Hi Everyone,

As we use more an more technology this year, something that we need to take into account is the safety of our students. There are many laws in place to protect our students, but we must closely adhere to them to prevent getting ourselves in trouble as well as our school. A few of the Tech Tips for this week will focus on these laws and avoiding some programs that are a direct violation of these laws. 

Andrew Nation, M.Ed.
Instructional Technology Specialist

Before I get too far into this, let me preface everything that I am about to write by saying that there is a difference in Zoom and Zoom for K-12. Zoom for K-12 is a paid service that is has additional security measures in place. The free version of Zoom should not be used in any context within K-12 education. It's questionable compliance with Federal guidelines are a legal minefield that is not worth the headache. This is especially true if your school already has subscriptions to another platform, such as Microsoft Teams. 

FromStudentPrivacyMatters.org:
Here are a few privacy and security Zoom issues in the news:

• Zoom falsely claiming data is end to end encrypted, Verge link 
• Zoom sharing user data with Facebook, link
• Zoom sharing  user data  with LinkedIn, link 
• Zoombombing  and FBI warning, link
• Zoom routing data (with encryption keys) through China, link
• Over 500,000 Zoom accounts being sold on the dark web, link
• Zoom’s security issues were exposed over 2 years ago by Dropbox, this is not a new problem, link
• Class action lawsuit for unlawful eavesdropping, link
• NY, CT, FL Attorneys General investigate Zoom security practices
  • NY resolved Zoom investigation: NY created this master agreement where Zoom must adhere to certain security requirements but agreement does not require Zoom to get consent or inform parents of when third parties access their children’s data, does not prohibit re-disclosure of data. The agreement does not address use of artificial intelligence, facial recognition, nor is Zoom required to tell parents how student data are analyzed or profiled.
• Maryland parents concerned about privacy, security of student data collected by Google and Zoom for Education, link 
• Colorado Attorney General investigates Zoom for Education, link
• The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a complaint with the FTC against Zoom in July 2019. “Zoom intentionally designed its web conferencing service to bypass browser security settings and remotely enable a user’s web camera without the knowledge or consent of the user.”  link

The Bottom Line
I continuously have people asking me about Zoom here at Bolles. I will say that based on research about the free version of the platform, I do not recommend that it be used in any capacity within Education. Here at Bolles, we have Microsoft Teams and Schoology Conferences for the purpose of video meetings. I do not recommend venturing outside of those platforms as the legal ramifications are not worth it. 

When working in a BYOD environment, installing software on Student computers can be tricky. Students may not always have the permissions to install programs on the device as they may not be an admin on their device or they may have parental controls set that would prevent them from downloading Apps from the App store. A few tips for installing software on Student Computers:

• Never plan to install software and use it on the same day. Always plan to install it during one class and then use it during the next class meeting. This allows students who do not have permission to install on their device to go home and get help from there parents. 
• Students who do not have permission to install on their devices should not be sent to IT. There is nothing that the IT Department can do to bypass the restrictions on the device.
• Post a link to the install file or App Store link on Schoology so that students can access it at home with their parents. 

Hi everyone!

As we continue in our school year, many of us are feeling fatigue from everything that is going on. The prolonged use of screens does not help with this. Check our the tools below, but also take the time to read some of the information about Blue Light and how to reduce its negative effects. 

Andrew Nation, M.Ed.
​Instructional Technology Specialist

Wakelet is a great platform for content curation! It is a great way to put all of your online resources in a single list that actually looks nice. The best part? Wakelet is a free product! Click the button above to learn more. 

One of the common topics lately is blue light exposure from screen time. It is true that prolonged exposure to blue light from screen usage can mess with your circadian rhythm. ClickHERE to learn more about circadian rhythms. Click HERE to learn more about the adverse effects of blue light from a Harvard study. One of the ways to combat this is by using blue light filtering glasses or many electronic devices now digitally remove blue tones from the screen when using a blue light filter. In Windows 10, this is called Night Light. 

Hi Everyone,

This year has been crazy so far to say the least. Unfortunately, last week was a particularly busy week for me and sadly, there was not a Tuesday Tech Tips for last week. Never fear! We are back this week with more! Check out the tutorials and ideas down below. 

Andrew Nation, M. Ed.
​Instructional Technology Specialist

Work smarter, not harder. Some of the tech that we are using adds a little more to the planning stages of lessons, but we have the opportunity to design our assignments to lessen the amount of time spent grading. Using Schoology Test/Quizzes and Assessments can be an easy way to create a self-grading assignment. What if you need something hand written? Are you going to set-up a OneNote Class Notebook for one assignment? Probably not. Check out the tutorial for how to create assignments using PowerPoint and the Schoology OneDrive Assignments app. It's listed below as "Make PDFs Fillable in PowerPoint."

I hope that you are starting to settle into a routine. When you start planning your assignments, please feel free to reach out and schedule time with me to discuss what might work best in your classroom. Digitizing your curriculum and assignments can be fun. We just have to discover what that looks like for your class.  

Andrew Nation, M.Ed.
​Instructional Technology Specialist

 By: Adam Stone via Ed Tech Magazine