Panopticon, Synopticon, and Omniopticon: A conceptual framework for understanding the utilization of cameras and video recordings in education

This paper explores the use of cameras and video recordings in educational contexts, employing the concepts of Panopticon, Synopticon, and Omniopticon as analytical frameworks. After discussing these three concepts as different models of power, we analyse how they encompass a range of distinctive approaches to leveraging cameras in educational contexts to gain power and control. We demonstrate this argument by analysing three cases of camera utilization within educational systems: CCTVs as monitoring and surveillance tools, webcams as devices for synchronous online learning and online testing, and the use of video recordings for producing short educational video clips embedded in MOOCs and social media. The analysis suggests that employing cameras and video recordings in the educational sector carries implications that extend beyond mere safety concerns or pedagogical perceptions. Utilizing these technologies in a Panopticon, Synopticon, and Omniopticon manner reshapes power relations within the educational system and act as a mechanism for gaining power within the system.