EDUC 639: Social Responsibility

 As educators, we are tasked with the responsibility to shape the academic, moral, and social characteristics of our students. This duty aligns with the the Bible and the teachings of God, which emphasizes the importance of encouraging justice, compassion, and integrity in our communities. Actually, not just encouraging those aspects, but requiring it (I am reading Deuteronomy right now and some of the consequences are pretty harsh). Teaching social responsibility is not an optional part of education, it is a foundational aspect of a child's education and growth.

The responsibility for Christian educators is highlighted by Proverbs 22:6 (New International Version): “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” This verse emphasizes the importance of guiding young students to have hearts and minds that lean toward righteous living, that is you are able to truly instill positive traits into children, those traits will stay with them as they grow. Instilling social responsibility into the students at a young age can help equip students to recognize the effect each of them can have toward their peers. Characteristics like fairness, protecting and inviting the lonely and vulnerable, and working as a team are values central to societal health, education, and the Christian faith.

Research highlights the need for social responsibility in education as well. According to Miller and Kim (2021), integrating ethical and social awareness into curriculum can help students to develop empathy, while it also prepares them to think before they act in diverse situations. Also, a report by Chapman (2022) discusses how character education doesn't just improve their own personal interactions, but it can improve both academic outcomes and community engagement. Instilling positive characteristics into our children doesn't just lead to a better more polite community but also leads to academic advantages and increased overall social health. 

Chapman, M. (2022). Building character: The role of schools in developing social responsibility. Journal of Educational Leadership, 34(3), 45-57.

Miller, R., & Kim, S. (2021). Ethics in education: The impact of teaching social responsibility in the classroom. Journal of Christian Education, 47(2), 12-25.

New International Version. (2011). Holy Bible. Biblica, Inc.

EDUC 639: Security of Data

The security of personal data and privacy for students have become vitally important for educational institutions. With the increasing use of technology in classrooms and the massive amount of data that is now collected, it is crucial to ensure that students' information is kept safe.

One of the primary concerns is the risk of data breaches, which we seem to hear in the news almost on a monthly basis. These leaks can lead to potential identity theft (not a joke) and fraud. With the increased technology in the classroom, some of these technologies involve utilizing third-party applications and trusting the capabilities of these apps to protect our data and the info of our students.

A report from the Government Accountability Office (2020) discusses the potential vulnerabilities in K-12 data security, emphasizing the need for increased measures to protect that sensitive information.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) recommends a framework to protect student data, but there are no mandated security controls. Because nothing is mandated, the schools themselves have to take their own proactive steps to create a policy for data security.

Here are the top recommendations for implementing best practices for student privacy and data security. They are very similar to recommendations we are often given in different websites. First, utilize a strong password and multi-factor authentication. Next, encrypt any sensitive information, outlook and some other email systems have encryption options depending on how your company has the license set up. Third, check to make sure protocols get updated and software gets it’s updates. Fourth is to provide training for the importance of data protection and the process to protect data, like ensuring what makes a strong password strong vs weak. Finally, regular audits, the password app on iphones regularly checks and lets you know if your passwords have shown up on leaked websites, some similar checks should be done to ensure that data is still private with occasional password updates, and to ensure that your company or school is still compliant with security recommendations.

 

According to the Pew Research Center (2023), there is growing public concern over data privacy risks, this concern will likely increase the need for more regulations and government laws to ensure that all possible defensive measures are taken with regard to data security and privacy. New technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) already play a large role in the process of criminals attempting to access our information so we need to figure out how to make sure that these new technologies can benefit us as well with new ideas for security measures (like how Jarvis was re-writing the security codes in Avengers: Age of Ultron).

 

Government Accountability Office. (2020). Data security: Recent K-12 data breaches show that students are vulnerable to harm (GAO-20-644). Retrieved from https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-20-644

Pew Research Center. (2023). Views of data privacy risks, personal data and digital privacy laws in America. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/10/18/views-of-data-privacy-risks-personal-data-and-digital-privacy-laws/

 

 

EDUC 639: Digital Citizenship

In today's world our lives are more connected than ever. I remember in high school getting my first cell phone and just starting to get into social media with myspace...cut to 20 years later, students these days live in a world where their phones are their lifelines, their social interactions, their cash.. almost everything that students interact with have a digital component, usually attached to their phones.  But being online comes with responsibilities and consequences, which is where digital citizenship comes in.

Digital citizenship is all about teaching students how to use technology in a way that’s respectful, safe, and responsible. It is like teaching my 5 year-old table manners, but in a digital sense, like knowing how to interact appropriately, think critically about what they see, and stay safe online. The ISTE Educator Standard 3, "Citizen," highlights how educators should model these practices and encourage students to contribute positively to the digital spaces they occupy (ISTE, 2018). So just simple things like discussing source checking, how I would speak on my blog, how I interact with them over email. Those simple things can help to set a standard so that students can see appropriate digital behavior.

Students need to know that what they post online lasts forever. The term 'digital footprint' is a key term that all students need to start to consider. Encouraging them to pause and think before they post is key. Next, educators can teach the importance of verifying information. This is the digital age, but with the recent presidential election it is starting to feel more like the political age or the 'fake news' age, students should learn how to question sources and avoid spreading misinformation (Chugh et al., 2023).

References

Chugh, R., Turnbull, D., & Cowling, M. A. (2023). Implementing educational technology in higher education institutions: A review of technologies, stakeholder perceptions, frameworks, and metrics. Education and Information Technologies, 28, 16403–16429. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-10835-1

International Society for Technology in Education. (2018). ISTE standards for educators. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-educators