When all of us started school, we received a Chromebook to continue our studies in the online world. Although we have this revolutionary technology, we also have restrictions on what we can or cannot view, play, or edit. Schools take this into account and primarily use GoGuardian as their trusted official software.
GoGuardian allows teachers to monitor what tabs students have open, take pictures of their screens, and even freeze the device altogether. To understand further, when a student is off task in class, teachers see this and can screenshot the device and send it to the student’s parents. Although some students feel it’s harsh, it has proven to be effective.
In an interview, Mrs. Sirowich, the principal of Coleytown Middle School, explained that GoGuardian was used to “Make sure that we [are] safe and to make sure we’re accessing the sites we’re supposed to be accessing,” In other words, it’s to prevent the usage of websites the school doesn’t want to be on, to keep us safe and have a safe school environment. To add on, Mr. O’Neill, the Orca Team sixth grade social studies teacher shared, “It has become a little bit of a game between students and teachers when students find out the teachers are on it, so that can sometimes be distracting,” Students have found ways to find out if teachers are on GoGuardian or not by looking in the right-hand top corner of their computer screens. Mr. O’Neill thinks that the feature should be removed because he thinks it would be more “effective” for learning.
Cameron Leitch, a seventh-grade student on the Owl Team, thinks similarly of GoGuardian. He feels, “It’s a good way for the teachers to track what we are doing in school, communicate with us, and see what we’re doing, keeping us on track.” Although he favors this feature, he also hasn’t had a positive experience with GoGuardian either. “I feel like it’s a good thing for the teachers, but I think there is some bad stuff that correlates to the websites, but I don’t like that it tracks your location.”
The GoGuardian website doesn’t deny it, clearly stating it tracks your location for safety purposes and recovering stolen Chromebooks. According to the GoGuardian help blog, “you can begin tracking any lost or stolen Chromebooks that are managed in Google Admin Console and synced to GoGuardian.” GoGuardian doesn’t try to hide the fact that your Chromebook is probably being tracked. Students say it feels like it is an invasion of privacy because teachers can see your address, your bus route, and anywhere else you go with your Chromebook. Although we don’t know if the district uses this feature, it is still a concern for many.
The software uses AI to content-filter what we browse on our Chromebooks. They alert the teachers based on “off-task mitigation, proxy detection, and website categorization — all powered by machine learning”. So, think about going into class and gaming online. Your teachers actually receive alerts whether they are on GoGuardian or not. They are fully aware if you are off task, so your computer is monitored 24/7.
Jacob Fine, of the seventh-grade owl team, had this to say about GoGuardian. “It has a good purpose, but it’s really annoying sometimes. When you want to do something, like check your grades, they [(teachers)] tell you you cannot. Also, closing tabs.” He does not appreciate the fact that teachers can see your personal information, such as grades, and also close your tabs. According to him, and multiple other students, it really feels like they are being watched because, in truth, they are.
One thing that students always ask about is what the capabilities and the disabilities of GoGuardian are. Westfield Elementary School uses GoGuardian to monitor its students’ devices. “A teacher is not able to take control of students’ computers, cameras, or access information or files stored on the computers”. To clarify this source, students think that teachers have all of the power over their devices, which is true, but they cannot see exactly what is hidden on the computer.
Students and teachers at Coleytown Middle School have mixed feelings about the use of GoGuardian in the school. As an outcome, teachers have turned to a solution using paper in the classrooms, instead of primarily focusing on our computers. This allows for the use of multiple resources in the classroom, which makes both students and teachers have productive learning environments.
Works Cited:
“AI in the Classroom: How GoGuardian Balances Innovation with Student Protection.” Goguardian.com, 2017, www.goguardian.com/blog/ai-in-the-classroom-how-goguardian-balances-innovation-with-student-protection.
“GoGuardian Help Center.” Goguardian.com, 2026, support.goguardian.com/s/article/Track-a-Missing-Device-1630104949093. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
GoGuardian. “GoGuardian Logo,” Facebook, 1 Apr. 2015, www.facebook.com/goguardian/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. (Featured Image)
“GoGuardian Information – Westview Elementary School.” Adams12.org, 2024, westview.adams12.org/resources/goguardian. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
MyBib Contributors. “MLA Citation Generator – Easy & Free – (8th Edition, 2019).” MyBib, 26 May 2019, www.mybib.com/tools/mla-citation-generator.
