Upon reading Regan & Jesse’s article, it became abundantly clear that we should be protecting student data. The main reasons are concerning consent, choice, and privacy in relation to student data collection. When eLearning is required in schools the idea of choice and consent is unattainable because the educational relationship is mandatory. When edtech companies that use sophisticated aggregate software and big data sign contracts with schools, students and parents lose their ability to know all the information that is being collected and the purpose it is being used for. Furthermore, with sophisticated algorithms aggregating big data across multiple databases, student privacy is threatened as re-identifying individuals through their information is possible. I think a way we can teach students to protect themselves online is to read the terms and conditions that we consent for. However, I think this is unlikely as I myself never read it, and getting students from K-12 to read the terms and conditions is probably an impossible task.
The article describes that with edtech, it is now possible to collect data on student’s keystrokes, their reading patterns and their time spent on social media. This is definitely a breach of privacy and I think it should not be used to personalize learning effectiveness and efficiency since it leaves out everything we do as humans that cannot be quantified into data. A way we can balance the potential of online learning and protect student privacy is by conserving the human element of a teacher and student as much as possible. In my experience video or phone conversations in regard to personalized learning and assessing needs is the most effective. As these conversations do not need to be recorded, student privacy is protected, and online learning is possible.
