Why should online ESL/EFL classroom teachers care about student data privacy?
Indeed, the sudden move to complete remote online working with the outbreak of Covid-19 has transformed the ESL/EFL industry. Along with that, another thing that stimulated a debate about data privacy and security after becoming an ESL instructor with the English teaching certificate online. This blog post aims to guide apprentices, teachers as well as parents to protect their personal data and privacy during online learning.
There is absolutely no doubt that administrators, educators, students, and even parents have worked hard to formulate authentic learning involvements online or remote. As nowadays, numerous language teachers are conducting classes from home with the help of various online platforms, educational participants need to think of a significant part of the data privacy conversation!
The necessity for privacy and security in online teaching
It is essential that schools keep privacy guidelines at the front of their educational planning. Educators and instructors, along with ESL/EFL students, need a private place to work online. Therefore, educational institutions need to protect their students and teachers from personal data collection for commercial drives by various private companies by tracking their online learning activities.
Institutes also have to ensure that the various online teaching-learning tools that are being used need to be compliant with privacy guidelines. However, sometimes, educators and learners may not essentially understand all of the privacy problems that come with using various tools. If we talk about the videoconferencing mediums, it also poses privacy and security hazards. It is true that this is essential to remote learning. With some specific platforms, administrations may not be able to promise that student information won’t be shared, sold, or whipped. Moreover, there’s also the risk of hackers hijacking video calls or taking over a user’s screen to share inapt content.
We all know that student facts are a huge treasure of sensitive info – names, dates of birth, addresses, grades, gender, information about parents, biometric data, and so on. Thus, as a skilled educator, you need to be alert about all the legal actions and ethical safety measures that protect your learners’ confidentiality. The substance of privacy matters as various legal and ethical boundaries impact teachers as well as the organization.
Although these days, there is more extensive awareness of online data protection matters, still there are challenges.
Here, as an ESL teacher, you may take these things into the consideration–
- What learner information are you indebted to keep private and safe?
- What are your institution’s guidelines on this?
- Who in your organization could guide you on this aspect?
- How is the menace that by using specific technology that your institution’s rules regarding privacy could easily be broken?
- Which technologies will best permit me to do this?
- Does the app or tool need access to your email, contacts or location specifics?
- What authorizations does the app or tool need to work?
Well, depending on the answers to these interrogations, you can use various apps or tools. Privacy and security need a different set of policies!
What are the helpful tips that you can use to protect your student data?
Here are some of the reliable tips that will help you in protecting your learners, crucial and sensitive information –
- Try to be careful while using non-educational tools, like various writing software. Always use strong passwords for instructive apps as well as platforms.
- Avoid using personal email to transfer your student data.
- Browser Spy is a good tool to check what your internet browser leaves behind.
- You may also use the Privacy badger tool to block Ads; this will prevent advertisers from secretly tracking you.
- Always review the terms and agreements before you or your learners sign up for new technology.
- When possible, use two-factor authentication.
- Always confirm identities while adding students to a virtual classroom.
- Try to look for an HTTPS version of sites.
- If you are using any application or tool, try to keep all apps and software up-to-date on all devices. Because the out-of-date versions are generally more exposed to crashes, breaches and hacking.
- You may use the latest encryption technology such as Secure Shell (SSH) and Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) to ensure sensitive data protection.
Well, the approach to data privacy and safety certainly differs from one platform to another. Moreover, if an ESL/EFL teacher is working on multiple online platforms; additional care needs to be taken to safeguard the student and teacher data from each one. When we talk about protecting their (language teachers) own data, online EFL teachers with the TEFL Course in Kolkata program sometimes have to make some dealings on privacy to protect the work.
ESL/EFL teachers must contemplate data privacy while using different apps and websites on their phones, laptops, mainly cookie settings and location tracking. With the adding plug-ins to a browser like Disconnect, Ghostery, and AdblockPlus, teachers can improve their confidentiality. However, for educators, it is also crucial to instruct their apprentices about privacy protection. Also, you can involve parents as well in this development.
Final Thoughts
Certainly, the use of different tech tools and devices, classroom management software, has made online or virtual or remote learning possible. We recommend only using tools and apps that have been scrutinized and approved by your institute or the Department of Education of your location.
Here, the educational organizations should also consider holding various training for teachers so they distinguish how to best assess technology for safe remote teaching and learning practices. The English teaching certificate online prepares future ESL teaching professionals by keeping all these things in mind. Even though there are some vulnerabilities to data privacy but remember, that there are steps that can be taken.
