. It also helps protect and restrict areas as needed.
We do not use it for tracking attendance as a school might, since
people are in and out all day.
So applying this to schools, here is what I think. Let's take the
thought of trying to identify intruders by who is not wearing RFID (what
are you doing sensing body heat?). Use the technology and chips to
allow access. In my work I visit a lot of schools both K-12 and higher
ed. The higher ed campuses are quite open and unsecure during the
days. While the K-12 are becoming more secure. Usually only
a few entrances are open in the mornings with that being restricted to
two or even one later. I am not pleased with how the monitoring of
those doors is done in my own kids school, but I understand staffing issues.
So how about taking those other entrances and making them RFID readable
for entry and emergency exit out during the day. No worry of someone
sneaking out anywhere but the front and lunch doors right?
Use the technology for verifying attendance on test taking and attendance
in larger campuses. Having the students scan is a great idea, yet
it allows one student to scan another's id. Sure with RFID you could
carry another's card, but what if the teacher had a hand scanner for attendance?
You walk by, get scanned and off to you seat. Or she could
walk around during lessons and scan. They do it manually now, then
it is sent to the office. In higher ed I have seen people mistakenly
left off the daily attendance, or magically added as the form is carried
to the office to then be entered by hand. Yes, some schools have
moved into online, but that takes manual entry also. There is no
automation involved.
If you send a student to the course they scan when they get in. It
then shows time of arrival, the medical info on file can be brought up
easily when scanned, including all the emergency contact information for
that student. They already track you through your whole career in
most schools using your social security number. Do most parents overlook
this very fact?
I agree with Mark
Gibbs from NWFusion, as long
as the intent is well defined and spelled out, adding this feature to the
id tags that most schools are requiring staff and students to wear is the
next step. It is no more intrusive then you checking in randomly
during the school day. Remember, for the most part our kids go to
Public Schools, defined as someone is already watching and logging everything
they do.
Heck some are even deciding for you what they will do in the future. Didn't
know about that did you?
Yes this very program is still being developed and has not slowed
(the article was older but explains it so well)
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On Wednesday, April 6th, 2005 by Chris Miller
