An interesting idea was mentioned in class during week 2 about keeping student data on proprietary school district servers. I had not considered the idea of server location and data storage before this discussion. It makes perfect sense to hold student data locally rather than somewhere it might be vulnerable to data breaches or where data accessibility at later dates might be an issue. As far as personal student information collected by and for the school, it is mandatory that that information is kept in secure district servers. However, it is a teacher’s choice on where to store student data that is used for assignments and projects, like their names, social contacts, social media usernames, etc. This choice is a very important one to consider.
A common place to store student assignments and information in many school districts is with Google. If teachers are asking students to put any of their personal information on Google documents, they should be getting those students’ consent to do so because of the volatility of Google server security. Before they do this though, students need to be educated on why this is important, including what data breaches are, and where their information is being physically stored so they can make an informed decision. This process may essentially prohibit teachers from allowing students to store personal information using Google. This may be for the best option when dealing with student safety. Teachers must exhibit the utmost responsibility and sense of safety in these matters. Using local storage solutions inside the school district may alleviate this issue.
Teachers also have access to school district resources to help them navigate these issues. Dedicated tech experts work in each school district and are able to help teachers discover the best options with keeping students safe on the internet. It is also advisable for teachers to generate a network of knowledgeable people in this field to assist each other with questions and problems. This can alleviate some strain from district resources and help to create community amongst teachers. We are lucky in this class to have Michel as one such person in our network that can help us with these issues, and we will hopefully add many more during the rest of our education and throughout our careers.
