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Explore resources and strategies for teaching digital citizenship. Help students navigate the online world responsibly and safely.

CybersecurityDigital Citizenship

Cyber Protection: A Basic Right

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Schools are laden with video surveillance cameras. Their goal is to protect children, but the effect is often the opposite. Video surveillance provides insight into what happened but doesn’t necessarily prevent it. Encryption prevents bad things from happening. Why not empower students and staff with knowledge?

The Problem with Schools and Encryption

Schools don’t often teach encryption to students and staff because it may be inconvenient. Those tasked with people and technology management have to work harder. Yet, in my experience, encryption is a critical pillar of digital citizenship. We must teach not only to protect our privacy settings but our data. And in doing so, learn the value of holding others accountable. Let’s explore how.

[Encryption] matters for children because while it protects their data and right to privacy and freedom of expression, it also impedes efforts to monitor and remove child sexual abuse materials and to identify offenders attempting to exploit children online (source).

Protect: An Essential Element

Dr. Ribble outlines essential elements of digital citizenship in this ISTE.org article. He highlights nine elements, of which one is Protect. In that overview of Protect element, he writes:

  • Digital rights and responsibilities. Students must understand their basic digital rights to privacy, and freedom of speech.
  • Digital safety and security. Digital citizens need to know how to safeguard their information (source).

At a session during the Google Summer Camp 2022, participants expressed their appreciation. They had no idea how to encrypt their own data for protection or how to send encrypted emails. But a minority of attendees questioned whether school staff (teachers, clerks) should know.

Encryption: A Basic Right?

Some argue that encryption is a basic right. It is more indispensable today than ever before. They write:

Studies show that access to encrypted communications is a human rights issue. End-to-end encryption make your messages…unintelligible…to snoops and interlopers. [They] can’t access what you’re saying—and neither can the company that offers the platform. People who once thought they had nothing to hide may realize that era is now over (source).

Who is to teach students and staff how to safeguard sensitive data if not schools? It would be easy to introduce it as a part of mandated digital citizenship training.

By taking the time to carefully communicate with staff and students the importance of protecting private data, you can minimize the threat of breaches and unauthorized access (source).

Preemptive Protection

We want our children and staff in schools to learn encryption. They must know how to protect themselves. Why do we avoid encryption instruction when we teach digital citizenship? The answer to that question reveals something about schools today.

Without encryption, none of us has a chance to enjoy limited privacy. Encryption is one of the tools we must have at our disposal. It’s also useful to companies, even though they make a living by mining our information. Encryption is as essential for the rest of us. (adapted from source).

Our schools have a thousand eyes, watching for danger. Yet surveillance cameras only show us what happens AFTER bad things occur. Encryption can prevent them BEFORE they do.

TCEA offers the online, self-paced Data Guardian course. Learn how to safeguard sensitive data in your school district. You will learn about why it is important to secure data, how to encrypt it, how to protect your passwords. You will learn the best ways to secure your data and device(s) as well as what you put in the cloud. Sign up now.

Tips to Share

Here is a short list of tips you can share with students and staff. You can find a plethora of suggestions online. CommonSense.org offers a wide variety of lessons for students. ClassTime.org offers five tips for teachers to protect student data. You can read past TCEA blog entries with tips for schools on safeguarding sensitive data.

There is plenty of data, research, and tips. What are you doing to empower children and staff with encryption?

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AndroidDigital CitizenshipDigital LiteracyGoogle Tips and TricksiOS Tips and Tricks

Two Options for Stopping Smartphone Trackers

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Do you have a friend or co-worker you only can trust so far? You know the “I have an important secret to keep that would be problematic if shared with this person” type situation? If you’re sharing confidential data with your smartphone, it’s the same. You are blabbing too much. If you object to others sharing secrets against your will, you may want to pay attention to what I share today. Every day, as you use your smartphone, it’s sharing your information.

Smartphone users like you share 250 million terabytes of data every day. And companies track everything you do or say with your smartphone. They do this because, in the next three years, the in-app advertising market will reach $234 billion. Let’s explore two ways to safeguard your smartphone.

“My smartphone experience will never be the same again. I feel empty and dumb, naked and invaded.” -Famina

smartphone trackers
Image Source: Techaeris

Data Tracking Apps

“I deleted all but two of my dictionary apps on my phone! I had about fifteen of them,” says Famina. She goes on to write that her dictionary apps were sending information to Google LLC. Most of us install apps on our phones all the time. Sometimes, it’s situational. You’re out somewhere and someone says, “Try this app out! It lets you do so much.”

smartphone trackers
Image Source: TikTok

Or you could be in a conference session and the speaker says, “Install TikTok. Learn how to use it to promote digital resources, programming, and engagement. “Sixty percent of business owners recently reported (source) that TikTok helps their business. Why shouldn’t educators feel the same way?

Headlines, like this one from BuzzFeed News, are important to consider:

Leaked Audio From 80 Internal TikTok Meetings Shows That US User Data Has Been Repeatedly Accessed From China…“Everything is seen in China.”

Your data is being gathered and tracked.

Your phone is the ideal tool for advertisers and data brokers. They collect your information and serve you ads based on it. Ad companies use software development kits (SDKs). They give those to app developers for free and the developers make money from ads the companies sell.

Your location data, as well as other data, gets sent to someone else (source). The data is also sold to various other entities, including law enforcement. Besides not using apps like TikTok, known to share your data, what else can you do?

Stopping Data Tracking

You may throw up your hands in despair. How can you use your phone and valued services (e.g. weather) without unwanted data sharing?

smartphone trackers
Screenshot by author, https://youradchoices.com/

Kim Komando offers eight ways you can prevent smartphone tracking. Here are a few of those that I have done:

  • Disabling location services and opting out of ads.
  • Use a more secure browser, like Brave or Firefox Focus, both of which I use.
  • Visit the Digital Advertising Alliance website, which offers a tool to opt out of ads on your phone.

But Kim doesn’t share everything you can do. Let’s explore two more options.

Stop Tracking Me

Two more options you can take advantage of include using online scanning tools. These check apps for trackers before you install them on your phone. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, right? Once your data is out there, who knows where it will go?

smartphone trackers
Screenshot by Blokada

Option #1: Blokada

Blokada is an ad blocker and privacy app for Android and iOS. It is open source and a secure software. In spite of that, Blokada (especially on iOS) costs money. It offers two plans, including Blokada Cloud ($19.99 per year) and Blokada Plus ($62.00 per year or $6.49/mo).

What do you get for that cost?

  • Blocks ads and trackers
  • Works for all apps and browsers
  • Requires no root or jailbreak
  • Safe design that does not break encryption
  • More protection when using a VPN (available as part of Blokada Plus)

You can get it for Android or iOS. You can give it a try for seven days during a free trial, but cancel your subscription before then if you opt against it.

Option #2: Tracker Control

Another option for your consideration is Tracker Control. Available only for Android, it makes it easy for you to check and control hidden data collection. To detect tracking, Tracker Control relies on the disconnect blocklist and an in-house blocklist. Created from analyzing approximately two million apps, the in-house blocklist is powerful.

The Best Solution

Most of us rely on our phones for many reasons. From game-station to ebook reader to social connector, our phones do a lot. The least of which is allow us to make phone calls. Yet when we fail to secure our data on the devices we use, we become co-conspirators. Co-conspirators in selling our data with little benefit or awareness.

The best solution may be to avoid installing apps that sell our data. Using tools like Blokada and Tracker Control can make a big difference– a difference that can mean everything when someone is trying to get a credit card in our name or a loan.

Feature Image Source

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

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key in a lock
ChromebooksCTO/CIOCybersecurityDigital CitizenshipGoogle Tips and Tricks

Update Your Browser Now: Seven Tips for Securing Google Chrome

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

“Update now! Multiple vulnerabilities patched in Google Chrome.” It’s a headline that you encounter with surprising regularity. Here are a few more from May to July 2022. Each is sure to chill any IT Director’s heart:

Let’s explore some steps you can take to avoid Google Chrome issues and keep your browser secure.

Did You Know?

In August, 2022, a new Gmail attack was announced that exploits Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers. “SHARPEXT is a malicious browser extension,” reports Volexity.com.  The threat? It can bypass two-factor or multi-factor authentication on Gmail. This means that even if you do have two-factor authentication, your Gmail may be accessed by nefarious individuals seeking to steal your data. Follow the suggestions in this blog entry to avoid SHARPEXT.

Use a Secure, Chromium Alternative

Want to keep working in the Chromium ecosystem but are worried about the headlines? Then consider getting one of the following Chromium-based browsers that are hardened for security:

You might also try Microsoft Edge as an alternative browser. It supports the Chrome web store but enjoys Microsoft’s ongoing support. Of course, Google will tell you to use Chrome, and Microsoft will say browse securely with Edge, but it’s up to you to choose.

update browser
Screenshot by author

If you would rather not deal with Chrome/Chromium browsers at all, then consider Firefox. These Firefox-based browsers get the job done and enjoy increased security:

For the best compatibility with websites, Firefox works great while safeguarding your privacy. If you need more intensive protection, get Firefox Focus. Both work on mobile devices, too. Of course, LibreWolf offers even more stringent protection on the desktop.

update browser
Screenshot by author

What’s the main problem with Google Chrome that these alternate browsers address? A wide variety of permissions and settings set to “open” or “allow.” It’s like leaving the doors and windows of your domicile open when there are criminals around.

Let’s see how you can secure Google Chrome, especially if you have to use it for work purposes.

Securing Google Chrome

A Google Chrome browser design flaw could allow malicious websites to record audio or video. This could occcur without alerting the user. The user would not get any visual sign that they are being spied on. (Source: The Hacker News, 2017)

Here is a list of suggestions that Zaafir (@zaafirsalam) provides, and I’ve shared a video or image with each one. Let’s explore each one at a time.

Tip #1: Set Site Permissions

Google Chrome may be set to allow access to your location, camera, and/or microphone. To limit what Chrome makes available to websites you visit, follow these instructions:

  1. Go to Settings in Chrome.
  2. Select Privacy and Security.
  3. Click Site Settings.
  4. Disable access for location, camera, and microphone.

Here’s a no-audio video walkthrough on how to do that:

Tip #2: Secure DNS and Connections

A lot of websites fail to secure their connections with your browser. That is, they allow connections that enable malicious folks to steal your password. Think of it as writing your bank account and password on a postcard. It’s not the best way to send confidential information.

Google’s Chrome browser allows both secure and insecure connections. You can restrict that by follow these steps:

Tip #3: Restrict Pop-Ups and Redirects

Ever visited the wrong website by accident? If the site is malicious, it may attempt to open countless pop-up windows. These will open up faster than you can close them. A malicious site may also redirect you to a series of inappropriate websites. Combined with unstoppable pop-ups, you may find yourself a long ways away from where you began.

Only allow pop-up windows for sites you trust. Here’s how you can restrict pop-ups and redirects in your Site Settings.

Screenshot by author
Screenshot by author

Note that you can allow specific, or custom, websites to send you pop-ups that are allowed. This can be handy on government and education websites that require pop-ups.

Tip #4: Disable Third-Party Cookies

As you may know, cookies are bits of code that store information about your internet use in your browser. Worse, these cookies can track you across websites. Websites like Facebook use these cookies to track your interests. Then, based on your interests, deliver tailored advertisements. Do a search on baby formula, you will soon see advertisements for diapers and baby stuff.

Here’s how you can disable third-party cookies via your Privacy and Security Settings:

Tip #5: Enable Enhanced Protection

You can turn on an additional layer of protection. The purpose of enhanced protection is to provide more protection. What’s more, it enables you as the user to flag suspicious content to Google. This helps everyone reduce the risks of malware spreading to others.

Here’s how you can turn it on:

Tip #6: Stop Background Apps

Wondering why your computer is running slow? It may be that Google Chrome is taking up memory. This happens even when you’ve “closed” Chrome. It’s closed for you, but Chrome continues to work in the background of your computer. It uses up valuable resources other programs may need. Turn it off completely.

To do that, go to System in the Settings and turn off “Continue running background apps.”

update browser
Screenshot by author

Tip #7: Conduct a Safety Check

Want to conduct a safety check? Access your Settings, looking for Privacy and Security. Select “Check now” to run a safety check on your browser.

update browser
Screenshot by author

Ensuring Browser Security

If you want to avoid making these changes, consider using one of the alternative browsers. They are already locked down. Keep a browser like Firefox or Chrome around. Use them only for legitimate websites that need a less restrictive experience.

Also, consider using these browser add-ons that allow you to turn security on or off as needed per website:

Finally, consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when using the web at home or on the go (work environments may restrict their use). Let me know how your browsing experience changes for the better.

Photo by Amol Tyagi on Unsplash

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Back to SchoolDigital CitizenshipDigital Literacy

Common Sense Education’s Free Resources for Back to School

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

Back to school is officially here. Some schools in the U.S. started in late July but as we approach mid to late August, we’re seeing even more back-to-school pictures pop up. Common Sense Education is here for it. And so is TCEA! I wanted to share several new resource and articles offered by Common Sense Education that I think you’ll find useful for the beginning of this new school year. Let’s take a look!

Customizable Templates

Common Sense Education recently posted these helpful templates for educators and caregivers. They cover all grade levels and include digital citizenship agreements, dinner conversation starters, and family guides you can share with caregivers.

Common Sense Education templates

Roundup of Best Ed Tech Tools

Here’s Common Sense’s roundup of 46 back-to-school tools for supporting instruction with technology. These tools are categorized under the following topics:

  • Social-emotional learning
  • Curriculum and lesson planning
  • Feedback, assessment, and porfolios
  • Organization and productivity
  • Parent and student communication
  • Presentation and video
  • Professional growth
Ed Tech Tools Roundup

Tips by Text

Common Sense Education is now offering families and caregivers a free text service in English and Spanish. Guardians can sign up to recieve tips for healthy technology use via text at no charge! Tips will include information on screen time management, choosing developmentally appropriate media and apps, setting boundaries, and recommendations for entertainment based on age. Share this information with your students’ families! And, as a bonus, here is an article with Four Tips on Managing Devices and Screen Time for Families you can share as well.

Common Sense Media Tips by Text

Additional Common Sense Education Articles

Have any resources you’d add to this list? Leave them in the comments for everyone to enjoy. And have a happy back to school!

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Digital Citizenship

A Free Resource for News Literacy Lessons

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

The ability to discern what is fact and what is opinion seems to be more in demand today than ever. Regardless of politics, it is important to develop news literacy. And that is a skill that must be taught; it is not developed naturally on its own. So how can educators ensure that their students have news literacy practice that is reliable and unbiased? Fortunately, Checkology has the answer.

What Is Checkology?

Checkology was created by the News Literacy Project, a nonprofit organization. It was designed to help “learners develop the ability to identify credible information, seek out reliable sources and apply critical thinking skills to separate fact-based content from falsehoods.” The lessons are aligned to a variety of state and national standards, including Common Core, Texas, and ISTE. Checkology also offers a completely free e-learning platform that houses the lessons and includes the following features:

  • Unlimited classes and student accounts
  • Numerous interactive, expert-led lessons
  • Dozens of practice, extension, and fact-checking activities to supplement the core lessons in a course
  • Preset courses to make it easy to get started
  • In-platform student supports (hints and vocabulary)
  • The Check Center, an opportunity to learn and practice digital verification skills
  • A comprehensive word wall, offering quick access to a glossary of news literacy terms
  • Class and assignment settings for flexibility in your learning environment
  • Educator ability to assign co-teachers to each section of students, enabling that teacher to also access and evaluate student work
  • Evaluation tools allow educators to see and access all work that a student submits through its lightweight learning management system (LMS).

news literacy

Checkology’s video-driven content is designed for middle school and high school students, but the platform has been successfully used with students from fifth grade through community college, as well as with adult learners. Each lesson, challenge, and exercise has a difficulty ranking meant to assist educators as they create a customized course for their students.

Getting Started

The Checkology website is open now for you to register. Learn how to get started with these resources.

Does Checkology Work for News Literacy?

Checkology has retained an outside evaluation consultant to develop a pre-platform assessment and individual post-lesson assessments to measure student growth for specific learning objectives. (When students first log in to the platform, they will be prompted to begin the pre-platform assessment. Students will not see the results and are not scored.) Student growth is impressive. After completing the lessons, nearly nine in 10 students could correctly identify the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment and two-thirds of them could correctly identify the traits of quality journalism. The study also showed that the number of students demonstrating an understanding of the watchdog role of the press more than doubled.

news literacy

Final Thoughts on News Literacy and Checkology

Checkology provides a strong educator help center with short video tutorials and other resources. In addition, their student privacy policy is available and very clear. If you are looking for news literacy lessons for younger students or just want to add to those from Checkology for secondary students, check out what Common Sense Education offers as a part of their digital citizenship curriculum. And the TCEA blog has a number of other free tools. Whatever resources you use, please make sure you are helping students to develop and practice this critical skill!

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Back to SchoolClassroom ManagementDigital CitizenshipLeadershipLibrariesOnline Tools and AppsPlanning and PreparationSocial-Emotional LearningSTEM/STEAM

Back-to-School Roundup

by Sara Qualls
written by Sara Qualls

Where did the summer go? With the start of a new year, I’ve gathered back-to-school resources from our amazing PD team and staff here at TCEA. Check out this categorized list full of ideas to create a successful school year.

You can skip to a section by selecting a category below:

Icebreakers

Bellringers

Leadership

In the Library

STEM

Social Emotional Learning

Activities

Templates

Lesson Planning

Choice Boards

Tools

Classroom Management

Classroom Walls

Coaching

Artificial Intelligence

Icebreakers

Bellringers

Leadership

Image of a bingo card for a Staff Summer Bingo Game

In the Library

STEM

  • Prepping for a STEM/STEAM Year
    STEM/STEAM activities are a powerful way to engage students. Here are a few resources to help you prepare for a stem-rific school year.
  • Back to School with STEM
    STEM activities are a powerful way to engage students. Here are a few resources to kick off your school year in the STEM direction.

Social Emotional Learning

Activities

Templates

self-reported grades

Lesson Planning

  • 2000+ Lesson Plan Templates and Ideas for K12
    Discover a wealth of lesson plan template resources and treasures in this searchable collection for grades K-12 in all subject areas.
  • Back to School Apps for Lesson Planning
    Looking for tools to make lesson planning easier? Look no further than these three free apps that can assist you in designing amazing learning experiences.
  • Lesson Planning: 5E Model + Technology
    Lesson planning remains a tool for teachers to use to make sure they are covering the required material. If you follow the 5E Model for planning and add technology to it, you end up with a very powerful way to bring the curriculum to life for all students.

Choice Boards

Tools

Classroom Management

Classroom Walls

Coaching

  • Ten Ideas for Tech Coaches to Help Their Teachers Grow
    Explore creative and fun ways for tech coaches to encourage teachers in their growth with technology integration. Ready, set, ed tech!
  • Conference for Educational Coaches
    Sign up for the Conference for Educational Coaches (CEC) to discover the latest in professional development, best practices for coaching, and even more ideas for supporting educators. Attend in person in Austin, Texas or online from October 9-10.

Artificial Intelligence

For Texas Educators

I hope these strategies, activities, templates, and more get the brain flowing with ideas to create a successful start. Have a wonderful new school year!

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Digital CitizenshipDigital LiteracyLeadership

Empowering Students as Digital Leaders

by Jessica Mays
written by Jessica Mays

As an educator, I want our learners to recognize the power of technology and its potential to cultivate world leaders who will leave meaningful impacts on our society. In order for this to be achieved, we must provide students with the knowledge and skills to engage in digital environments safely, responsibly, and with confidence. In a recent TechNotes post titled “Where Do We Go From Here?”, Luann Hughes charges all of us to take action to “correct the problems that unsafe online access is creating for our students.” So, where do we begin? We must offer up opportunities for students to be digital leaders.

Ask the Students

“Always ask the students first.” I have this simple sentence written on a sticky note posted prominently on my computer screen. I look to it as a daily reminder of how critical it is to involve students, our most important stakeholders, in all that we do. When I reflect on my most successful lessons, projects, and programs, they all have included student input or feedback. In the instances where I failed to include students, the results were far less favorable.

Students serve as leaders in their schools in a number of ways. From involvement in student organizations to athletics to fine arts, students assume leadership roles in a variety of ways and create lasting, positive impressions on staff and their peers alike. If students have the ability to lead in these ways, why would we not ask them to use their skills and talents to promote digital literacy and citizenship?

Two Ways to Promote Student Leadership

As a parent and educator, I believe I have done a good job in communicating how to safely and responsibly live, learn, and work in our technology-rich world. The truth is, regardless of my efforts, my students and my children will far surpass my efforts, because as digital natives who have been immersed in technology since birth, they have a unique perspective that I, and most current educators, do not have.

Rather than waiting for our students to become parents and educators, how might we empower them to lead learning now? Here are two ways you can involve students in promoting digital literacy and citizenship.

  1. Create a club or an elective class with the purpose of learning about digital literacy and citizenship and educating the student body in these areas.
  2. Form a student advisory committee to help the campus make informed decisions and to weigh in on the school’s strategic planning.

What Can These Student Groups Do?

Before establishing a class, club, or committee, it is important to set goals for the students’ involvement. Here are examples of the activities these student groups can take on.

Clubs and Classes may be leveraged to:

  • Design digital citizenship and literacy resources for peers, teachers, and parents
  • Co-teach lessons with teachers, counselors, and librarians
  • Lead social media campaigns for responsible online behaviors
  • Speak to peers at school assemblies and other functions
  • Serve as school ambassadors at community events
  • Conduct outreach programs at other campuses within your district
  • Mentor their peers

Advisory Committees may be leveraged to:

  • Share student perspectives and opinions at meetings
  • Poll peers 
  • Collaborate with staff to develop recommendations
  • Conduct informal studies and research
  • Participate in panel discussions

Six Tips for Getting Started

Regardless of whether you are forming a club or organizing a committee, launching any program can be challenging. Here are a few suggestions to help you get off to a strong start.

Starting a digital literacy and citizenship club, class, or advisory committee

1. Start Small

Begin with a single class or a club with a limited number of students. Consider forming a student version of an existing committee. For example, if you have a teacher technology advisory committee, you might launch a student technology advisory committee as a companion.

2. Build on What You Know

What are some challenges students in your school are having? Leverage the club, class, or committee to address these needs first.

3. Maximize Students’ Existing Talents

Do the students involved enjoy public speaking, designing publications, or posting on social media? Maximize these existing skills within the scope of your student leadership groups.

4. Begin by Curating Rather than Creating

Rather than having students design their own publications at the start, teach them how to responsibly source, curate, and share existing publications that are relevant to the group’s mission and the staff and student body. 

5. Plan for Training

This will likely be a new experience for students. Prioritize time for training the students on skills and content. Time spent up front to do this will help ensure that students feel confident in their roles and the quality of their work will be stronger.

6. Leverage Community Support

Which businesses or community organizations have visions that align with your student group’s goals? Partner with them for support. They may have resources, training, facilities, equipment, and funding that they are willing to share in this partnership.

The Benefits 

Starting any new program can be daunting and time consuming. However, the benefits are abundant. Aside from empowering students to engage with technology safely, responsibly, and with confidence, student-led digital literacy and citizenship programs open doors to:

  • Partnerships with corporations and community organizations
  • Increased technology support capacity
  • Visibility by State and local leaders
  • Just-in-time digital learning
  • A comprehensive technology support system
  • Meaningful experiences for students that translate to post-secondary education and the workforce
  • Excitement for and innovation in learning

Beginning this school year, I am commiting to empowering students to lead learning in digital literacy and citizenship. I hope you’ll join me and start something great at your school!

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CybersecurityDigital CitizenshipSocial MediaSocial-Emotional Learning

Where Do We Go from Here?

by Luann Hughes
written by Luann Hughes

I can’t stop thinking about May 24. Nineteen innocent students and two faultless teachers senselessly lost their lives. One teen, only 18 years old, was so troubled that he shot his own grandmother and murdered 21 people in what should be a place of safety– school.  

I have been in public education for 42 years. As all of us who have been around for a while can attest, there are many changes and challenges that public schools have weathered. But this continuing trend of hatred and rage has me worried and heartsick.  

The Effects of Social Media and Online Content

We are seeing the profound effect of social media, access to inappropriate information, and easy anonymous communication on those that we in public schools want most to protect– our students. In our physical world, the boundaries and restrictions are easier to maintain. But, in the world of technology, “anything goes.”  The easy access to hatred and violence online can cause children to be desensitized and create the potential for aggression. Things that people would never say to each other in a civilized conversation in our society are celebrated on social media. Make no mistake, our students are watching how adults, including our country’s leadership, behave (or misbehave) online. 

Managing and Monitoring Online Access: How?

School districts spend thousands of dollars every year trying to keep inappropriate websites off the screens of school computers. Parents face an almost insurmountable challenge in trying to keep their children away from information that should never be exposed to those of such a tender age. Our children have access at their fingertips to things that can be very harmful to them (think sexting, cyberbullying, and pornography.) There are reasons why children SHOULD have restricted access to certain content until they are adults. Children do not have the skill set, maturity, or experience to handle it. 

Digital Citizenship Needs Action, Not Just Talk 

The time has come for us to recognize this problem and take action. Digital citizenship requires more than mere lip service in our state standards and local curriculum. It must be intentionally taught and supported in the classroom. However, teachers have not been provided with the right tools to help students navigate this brave new world that technology has brought us. Technology leaders and parents must demand that funding be provided and regulations enacted to keep our children safe and smart online, both in and out of school. Additionally, it is imperative that we find better ways to use technology for recognizing students who are crying out for help. We have left our students alone to manage technology that is too much for them for too long.   

Five Ways to Take Action 

Now we ask, “Where do we go from here?”  Here are some steps we can take to 

  1. Contact your state legislators.  
    • Let them know the importance of funding ways for students to ask for help online, or help other students by reporting what they see.  
    • Stress the importance of teaching digital citizenship and safety as a required part of the curriculum.
  2. Explore some of these free resources to learn more:
  3. Get students involved on your campus to help create a Digital Safety Awareness program.  
  4. Partner with your counselors or student services department to have digital safety and awareness sessions for parents. Even better still, engage and encourage parents to help lead these sessions.
  5. Speak up often about how to be safe and healthy online. You know that your students (and your own children and grandchildren) are listening and looking to you for guidance. Learn how your students can get help online and then share with them how to use those resources. Let them know that it is OK to ask for help or tell an adult when they know someone who needs help.

I have talked about this for too long without taking enough action to correct the problems that unsafe online access is creating for our students. I’m ready to take action. Will you join me?

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AdvocacyCoding/Computer ScienceCurricular StandardsCybersecurityDigital CitizenshipDigital LiteracySTEM/STEAMTechnology ApplicationsTEKS

SBOE to Consider Tech TEKS and Computer Science Update

by Jennifer Bergland
written by Jennifer Bergland

The Texas Education Agency, at the request of the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE), has been working with various groups of educators to review and revise the K-8 Technology Applications TEKS and four high school computer science courses. At the April board meeting, the SBOE approved the revisions on first reading. This triggered a required period for the public to provide comments on the new TEKS. The board will vote to approve the revised standards at their June meeting. Below is a brief summary of their work with instructions on how you can provide feedback to the board. I have also included a link to the proposed TEKS at the bottom of this post. 

Review of the Process

In order to facilitate the review and revision of a set of standards, the SBOE nominates educators, parents, business and industry representatives, and employers to serve on TEKS review work groups. Work groups make recommendations to the SBOE for revisions to the TEKS.

K-8 Technology Applications TEKS

The K-8 Technology Applications were last revised in 2011. Since then, several pieces of legislation have passed that have changed the scope and direction of the standards. In 2019, the passage of HB 2984 (86R) required the SBOE to include “coding, computer programming, computational thinking, and cybersecurity” into the K-8 Tech Apps curriculum. Also in 2019, SB 11 (86R) required the inclusion of digital citizenship and cyberbullying into the curriculum. 

Overview of the K-8 TEKS Changes

From their inception, the K-5 Technology Applications standards were grouped into grade bands (K-2; 3-5). The reviewers have recommended that the K-5 standards be broken into single grades just as they are in other content areas. Each grade level has its own set of TEKS. The different work group documents for the K-8 TEKS can be found on this TEA web page. 

The work groups also combined strands, added new ones, and even reduced the number of strands. There are now five strands instead of six. I have listed them below and provided the group’s rationale for their proposed changes. 

The primary change is the direction and rigor of the standards. The former TEKS were primarily teaching students how to use technology. With the introduction of computational thinking, coding, computer programming, and cybersecurity the TEKS are substantially more focused on building the academic skills that are involved in computer science.

My advice to teachers and school districts is to begin reviewing and studying the standards now so you will be prepared for their implementation in the 2024-2025 school year. These standards will take a much more concerted effort to implement than the ones they are replacing.

Strand Changes for the K-8 TEKS

Below are the strands the work groups have recommended. I’ve inserted the comments from the work group documents that gave rationale for their recommendations. I have also included those strands that were recommended for elimination. 

Computational Thinking – New

This strand aligns with the Computational Thinker strand in the ISTE Standards for Students and CSTA concepts for Algorithms and Programming in accordance with recommendations from the content advisors and Work Group A. Programming, coding, and computational thinking are also required to be included in the K– 8 technology applications TEKS by the Texas Education Code §28.002(c3).

Creativity and Innovation – Current

This strand promotes creating original works that showcase the knowledge students have acquired. It aligns with the Creative Communicator strand in the ISTE Standards for Students, CTE Programming and Software Development TEKS Work Group recommendations, and Work Group A recommendations. Creativity is the process and creation is the product

Data literacy, Management, and Representation (New)

This strand encourages students to use critical thinking skills and digital tools to create visual representations of gathered data or knowledge to display, analyze, and evaluate results. This strand vertically aligns with the CTE Programming and Software Development TEKS Work Group recommendations. 

Digital Citizenship (Current)

Work Group B reviewed current law and determined that this strand was still necessary. 

Practical Technology Concepts (New Name) 

This strand was previously titled Technology Operations and Concepts. It addresses the fundamental skills that students will need to use or create with technology across the curriculum and future courses. These are transferable skills in school and life. Addressing computer systems and operating systems aligns with the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) standards.

Deleted Strands: 

Communication and Collaboration: 

Work Group D eliminated this strand because they didn’t feel that a stand-alone strand for Communication and Collaboration is necessary. Communication and collaboration are woven throughout the design process and there are explicit examples in other technology application strands. 

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

This strand was deleted by Work Group B because these skills are incorporated across the standards.

Creativity and Innovation

This strand was deleted by Work Group B because these skills are incorporated across the standards.

Research and Information Fluency

This strand was deleted by Work Group B because these skills are incorporated across the standards.:

9-12 Computer Science and Cybersecurity Standards

I asked John Owen to provide a brief review of the revisions that were made to the high school courses. He is the Computer Science Project Manager for We Teach_CS at the University of Texas. He was involved in the revision of the four high school computer science courses. 

“The four high school level computer science courses now under the CTE umbrella, Fundamentals of Computer Science, Computer Science I, II and III, underwent a revision process this past year which included a slight modification to the strand structure and adjustments to several student expectations in each of the courses. For the most part each course retained its original structure with wording changes to several Student Expectations to provide better clarity, relocating and consolidating several Student Expectations to under the various strands to improve the clarity and flow of the course, and a few Student Expectations added that needed to be deleted for being no longer relevant or beyond the scope of the course, or consolidated with other Student Expectations due to some duplication instances.

A significant effort was made to provide a seamless transition through these four courses to make for a seamless and logical vertical progression for the student taking two or more of these courses in sequence. Also, several of the Student Expectations from the existing topics were too closely aligned with specific languages, particularly Java, and efforts were made to create more general language describing the student expectation. For example, there were several Student Expectations that alluded to the use of object reference variables, a particular aspect of Java not always common to other languages, and broader language was used instead to enable use of other language choices.”

The different work group documents for the high school courses can be found on this TEA web page. 

TEA TEKS feedback

Providing Feedback

The deadline to provide feedback on the revised K-8 Technology Applications TEKS and/or the high school computer science and cybersecurity courses is 5 p.m., June 10, 2022. You can provide your comments using this form. 

My advice is to be very specific about what you propose. If you want to recommend the removal or insertion of text in the standards, you should create a document that can be uploaded. Copy and paste the text you want to change. Then, strike the language you want to be deleted and underline the new text you want to include. 

Here are the revised standards for Chapter 126, the K-8 Technology Applications. Here are the revised standards for Chapter 127, Subchapter O, the high school computer science and cybersecurity courses

Photo Credits:

Photo of students pointing to laptop by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

Photo of teacher helping student with coding by Mars Sector-6 on Unsplash

Photo of secure phone by Dan Nelson on Unsplash

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Top Five Questions About App Data Privacy

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

In our society, few folks actually take the time to read the terms of service before installing apps on their devices. This is true for students and adults alike. If we find an app that looks like it will meet a need, we typically install it without considering what we might be giving up. Here are five questions to ask before installing apps, and then we’ll look at several helpful resources to expand your understanding of the critical nature of data privacy.

Q1:Does the app developer clearly state what data they collect and how they use that data on its website?
Q2:Does the app developer share what permissions are granted to use the app BEFORE installing the app?
Q3:Does the app identify a relatively recent date of its last update?
Q4:Does the app developer give information on their website if they handle data in accordance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Children Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)?
Q5:Does the app developer allow you to request that your personal data be removed?

Asking these five questions while searching for and researching apps will help you choose ones that are in alignment with your safety concerns for your students. If you don’t find the answer to any of these five questions on their app’s website, developer’s page, or privacy policy page, take the initiative to contact them and ask.

If you realize that these five questions reveal you need to brush up on data privacy concerns, here are some resources to help bring you up to speed. These resources make the biggest impact when you provide opportunities for discussion with peers, parents, and leaders in your school/district.

Data Quality Campaign

The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) is a national nonprofit policy and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that education data works for individuals, families, educators, communities, and policymakers. They provide many helpful resources that you might consider sharing with your peers, parents, and leaders in your district.

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Encryption

Encryption is a common method often used to protect sensitive student information. Encryption is a common security practice, but privacy policies rarely mention it. Most commonly, encryption is mentioned in connection with billing information. Without examining its policy, there is no way to tell which data a service encrypts. De-identification is another important aspect of student data privacy on apps. Almost half of the privacy policies mention de-identification as a primary reason for collecting data. These policies are almost exclusively used for analyzing user behavior and reporting on student performance within districts.

If you are looking for more information or need help, go to Terms of Service; Didn’t Read. They may have reviewed the app already. If not, you can submit a request to help answer your question.

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Parental Responsibility in Data Privacy

Parental responsibility for student privacy is a crucial responsibility. In addition to protecting their children’s privacy, parents must educate themselves about the technology their children are using. If parents allow their children to use technology without parental supervision, they could be agreeing to data tracking. In addition to educating themselves, parents should always check the privacy practices of the websites and apps they use. By ensuring these services are transparent about their data collection practices, parents can rest assured that their children’s privacy is protected.

Parents who want to learn more about taking a proactive role in protecting children’s privacy can go to one of these sites for relevant help.

  • Connect Safely – A nonprofit dedicated to educating users of connected technology about safety, privacy, and security. You can easily explore information sorted by topics and access quick guides, news, and podcasts on their website.
  • Parent Coalition for Student Privacy – This coalition focuses on being advocates with parents in helping keep their child’s data safe. Check out their website for an interactive state student privacy report card, an educator toolkit, and a parent toolkit.
  • The Education Cooperative – Helpful information to support parents in understanding legal issues such as COPPA, PPRA, CIPA, and FERPA and how it relates to the safety of their child.
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Teacher Responsibility

Teachers, too, need to educate themselves about the privacy practices of third-party developers. Connecticut has passed a law establishing a task force to study student data privacy on apps. The task force will explore whether local boards of education should adopt data contracting policies, and they will train employees on best practices. The law will also develop a list of websites and software approved by the state and approved by school districts. By providing more information about the privacy practices of third-party providers, parents will feel more comfortable with these platforms.

Each district is responsible for managing student data generated within the school environment and on school devices. The following points can help teachers know how they play a critical role in ensuring student safety. Ignorance of your responsibilities as an educator does not protect you. Seek out the information to be an informed and proactive educator and advocate for your students.

  • Contact your Technology Department and ask where they provide training for educators on digital citizenship, student online safety, and best practices in relation to using apps and digital devices in the classroom.
  • Contact your Professional Development Department (or HR) to find out what resources are available to help teachers better understand their role when using technology with students.
  • Contact your local educational service center (or state education association) for information on student data privacy they’ve already prepared and made available. Sometimes this is posted on their respective websites; sometimes, you will need to call and track down the person with the information.

While most students are comfortable sharing their social-emotional learning survey results, they may be less comfortable sharing their social-emotional learning results with a school or other third party, for example. Regardless of the level of privacy concerns, a student’s privacy is the most important thing parents, teachers, schools, and he or she can protect.

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