Student privacy may not be the most thrilling topic in education, but it’s one of the most important.
It is vital that educators know and understand the laws governing student privacy. It’s hard to understand that we live in a world where student privacy goes hand in hand with student safety, but we do. I admit that I need to know more about the legislation protecting students. FERPA CIPA COPPA So many acronyms to keep track of in education! I found the blog post by Barbara Ruth Paciotti, Ms. P, to be so enlightening and informative. She really spells out what we should know about this topic and helped me remember some of those terms I have forgotten over time. You can find her post here and I recommend you take a look. Ms. P is a great researcher and blogger and I have enjoyed many of her posts! Thanks Ms. P!
I love to share pictures and videos of what my students do! I’m proud of them when they try new things and have positive experiences in the library and in their classes. And I’m thrilled to show off all we do at AHS! I am also aware of privacy. Sometimes when I’ve taken pictures or videos, I’ve had to be creative with angles to avoid showing faces of students who do not have permission to be online. And of course, I never use names! When students are using an online resource, we also remind them to never use their full names or private information online. First names only, no phone number or addresses, etc. This education does need to begin at a very young age. Students must grow up learning how to conduct themselves online and how to avoid putting themselves into dangerous situations.
As educators continue to navigate the growing world of online presence, we are learning right alongside our students. Keeping ourselves educated is so important.
Hi, I have found that I need to remind teachers about student privacy sometimes too. Sometimes, when teachers post an update on their blog, they forget to remove the last names of students. I think that it’s a great reminder to everyone to protect their personal information. Recently, I shared Family Tree now with my colleagues so that they could opt out of the directory, which shares private information about Americans.