It was during the course of ETEC523 that I became increasingly aware of the growing number of data privacy issues surrounding the use of mobile apps. and it is for that reason, that I propose the formation of the Data Safety Initiative. The DSI will act as an open collaborative non-profit organization that aims to bring together educators, educational technologists and other interested parties to evaluate themselves the apps they hope to use in their different educational settings. Those joining the DSI will become more educated on data privacy issues but also upskill themselves on using the available DSI tools to evaluate apps. This in turn allows them to contribute to a growing open repository of evaluated apps. and once enough positive ratings have been received, an app will qualify for the DSI star rating. To access the website for the proposed Data Safety Initiative, please use this link.
Hi Carla,
Your work on this project really made me reflect on my own practices and also how the district that I work for handles privacy. I believe that there is definitely a lack of understanding in the education world about data collection and privacy. I believe that just like so many other topics in educational technology, that educators should be taught about these realities and how to navigate them ethically and responsibly. I really believe that your forecasted coalition pairs so well with many of the other forecasted projects presented. This pairing would definitely help answer a lot of the privacy concerns that emerged in the other projects that were presented.
Hi Carla,
Thanks for your work on this topic. I have noticed many school districts (including ours) shifting their focus on cybersecurity. This will surely alleviate the headache of teachers wondering what apps can and cannot be used. While the restrictions can be suffocating at times, I think teachers must understand the potential legal implications of using apps that violate jurisdictions’ privacy laws.
Great work, Carla!
Carla, this is an awesome extension to your A1. I agree with all the comments here in that this should already exist in education. In recent years paying attention to FOIPPA guidelines has been at the forefront of all educators here in BC, and the conversation became even more muddled with remote/hybrid teaching this year. What can we record? When can we record? What if all students’ cameras are off – can we record then? What information is being stored if they use the app (MS Teams, for example) using their smartphone?
Do you think every school district should have a DSI team to support all educators in the district? Or would it be more useful if every teacher was part of the DSI?
Hi Binal, both options seem wonderful to have in place (school district representative and all teachers). For a start, I’d really like to see just passionate teachers come together to make some kind of difference.
What a great idea Carla! You really presented it in a way that seems very realistic and as if it already is up and running! We (educators) run into these issues daily at school and as a result not being able to use different apps and platforms. Like Juliano mentioned, once parents sign off on the consent forms many educators feel they are free to use anything. At our district, we must ask the tech team at the district level to install an app and they will say if we are able to use the app or not, so there is some sense of security with data storage. It is frightening to think where all the data is being stored and even used. Thanks for sharing such a relevant and increasingly important aspect of education as technology keeps developing at such a fast rate. I will definitely be more aware of this in the years to come.
Hi Kylie, it’s wonderful to hear that you at least have a tech team that can give that kind of assurances as to what apps are data safe and which are not but as we venture into the idea of Open learning and education, will there still be such role players in lesser developed states and countries? Or will there be a need to rely only other open and volunteer services to fulfill roles like these. This is potentially where the DSI can come in I believe.
What a fantastic idea! It’s like Common Sense Media (commonsensemedia.org) but for data safety in apps instead of just content. Like Kristin, I am a teacher in BC so finding apps that store data solely in Canada is not easy. This will greatly reduce the headache for teachers by providing them with a database of approved apps! There are many teachers who are unaware of where the data is stored and think that if parents have signed off on a digital consent form, they can implement any app they want but that is not the case! For a time, even G-Suite for Education (Google Classroom) didn’t store its data in Canada and teachers required special permission and consent from parents before being allowed to use the program.
An added initiative of the DSI could be to educate all teachers about data safety as many are unaware of what it is and why it poses a problem. The guideline you created is a great tool for all teachers to use, not just for the members of the DSI.
Excellent work, Carla! I hope the DSI becomes a real thing in the near future!
Thanks Juliano, if you’re interested in joining, we’re recruiting. 😉
I want to be a part of the coalition! I can’t believe something like this does not already exist. I remember being surprised by the details of your A1 and how much data of children is stored. It was very unsettling, and there needs a group to protect students. Many teachers want to implement technology into their classrooms, but for the most part, they are entirely unaware of data storage. I recently was searching for an activity tracking app for an online Phys. Ed. course and I couldn’t believe how difficult it was first to determine what data and where it is stored. In BC, teachers must use apps that store data solely in Canada. Stopping to scour the terms and conditions for five different apps was so time-consuming and resulted in a fruitless endeavour. This was so discouraging that I put the search on hold until September! The DSI would help teachers, which results in helping students in saving time and be more comfortable with implementing mobile technologies.
Great work, Carla!
Hi Kristin, I have to admit, I wasn’t aware myself of the severity of data privacy issues in our increasingly connected world. The journey of reflection for me throughout this course has really changed my view on how I will approach integrating more technology in my classes. I don’t even want to get into the scary world of data capture taking place in the VR world right now and what is being postulated that kind of data can be used for.