Have you ever done something backward and only realized it after things started to not work the way you thought they should have? Welcome to my world…I searched for a poster-making website for students that didn't require a student email for logging in, found a website that seemed engaging and user-friendly, and began making sample posters only to discover that some of my image searches within the website were yielding results ranging from not-so-academic to absolutely-not-appropriate! Only then did I realize that I was missing a step or two in my quest for a cool Web 2.0 tool.
COPPA, CIPA, and FERPA represent the student protection laws which teachers must uphold, but so many of us don’t understand the implications of what that means, particularly when using Web 2.0 tools (any website-based project on the Internet). So how do teachers navigate this world of legality? The first step to ensuring that a website being used complies with these student protection acts is to simply search “terms of use” for that website. This search will readily yield an answer of whether it is a tool meant for students under the age of 13 with a quick scan of those terms. In my example above, I was misled by a generic student login button, assuming (incorrectly, by the way) that it would be student-friendly. Had I searched first for terms of use, I would have known beforehand that it was a site meant for a 13 years and older crowd. Many sites can still be used with parental permission, but that makes it imperative to have permission or the use of that website with students means noncompliance with the law. While convenience suggests we send out a generic permission slip at the beginning of the school year asking parents for their blessing of any and all sites we should happen upon throughout the year, the law dictates that we garner permission for each specific website. Click here for a sample permission slip. Multiple websites can be listed on one permission slip, but permission slips must be specific (“We will be using Piktochart”) rather than general (“We will be using Web 2.0 tools”). Often “terms of use” and “privacy policy” are interchangeable, but to make sure that all bases are covered, it helps to search both. This gets a little trickier to navigate, but essentially we as educators have to protect student identifying information, and as a result, need to be aware of what information a specific website collects, as a third party. Any data collection and/or identifying information needs to be considered carefully when allowing students to use a website for learning. My rule of thumb is for students to never to post more than a first name when using Web 2.0 tools, and ideally, a username or nickname. I’m not a lawyer, I’m an educator. However, as a responsible educator and a digital citizen, I need to ensure that my search for a fabulous Web 2.0 tool meets with the letter of the law. These steps of searching “terms of use,” “privacy policy,” and using a specific permission slip when needed will help ensure that I’m headed in the right direction. Since working backward is a more difficult way of learning, I'm learning to start with first steps first!
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AuthorAs an instructional coach for technology, I get the pleasure of working with 1 preschool and 15 elementary schools to support integration of technology with classroom instruction. Archives
August 2020
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