The problems of school modernization Part 2

The panic about data collection

Suffice it to say InBloom instance. It had been a vibrant and formidable non profit academic task that obtained assistance from Corporation and the statement within the quantity of 100 million bucks. Arrange and the purpose of the task was to gather huge levels for academics of information about educational efficiency and academic improvement of pupils in each college and use of them to about the foundation of the info to provide each pupil customized instruction. There shattered a scandal: the parents that were nervous noticed within an try to gather information that was such existing attention of Your Government, which is accessible all private information — closing using the status of the parents and in the quantity. In May of this past year in York express that is new a statement barring state pupil information to be transmitted by academic establishments to third party companies. Quickly the organization InBloom introduced its existence firing.

The story of InBloom — the canonical example of what can be the impact of implementation of mass panic, in this case the parent. Enthusiasts of educational technology believe that all the talk about the incredible danger that affects our personal data, are greatly exaggerated. Betsy Corcoran, founder of EdSurge online writing materials for teachers and developers of new educational technologies, says:

The vast majority of educational start-ups not planning to sell to someone in our data. It is generally not a priority of the business model of such companies.

This is encouraging, because the government is now seeking to organize the control over the collected data. So, in September in the state of California has enacted a law on the protection of personal data of students in the online environment, and in January 2015 Barack Obama proposed a Federal bill on the protection of digital personal information of the students.

Of course, it’s hard not to share the fears of parents who spoke at the time against InBloom. In our crazy world, even the largest technology companies are not protected from leakage of personal data of users (remember the situation with eBay, causing leaks in the network information about the addresses and telephone numbers of several million users). In such circumstances, to entrust their sensitive information is very tiny company that may be glad to protect her, but will not be able to withstand a cyber attack?

Jonathan Mayer, a PhD candidate in information technology at Stanford University, says plainly that the condition of many of the educational web services security looks depressing. Some of them do not use https or even hiding a user-entered password.

Children — is sacred

Let’s be honest. If we are so concerned about privacy of their data, the Internet in the form in which we know it today would not exist. Many innovations of the last decades is based on our willingness to blindly trust Google all the information about visited our web pages, to place a family photo in your profile on Facebook, share on Twitter and give access to mobile applications to data about our location.

Some cases force us to seriously worry about or think about — for example, when we learn about changes in the privacy policy of Facebook or see how the representatives of top management of the taxi service Uber openly admit to tracking the movements of its users. Yes, we are outraged, but not willing to give up the comfort we are offered the usual Internet services.

The whole ideology of technological start-UPS based on output beyond the usual. To achieve this goal, it is easier to ask forgiveness later, than ask for permission. It’s the price of progress.

We are ready to forgive startups many of their missteps. We are willing to forgive what they do with our data, until it affects children. As soon as is implicated in the rising generation, our common sense then he is blocked by emotional experiences, doubts, fear and guilt. We don’t know and can’t predict what kind of world will our children live, because in our eyes, the world has changed beyond recognition, and their powerlessness makes us safe to absurdity.

That’s why educational technologies are being introduced is so difficult. Our mind tells us that technology can really change education for the better; but deep-seated fears whisper: “do not touch, as long as it works, away from trouble”. We don’t know what the results will be any more or less responsible decision, which will affect the upbringing of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of children. We don’t want to take on this responsibility. That is why we dismiss even such seemingly innocuous steps, as using messenger in high school.

Walden dealing with investments in the sector of education startups, described the situation this way:

Many people underestimate the emotional component of the educational sphere. Many come to us typical representatives of Silicon valley and say, “Here, this technology is popular and in demand, and it perfectly works in education.” They think that technology is a sort of philosopher’s stone that all industries are similar to each other, and this is their main mistake.

However, there is still hope for the best: for example, at one of the events for small businesses in the sphere of education founder of ClassDojo Sam Sodere stated that all students collect data will be deleted after one year. It already sounds soothing.

And yet everyone who wants to go with their product in the education sector, you need to remember: we are willing to forgive Facebook or Myspace for many bugs in our direction; but we are not ready to leave unprotected our children.