As technology becomes a greater presence in school and education, looming privacy and data concerns for students are growing. This is especially true in the U.S., where there’s an emerging trend for schools to allegedly surveil students through their smartphones.In 2018,
the results of a study on education technology and the student data marketplace provided a startling wake-up call. Published by Fordham Law School’s Center on Law and Information Policy (CLIP), researchers found a lack of transparency and no federal oversight to address the issue, as “currently there’s no federal privacy law in the United States that specifically targets the use, retention or resale of student data by private-sector data brokers.”
SKEPTICISM FROM STUDENTS
Across the country, students are expressing mounting skepticism about the way their schools approach student privacy. At Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) this spring, the university will be implementing Ram Attend, a tracking program that monitors student attendance using Wi-Fi access points. When students log into campus Wi-Fi, it triggers a recording of their location. A third party company later compares it to their class schedules.
The university says that only parties with access to the data will be officials with a 'legitimate academic need'.Attendance will only be tracked at three mandatory classes and students were given the ability to opt-out, but some claim they weren’t adequately informed. An editor of the university’s newspaper
said that “students were very angry and surprised” due to the secrecy of the program, and felt that the opt-out process had been made deliberately hidden and confusing. “Most students feel like this is an invasion of privacy, and I agree,” she continued.However, VCU isn’t the only school planning to use, or already using, controversial technology to monitor student attendance. SpotterEDU is a fairly popular choice. Described as an 'automated attendance' app that uses Bluetooth technology to record students’ attendance and notify their professors of their class habits, over 30 schools in the USA already use it: the data collected is aggregated into a point system for grading. The company behind the app
claims they’ve never lost a client and that they don’t sell anyone’s info, but in today’s tech world, how can you be sure?At the University of Missouri, reactions have been mixed. A pilot launch of SpotterEDU is happening there this semester, transitioning from its years-long use in just the athletic department to use in 10-15 other classes. Some students are respectful, and according to a media spokesperson for the university, largely supportive. But a student government representative spoke out against the app,
saying that “it teaches students [that] it’s okay for those with power over you to track your movements, which is already a huge problem in workplaces and isn't something that should be seen as common or okay.”
OTHER TECH CONCERNS
Student tracking issues aren’t as common at elementary and high school levels, but there’s other tech concerns growing there as well, including a trend called the 'Google-ization of the classroom'. With the popularity of Google products in the classroom, advocates and parents are concerned about the specifics of how the tech giant may be using their kids’ data.Many students aren’t buying into the need for tech tracking in education. A high school student in Brooklyn, New York,
voiced his concerns after unwittingly opting into the
College Board Student Search Service, which charges universities to license the data of high school students. The program, which is free and voluntary, aims to give students the opportunity to start important conversations with colleges and and scholarship organizations, and explore their options. It aims to provide information that can support students' transition to college, particularly for historically underrepresented student populations who are already disproportionately unlikely to apply, enroll, and graduate from college.The Brooklyn student thinks education technology is a “good tool,” but that the “wrong people have control over it.” “Until students have more power and voice as to how they’re educated, I think education technology is something we need to reconsider,” he continues.[video_embed id='1884351']Does Valentine’s Day belong in the classroom?[/video_embed]
