Beyond COPPA’s parental consent issue, it’s important to know that even though the law specifically regulates technology companies, teachers and schools aren’t off the hook when it comes to understanding the law and its intent.
COPPA was originally enacted in 1998—20 years ago! Technology has changed a lot during that time. And the technologies that kids use both on their own and in school are no exception. Innovative teachers—many of whom tend to be early adopters of new tech—are likely to try out tools that haven’t been made specifically for kids or haven’t been made with educational use in mind. Along with innovative teaching comes the responsibility to understand how our students’ data is being collected and used.
What can teachers do?
1. Know your school’s policies on adopting new technologies and follow them. Does your school or district have an approved list of apps and sites for student use? Chances are, students’ data privacy issues were a big part of the decision to approve—or not approve—a tool.
2. Choose your classroom tech wisely.
- Stick to tools designed with education in mind, especially if kids are going to sign up and create accounts. Products that commercialize student learning are not recommended.
- When you bring new tech into your classroom, be mindful about how the tools ask kids to sign up, enter personal information, or share anything online—and choose products that minimize and avoid unnecessary information collection.
- Always provide information to parents about what tools you’re using in the classroom.
- Avoid apps, games, or websites that seem focused on advertising.
- Be cautious with tools that claim to be for education but are also aimed at consumers or the business world.
3. Not sure about a technology tool? Common Sense’s privacy evaluations can help. These evaluations for many of the most popular edtech tools identify and explain the privacy risks in ways that are easy to understand.
[Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on Common Sense Education.]