Privacy and the Educational Use of Social Media
Last year I introduced the use of social media in my photography course. A class wiki was created for resources, and individual websites for e-Portfolios were created by my students using Weebly. Mind maps were required to demonstrate the learning of key concepts with most of the students choosing to use PreziHYPERLINK "http://prezi.com/pricing/?gclid=COKFgYbQzLkCFcN_Qgod8mMA4Q". Before using these social media sites, I contacted my Principal and asked about privacy and permissions. I had heard of FIPPA (BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act) and was well aware (after switching to an American-based grading program at our school) that personal information stored on servers outside of Canada must have consent in writing. I specifically wanted to know what information I needed to provide to parents and students. My Principal emailed me a list of information that needed to be included in a permission to be sent home to parents along with a “draft letter” to use. The Information in the letter home to parents described: the types of personal information to be placed on the web-based service; privacy and security policies of the web-based service (including the URL); options the students would have to protect their privacy and what the teacher would be doing to make sure students are aware of the privacy issues; how the teacher would monitor the student’s use of the technology; and alternatives for students whose parents do not give permission. Once my permissions were all handed in and a lesson on protecting students’ privacy was given to the class, I believed I had all the bases covered for using social media with my students and felt the class was ready to create websites, participate in a class wiki and use Web 2.0 tools for their presentations.
After reading Julia Hengstler’s A K-12 Primer for British Columbia Teacher’s Posting Student’s Work Online, I was pleased to see that I had covered many of the considerations listed in the primer guide (Hengstler 2013), but I was not as thorough as I should have been. Hengstler gives six considerations for posting student’s work online ( http://jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/ ). In Hengstler (2013), Consideration Five pertains to a safety and protection plan. I had no such plan in place and was fortunate not to have any incidents with the social media tools I used all semester with my students. For what to include in a risk management plan, a teacher may refer to the “Privacy Guide to Faculty Using 3rd Party Social Media in Public Post Secondary Courses” (as posted in Blog post htHYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/%20http:/jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/?ou=37848"tHYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/%20http:/jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/?ou=37848"p://jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/ . Consideration Six addresses the existence of the use of a media waiver that may be used at your school. Hengstler recommends getting a signed statement from your administrator that the waiver is “considered applicable to the educators’ specific case” (2013). As noted by Hengstler, “a waiver alone would not meet the requirements of 'notice' and “knowledge'” for the informed consent required by BC regulations" (2013).
Due to the importance of privacy and risk factors involved with using social media in education, I am amazed at how many teachers just “wing it” and either send home any reasonable looking waiver or ignore the waiver entirely. I sought out my administrators’ knowledge of district requirements for privacy and protection for my students before planning my use of social media. The information I sent home was not specific enough leaving out some of the web 2.0 tools in use. In the event of a safety breach, I had no action plan in place on how to respond to an incident. I can now be more diligent with a primer guide to refer to. As we begin to move more widely into the world of social media for educational purposes, it is reassuring to know the ‘K-12 Primer for British Columbia Teacher’s Posting Student’s Work Online’ is available. What needs to happen now is a district-wide adherence to the guidelines with teacher education of the laws and regulations in British Columbia all educators are required to follow.
References:
Hengstler, J. (2013, May 19, 2013). A K-12 primer for British Columbia teachers posting students' work online. Blog post httpHYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/%20http:/jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/?ou=37848":HYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/%20http:/jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/?ou=37848"//jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/
Handbook Primer oHYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/foundations_boundaries/Primer%20on%20Posting%20Minor%20Students%20Final.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=uivBj8ehHxxkYIT6fw2UrRXN4&ou=37848"nHYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/foundations_boundaries/Primer%20on%20Posting%20Minor%20Students%20Final.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=uivBj8ehHxxkYIT6fw2UrRXN4&ou=37848" Posting Minor Students Final.pdf
Privacy Guide to Faculty Using 3rd Party Social Media in Public Post Secondary Courses (http://www.bccampus.ca/assets/Content/Whitepapers/PrivacyGuideforUsing3rdPartyWebTechnologyinPublicPost-SecondaryCoursesRevisedFeb2011.pdf
Last year I introduced the use of social media in my photography course. A class wiki was created for resources, and individual websites for e-Portfolios were created by my students using Weebly. Mind maps were required to demonstrate the learning of key concepts with most of the students choosing to use PreziHYPERLINK "http://prezi.com/pricing/?gclid=COKFgYbQzLkCFcN_Qgod8mMA4Q". Before using these social media sites, I contacted my Principal and asked about privacy and permissions. I had heard of FIPPA (BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act) and was well aware (after switching to an American-based grading program at our school) that personal information stored on servers outside of Canada must have consent in writing. I specifically wanted to know what information I needed to provide to parents and students. My Principal emailed me a list of information that needed to be included in a permission to be sent home to parents along with a “draft letter” to use. The Information in the letter home to parents described: the types of personal information to be placed on the web-based service; privacy and security policies of the web-based service (including the URL); options the students would have to protect their privacy and what the teacher would be doing to make sure students are aware of the privacy issues; how the teacher would monitor the student’s use of the technology; and alternatives for students whose parents do not give permission. Once my permissions were all handed in and a lesson on protecting students’ privacy was given to the class, I believed I had all the bases covered for using social media with my students and felt the class was ready to create websites, participate in a class wiki and use Web 2.0 tools for their presentations.
After reading Julia Hengstler’s A K-12 Primer for British Columbia Teacher’s Posting Student’s Work Online, I was pleased to see that I had covered many of the considerations listed in the primer guide (Hengstler 2013), but I was not as thorough as I should have been. Hengstler gives six considerations for posting student’s work online ( http://jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/ ). In Hengstler (2013), Consideration Five pertains to a safety and protection plan. I had no such plan in place and was fortunate not to have any incidents with the social media tools I used all semester with my students. For what to include in a risk management plan, a teacher may refer to the “Privacy Guide to Faculty Using 3rd Party Social Media in Public Post Secondary Courses” (as posted in Blog post htHYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/%20http:/jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/?ou=37848"tHYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/%20http:/jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/?ou=37848"p://jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/ . Consideration Six addresses the existence of the use of a media waiver that may be used at your school. Hengstler recommends getting a signed statement from your administrator that the waiver is “considered applicable to the educators’ specific case” (2013). As noted by Hengstler, “a waiver alone would not meet the requirements of 'notice' and “knowledge'” for the informed consent required by BC regulations" (2013).
Due to the importance of privacy and risk factors involved with using social media in education, I am amazed at how many teachers just “wing it” and either send home any reasonable looking waiver or ignore the waiver entirely. I sought out my administrators’ knowledge of district requirements for privacy and protection for my students before planning my use of social media. The information I sent home was not specific enough leaving out some of the web 2.0 tools in use. In the event of a safety breach, I had no action plan in place on how to respond to an incident. I can now be more diligent with a primer guide to refer to. As we begin to move more widely into the world of social media for educational purposes, it is reassuring to know the ‘K-12 Primer for British Columbia Teacher’s Posting Student’s Work Online’ is available. What needs to happen now is a district-wide adherence to the guidelines with teacher education of the laws and regulations in British Columbia all educators are required to follow.
References:
Hengstler, J. (2013, May 19, 2013). A K-12 primer for British Columbia teachers posting students' work online. Blog post httpHYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/%20http:/jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/?ou=37848":HYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/%20http:/jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/?ou=37848"//jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-for-british-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/
Handbook Primer oHYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/foundations_boundaries/Primer%20on%20Posting%20Minor%20Students%20Final.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=uivBj8ehHxxkYIT6fw2UrRXN4&ou=37848"nHYPERLINK "https://d2l.viu.ca/content/enforced/37848-OLTD_OLTD506_W70_F2013/foundations_boundaries/Primer%20on%20Posting%20Minor%20Students%20Final.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=uivBj8ehHxxkYIT6fw2UrRXN4&ou=37848" Posting Minor Students Final.pdf
Privacy Guide to Faculty Using 3rd Party Social Media in Public Post Secondary Courses (http://www.bccampus.ca/assets/Content/Whitepapers/PrivacyGuideforUsing3rdPartyWebTechnologyinPublicPost-SecondaryCoursesRevisedFeb2011.pdf