ETEC647 Internet privacy: what’s it to ya

Truthfully, I don’t feel like I have much on my computer that I would care if someone looked at the information. Of course I do care about financial information being kept private. I keep most of my financial information on paper, I am just not convinced that it is protected online or on my computer (Privacy rights clearinghouse 2012). That being said, I am mostly concerned with how insurance companies, potential employers, business etc. could gain access to my information and use it (ACLU Internet Privacy). I think internet privacy has been an issue of concern for many years and will continue to be. I prefer to keep my digital identity to a minimal but the reality is I probably have at least a few digital fingerprints. The reality is it is helpful to have a digital fingerprint to exist in this society, in some cases it cant be avoided ( New ways to think about online privacy 2012) .

Issues regarding privacy and digital identity for students is something I need to address for my plan b IRB. Through the curriculum I have designed utilizing mobile devices as a tool for science inquiry projects, middle school students will collect, analyze and communicate their findings from their mobile devices. The three most important points I would draw from to advise my students: 1) Do not give out personal information and be critical of sites that do ask you to sign up. Most sites for education will not ask for personal student information. 2) Be aware that what you write and do on the internet could be documented, don’t do something online that you wouldn’t do in real life. 3) Only use free apps and web-based programs from authorized sites, no downloading is the best.

It is important to know your internet privacy rights and responsibility to students. Quoting the federal trade commission web site, “The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, requires commercial website operators to get parental consent before collecting any personal information from kids under 13. COPPA allows teachers to act on behalf of a parent during school activities online, but does not require them to do so. That is, the law does not require teachers to make decisions about the collection of their students’ personal information.” How to Protect Kids’ Privacy Online: A Guide for Teachers http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec10.shtm

ACLU Internet Privacy. ( 2012, March). Retrieved from http://www.aclu.org/technology-and-liberty/internet-privacy
Privacy rights clearinghouse. (2012, March). Retrieved from http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs18-cyb.htm
NPR: All tech considered: New ways to think about internet privacy. (2012, March) Rertrieved from http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/02/29/147669008/new-ways-to-think-about-online-privacy?sc=ipad&f=1019

 

A video for students

Reviewing my group’s website

I just finished looking at all the team’s different websites and I am so impressed! It was interesting to see how everybody accomplished the assignment in different ways. I learned so much on design and how to make my group’s site more user friendly. Some things I would like to change are: some of the blurbs did not line up and went longer than the accompanying picture was wide; make each picture, title and url a link. After viewing how some groups incorporated their resources, I would like to make the resources as part of the main page and include it as one of the web-based tools for instruction. Duh, I feel like we could have done some much with that concept! I mean just think, web-based tools for instruction and encouraging/ facilitating access to research resources. It just makes so much more sense to me now. I also really liked how one group had an updating e-learning news section. This way when you check back on the site, there is always something new. It makes the site a dynamic rather than a stagnant resource.

Eric suggested for our group that it would be helpful if there were examples of how each tool is used and for what age/ type of learner. I think this is a good idea and maybe a table or chart of some sort would be the way to best accomplish that. This way instructors could look at a tool then look at for which grade it works best. Instructors would then be provided with a good base to begin using and incorporating tools. Of course a mindmap could also work!

I think I am inspired to create an interactive mindmap that shows examples for how to integrate the technology tools in middle school science education! We will see how it goes………..
Suggestions are welcome, here is my group’s website
http://elearningecosystem.weebly.com/