Normally at IT World Canada we get flooded with press releases from companies like Cisco, Microsoft, IBM and other large, established vendors looking for publicity for their business products.
But recently we received a release from a woman who identified herself as a “North Texas Mom” promoting The Enforcer and eSembler, which lets parents view their kids’ school grades online and then punish poor performance by cutting off online or mobile access.
The Enforcer would work in conjunction with eSembler. In the event that a student received poor grades, The Enforcer would restrict other activities, such as cell phone use and Myspace.
“The student would be notified, via text or email, giving them an opportunity to redeem themselves prior to interruption of privileges” the release stated. “In an ever-changing world of technology, this cuts their life-line without the physical or emotional confrontation between parent and child.”
So, let me get this straight. These products are innovative for two reasons. They let parents find out about their children’s grades without having to go to the trouble of contacting their teachers or reading their report cards. Then they cut off access to cell phones and the Internet without having to undertake the archaic task of actually talking to their children in person.
