Technology+Report

Jana Dugas EDLD 5306 ET 8038 September 17, 2011 ** Privacy in the Classroom **

Privacy is a very important issue when it comes to technology in the classroom. Students, as well as teachers, should take this issue very seriously. If not, it could lead to disaster for students, teachers, principals, schools, and districts. This issue has a wide range, anywhere from having and using PIN numbers and passwords to Internet safety and usage. It is important to teach users about keeping PIN numbers and passwords private. If teachers do not take this seriously, then students will not either. This article reports implications of such a case: It’s no surprise on Ohio district suffered the consequences when two students figured out a staff member’s password and were able to post a fake snow closure on the district’s website. The district decided it would never again post emergency school closings on its website. (Levine, 2008, p. 8) This is just the tip of the iceberg. In the classroom and in our schools, PIN numbers and passwords are used to access lunch accounts, computers, Accelerated Reader, attendance postings, e-mail, and grades. Imagine the impact a person could have if they could access grades and manipulate that information. It is clear that this issue must be taken seriously at the ground level: the classroom. It starts with teachers modeling how to keep passwords private. Does the teacher log on with his/her password with the student looking over their shoulder? Is the password easy to guess or predictable? These issues need to be discussed with staff and then discussed in the classroom. Student must learn the power that a password can have. Internet safety is another big issue when it comes to privacy. Whether at home or at school, our students are on the Internet daily. Students have “access to people and information enhances instruction, but what happens when the “dark side of the Internet” sneaks around the corner and into the classroom or home?” (Joseph, 2007, p. 17). We must consider keeping our student’s privacy protected from predators on the Internet. They are using the Internet to collect information; even at school where sites are blocked or filtered, do they know what is safe or not safe? Imagine the issue at hand: a child is stalked on the Internet through the use of a Wikispace, which our district allows. The child gets kidnapped or sexually assaulted as a result. It can be tracked through the computer’s history where and what time certain Internet pages were accessed, and it leads back to the child’s use of the site at school; the district could be held responsible. This is a legal issue. There are “two federal acts – the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) – provide guidelines for protecting students’ privacy and safety while online,” (Brooks-Young, 2010, p. 106). Teachers must be aware of these laws and so must children. These issues must be considered as we move forward in education towards using technology more and more in the classroom setting. This is about protecting the privacy of children and school districts. Teachers must be aware of laws and the importance of maintaining the privacy of passwords and information. References: Brooks-Young, S. (2010). //Teaching with the tools kids really use.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Joseph, L.C. (2007). Keeping safe in cyberspace. //Multimedia & Internet@ Schools, 14//(1), 17-20.

Levine, E. (2008). Avoiding Technology PR Nightmares. //School Administrator, 65//(2), 8.