The Educator Magazine U.K. Jan-April 2023. - Magazine - Page 28
Entering a new normal in
education with student privacy
With Mat Pullen, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Education at Jamf
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that no child shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful
interference with his or her privacy. But as technology use in education becomes more prevalent, can institutions protect
students’ data while developing their tech skills?
Although there has been a significant
change in the use of digital resources
brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic,
the drive to go digital in all industries is
an ongoing trend that has accelerated
over years. In the education sector, this
means widely diverse strategies and
stages of digital transformation. Although
some schools can offer one-to-one
devices for all, others have challenges
with connectivity and device availability.
And while there is no prevailing scenario
when it comes to technology in education,
all schools have a role to play in how data
and privacy is handled so that students
and staff are protected within and beyond
the school gates.
Evaluating and deciding on a management
and security strategy for student and
classroom devices is particularly important,
as it affects student privacy. Institutions
must take great care in how privacy data is
gathered, transmitted, stored and shared
with governing bodies and third-party
partnerships.
The value of access
A comparative report by Unicef on Global
Kids online, has posed a question to
parents and students: How does the
internet (and associated online, digital
and networked technologies) contribute
positively to children’s lives and provides
opportunities that contribute to their
well-being?
The report has shown that, contrary to
common belief, children highly value the
internet as a resource to research and
collect information to support formal
learning activities such as homework.
The report has also revealed that the
quality of their access to technology –
including having less parent
restrictions – leads to a better range of
online experiences, as they develop a
sense of agency, and the ability to
explore physical, social and virtual worlds.
These findings show that combining
adequate access to technology and
children’s natural curiosity supports the
development of not only technical skills,
but also creativity and social and civic
engagement.
Technology-enhanced learning has also
shown to accommodate pedagogical
approaches that increase student
engagement and provide teachers with
novel ways to reinforce and expand
on educational content. The use of
technology in learning does not have to
be daunting for educators: management
and security solutions such as Jamf School
and Jamf Safe Internet can facilitate the
journey towards a digital classroom.
Privacy and regulations in education
The education sector, like other critical
industries, is subject to regulations due
to the sensitive nature of the information
that is collected and utilised. Many
well- meaning practices for monitoring
students’ internet use may end up
collecting sensitive information about
them, and in doing so not only go against
Article 16 of the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child (UNCRC) , but also
violate privacy laws in some countries.
Much of the information collected about
employees and students is classified as
Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
This data must be secured by those who
are authorised to handle it, while data
processing must be done with secure
workflows to prevent data leakage and
minimise unintended exposure.
With these regulations and the best
interest of students in mind, how can
institutions create a safe and trusting
learning environment, without invading
their privacy or negatively impacting their
education?
At Jamf, we believe no vendor is more
adamant about security and end-user
privacy than Apple. Apple has a history
of embracing the concept of privacy-bydesign into their products, as well as
taking great measures to make sure that
PII Information is tied to the user —
not the owner of the device — so that
end users retain the rights to data they
generate.
Apple protects data by creating
frameworks, or a collection of processes
for developers that create apps and
services that run on Apple hardware.
These frameworks outline what data can
be accessed, how that data is used and
where that data is stored. Apple also
enforces a series of policies regarding
student privacy and data use for apps
distributed from the App Store. These
policies deliver privacy by limiting access
to which types of data apps can access,
place restrictions on what developers can
do with information that is collected, and
provide transparency into app tracking
methods and practices.
Jamf applies privacy-by-design when
creating its products, adhering to Apple’s
security and privacy frameworks for
maximum protection of data, upholding
the principles established by Apple for
end-user privacy. This commitment has led
to the signing of the K-12 School Service
Provider Pledge to Safeguard Student
Privacy.
Don’t focus on restrictions, focus
on the possibilities
A report from London School of
Economics and Political Science (LSE) ,
appointed several recommendations on
how to increase children’s privacy online.
While the study does not suggest that
children should be able to navigate the
complexity of data protection, it identifies
the need of high-level solutions to enable
parents and teachers to make correct
decisions online. Among several important
recommendations, the report calls for the
need to regulate for privacy-by-design and
privacyby-default. Privacy-by-design is a
concept in which an application, program
or solution is built with embedded core
privacy features.
At Jamf, we believe that educators need to prepare students to create good privacy habits that will serve them as learners
now and in the future. Jamf helps create the ideal technological environment to safeguard students, facilitate
deployment of Apple devices and keep data protected.
To find out about how Jamf can support your school’s digital strategy,
visit us at Bett UK, 29–31 March, at Stand NK50, near the E-sports area.