Topic 2 How to use and share sensitive data (students’ grades, exams)

Technology tools and apps are making it possible for educators and students to collaborate, create, and share ideas more easily than ever.

When schools use technology, students’ data—including some personal information—is collected both by educators and often the companies that provide apps and online services.

Educators use some of this data to inform their instructional practice and get to know their students better.

It is just as essential for educators to protect their students as it is to help them learn.

There are legal [GDPR] and ethical restrictions that impact districts, school, and teachers.

Traditionally, student data consisted of things like attendance, grades, discipline records, and health records. Access to that data used to be restricted to the administrator, guidance counselor, teacher, or other school official who needed it to serve the educational needs … With the use of technology in schools, traditional data is now often shared with companies that provide Student Information Systems (SIS), Learning Management Systems (LMS), and many other technologies.

https://www.connectsafely.org/eduprivacy/

When a teacher or a college want to start using a new application or service you have according to the GDPR have assure they threat the data created properly. This agreement is called a data processor agreement.

This is normally done by an IT responsible or a manager. If you have any doubts concerning the use of a technology that collect data, you should ask the responsible at your college. Almost all applications and services that is connected online collect a various range of data – even a small app on your phone often collect data on how you use it.

When you need to share sensitive data about your learners, you have to make sure this is done properly. First of all ask yourself: is it necessary to share this data? Secondly make sure you are sharing with a technology/service system your college have approved.

Using your private Hotmail or G-mail to communicate social security number and for example considerations concerning dyslexia is not a good data sharing praxis.