The pinata-esque grab bag of tech ed options today is undoubtedly dazzling to teachers, so many great apps to inspire students with. Unfortunately, wading through th jargonese of each apps privacy data, or waiting for official approval can be daunting and extremely hampering of the process of acquiring new tools. Aware of these problems and constraints, a coalition of invested educational leaders has developed a solution they call, “Check the Privacy.” An online edtech library, the devised solution houses 7000 educational options. The searchable site, the culmination of years of effort, has descriptions and compliance data for every product included.
The idea for something like this has been bubbling for a long time, says Marlo Gaddis, chief technology officer of North Carolina’s Wake County Public Schools and a founding member of Check the Privacy.
Thus, the need for one place that teachers, administrators, parents and providers can go for unbiased, transparent information about any edtech tool—at no cost.
The Check the Privacy website is up and running, but the library has not yet launched. It will be ready before the start of the 2019-2020 school year, Rectanus says. In the interim, edtech vendors are encouraged to update their privacy policies and terms of service, he says.
Key Takeaways:
- Getting new tech for the classroom can involve tedious waiting for approval, or wading through difficult jargonese to ensure understanding of each item’s unique privacy standards.
- A teacher’s coalition, aware of the escalating problem and the inherent inefficiency have created a searchable library.
- The library will offer in depth specs, including compliance-specfic data, for 7000 educational offerings.
“On top of those items, the searchable library will include a brief description of each product, a place for educators to write and read reviews, pricing information and additional privacy resources and snapshots from education privacy groups including Project Unicorn, Data Quality Campaign, Future of Privacy Forum and Student Data Privacy Consortium.”
