Practices and Policies: Web 2.0 in Prince Edward Island

1. Practices and Policies: Web 2.0 in Prince Edward Island Submitted by Sean Cain, Trevor MacNeill, and Mark Rooney In partial fulfillment of the requirements for Education 6620, Issues and Trends in Educational Computing Professor George Hache Education 6620 Memorial University

2. Project Rationale As we contemplated the many issues surrounding the use of Web 2.0 tools in Prince Edward Island, we wanted to prepare a presentation that provided common scenarios that teachers and administrators might encounter, a search and analysis of how current policies and organizations might impact on the use of Web 2.0 tools, followed by some recommendations. We envision this presentation being used as a conversation starter for district and provincial leadership, school administrative teams, or instructional and other staff.  We hope that we have accomplished that goal. Any comments or suggestions about the content of this presentation can be directed to spcain@edu.pe.ca, mwrooney@edu.pe.ca, or tdmacneill@edu.pe.ca

3. What are the everyday scenarios that might arise for teachers or administrators when considering the use of Web 2.0 tools in the PEI classroom?

4. Scenario One A school wants to use Twitter to post pictures of students and teachers to help increase school spirit and communication.   To learn more about Twitter click the image

5. Scenario Two A teacher wishes to use a blog tool, such as WordPress, to allow students to place writing samples online for peers and parents to post comments and suggestions. To learn more about WordPress click the image

6. Scenario Three A teacher wants to use Edmodo as a tool to engage students and improve learning.  Edmodo utilizes a design similar to Facebook and provides teachers and students an external application to connect, collaborate and share content. To learn more about edmodo click the image

7. Questions to Consider • Which organizations are involved in creating and administering policy for Web 2.0 usage in education? • What are the policies that impinge the use of Web 2.0 tools in PEI schools? • What are the responsibilities of those involved in the use of these tools? • What are potential issues that may arise from the use of Web 2.0 tools?

8. Web 2.0 – What does it mean? • In 2004, the first Web 2.0 Conference was organized in San Fransisco by O’Reilly Media. Tim O’Reilly is largely credited with the coining of the phrase “Web 2.0”. (1) • The term was created in reference to an evolution of Internet usage which saw a shift from information retrieval, to information creation and collaboration. (2)

9. O’Reilly’s Own Words “Web 2.0 is the network as platform, spanning all connected devices; Web 2.0 applications are those that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually-updated service that gets better the more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an "architecture of participation," and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences.” (3) - Tim O’Reilly, 2005

10. Social Media in Plain English (4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE&feature=player_embedded

11. Why Would Teachers Use Web 2.0 Applications? • Requires little technical knowledge and usually available for free • Accessible with a web-enabled device • Allows for multi-person access • More easily connect and engage with parents and students • Information is created once and shared multiple times • A growing vast array of educational applications exist(5)

12. How Can Teachers Use Web 2.0? • Uploading homework announcements • Creation and use of video tutorials • Communication with parents and students • File storage and sharing • Tracking and sharing student performance data • Creation of content management systems

13. Are there concerns using Web 2.0? • Would parents have legal grounds if teachers posted a student's name, picture or personal information for all to see on the Internet, including online predators? • Would parents have legal grounds if teachers posted students’ personal data that identifies what school they attend and where they live? • Are teachers going against policies by saving student data to a server hosted by such applications as WordPress or Edmodo? • Could teachers face legal action from parents by doing any of the above without consent?

14. The School Act and Web 2.0? • The Concept of a School Sponsored Activity • What is the Role of • the Minister? • the Superintendent? • the Administrator? • the Teacher? • What is a Record? • What constitutes personal information?

15. What is a School Sponsored Activity? • A “school-sponsored activity” means any activity, whether conducted on or off the property of a school, that is sponsored, recognized or authorized by a principal or a school board. (6) Analysis • Since student use of Web 2.0 tools can occur at home or school and is under the direction of a teacher or administrator, we would view it as falling under the realm of a school-sponsored activity.

16. Responsibilities of the Minister • Research and assess changing needs, trends and approaches in education and develop and implement strategic plans. • approve educational programs and instructional material for use in the schools and educational resource materials in support of educational programs. • prohibit, where the Minister considers it necessary, the use of educational programs or instructional materials in schools. (6) Analysis • These statements would lead us to believe that it is the minister’s responsibility to assess how Web 2.0 might be used in education, and approve or deny its use. • The approval process for Web 2.0 tools does currently rest with the minister.

17. Responsibilities of the Superintendent • Exercise general supervision and management over the employees of the school board (6) Analysis • Since a teacher’s use of Web 2.0 tools occurs within the context of the work environment, the supervision and use of those tools ultimately rests with the superintendent.

18. Responsibilities of the Administrator • Provide educational leadership in the school • Ensure that the instruction provided by teachers employed at the school is consistent with the authorized programs • Supervise and manage the employees working at the school (6) Analysis • Since Web 2.0 tools have a place in education, the principal should assume a leadership position in their use. • The administrator is directly responsible for supervision of all programs within the school.  How teachers use Web 2.0 tools should be known to the principal.

19. Responsibilities of the Teacher • To encourage the pursuit of learning • To teach only those programs authorized under the Act • Teachers shall obtain the consent of parents for the participation of students in authorized school activities off the school property (6) Analysis • Seeing that the Internet is a tool for accessing and sharing information, it seems reasonable to conclude that using it encourages the pursuit of learning among students. • Since the use of Web 2.0 tools might occur off school property, one might conclude that the Act compels the teacher to gain the parent’s consent to participate in that activity.

20. The School Act, Student Records, and Personal Information • “Personal Information” and what constitutes a “record” is not defined by the School Act. • We must look to The Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Regulations for these definitions.  

21. What Does the Freedom of Information and Privacy Regulations Say About Personal Information? • Personal information means recorded information about an identifiable individual, including: the individual’s name, home or business address or home or business telephone number • The individual’s race, national or ethnic origin, colour or religious or political beliefs or associations • The individual’s age, sex, marital status or family status • An identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the individual • The individual’s fingerprints, blood type or inheritable characteristics, • Information about the individual’s health and health care history, including information about a physical or mental disability • Information about the individual’s educational, financial, employment or criminal history, including criminal records where a pardon has been given • Anyone else’s opinions about the individual • The individual’s personal views or opinions, except if they are about someone else (7)

22. Personal Information and Web 2.0 • There may be cause for concern when any site or Web 2.0 tool requires students to share information such as: name, student number, birthdate, gender, school address, or email address (in PEI, the email address is comprised of the student’s last name and first and middle initials)

23. What does the Freedom of Information and Privacy Regulations Say About Records? • A “record” means a record of information in any form and includes: • notes, images, audiovisual recordings, x-rays, books, documents, maps, drawings, photographs, letters, vouchers and papers and any other information that is written, photographed, recorded or stored in any manner, but does not include software or any mechanism that produces records (7)

24. What Responsibility Does the School Board Have Under the School Act for Student Records? • The school board shall establish written procedures respecting the storage, retrieval and appropriate use of student records • No person shall knowingly disclose to any person any information from a student record that identifies a student, unless the disclosure complies with the regulations and is: • made with the written consent of the student’s parent, or in the case of a student who is of the age of majority, the student (7) Analysis • The school board needs to be aware of how student records are used and disclosed • Since Web 2.0 tools are under the supervision of another person, parental consent must be gained before aspects of the student’s information is shared • Examples of this include: student photographs, teacher comments on student work, or a video of a class presentation

25. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development • Ministers’ Directive on Acceptable Use of Communication and Information Technology • Established May, 2012 to support acceptable usage of communication and information technology in curriculum coverage • principal is required to administer and educate students and parents • expectations of acceptable usage are communicated with students • this directive is primarily directed to students, however, there is value for teachers in understanding how students are to use or not use information, such as sharing personal information • students must not divulge personal information, or use technology for illegal activities or for activities that may cause harm or embarrassment for themselves or others (8) • Manage and evaluate school requests for websites to be unblocked using NetSweeper(9)

26. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development • Website Guidelines – Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (10) • there is no date on this publication • there are concerns that this document was not created to refer to today’s changed technologies, which include social media • when using pictures or names of persons on the school web site, written permission shall be obtained from that person and from the parent or guardian • this document refers to usage of the student name and photo on the Internet, which at the likely time of the writing of the document, only referred to a static website and not social media • staff may create educational sites containing homework, resources, or lessons • This would encompass the use of class blogs, Edmodo, etc

27. Information Technology Shared Services (ITSS) • Government agency charged with hardware and software maintenance • Performs Privacy Impact Assessments (11) • How does a particular program or software collect personal information? • Process applies when a traditional software application is being evaluated for use within government • Should Web 2.0 tools be assessed for compliance with this assessment process? • Does the evaluation and approval of Web 2.0 tools by Department of Education staff circumvent this more stringent assessment?

28. Important Considerations • As teachers and administrators consider their use of Web 2.0 tools, it might be instructive to consider several tests: • Does the reasonable parent or caregiver who sends their student to school expect that the school may be using Web 2.0 tools to collect, store, and share their student’s work and information? • As educators consider the use of Web 2.0 tools, was making parents aware of the usage part of the process?

29. The Evolution of Informed Consent • 2010 - Media Release Form is sent home as a separate form requesting parents sign if and only if they do not wish to have their child be a subject in a media story (12) • Possible Issue:  Lacks informed and voluntary consent. • 2011 - Student Information Form incorporates a media release clause at the bottom of the form that requests parents to consent to a student’s picture being used in a news story involving the school (13) • Possible Issue: Does not explicitly state use on the Internet • 2012 - Student Information Form media release clause adds a “I consent” or “I do not consent” check boxes (14) • Consenting gives the school or board the right to publish pictures, videos, and names of the student in print publications or on the school or board website. • Does this extend to the use of social media tools such as WordPress? • School Website Guidelines refers to “the Internet”, however, we feel this document has not been updated to reflect today’s technologies • Possible Issue:  How broad is the concept of school or board website? Does it include tools being used to extend the school web site such as Facebook and Twitter?

30. Thinking back to the scenarios… • Posting Picture to Twitter • Displaying Student work on WordPress • Using Edmodo for classroom management • Can any of these scenarios be accomplished without parental consent? • Do our current consent forms adequately cover this usage of Web 2.0? • What other precautions, procedures, or activities might help to mitigate the risks?

31. Recommendations • Improve consent forms to explicitly state how student work, photos, videos and personal information might be used within Web 2.0 tools

32. Recommendations • Create a single document that informs the practices of schools and teachers with respect to Web 2.0 tools since there are many acts, policies, and organizations that affect how these tools might be used.

33. Recommendations • Start an employee intake process that includes the signing of an agreement which includes aspects of the use of student data, protection of privacy, and guidelines for the effective and safe use of Web 2.0 tools.  This document would provide greater Web 2.0 clarity for teachers and administrators.

34. Recommendations • Implement a continuous collection of employee acceptable use acceptance so that users agree to the Acceptable Use Agreement on a frequent basis (perhaps yearly).  This could be implemented using a survey tool or as part of network authentication.

35. Recommendations • Limit the use of the student’s last name, identification of the school, school, or home address in any Web 2.0 tool.

36. Recommendations • Implement an anonymous email aliases for students email.  The student and teacher email aliases are currently based on the user’s first and last name and this could affect the protection of  privacy.

37. Recommendations • Update recommendations for school websites to better reflect integration with Web 2.0 tools.

38. References • Web 2.0 Summit. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved November 19, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0_Summit • O’Reilly, Tim (2005, September 30). What is Web 2.0? Retrieved from http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html • O’Reilly, Tim (2005, October 1). Web 2.0: compact definition? Retrieved from http://radar.oreilly.com/2005/10/web-20-compact-definition.html • CommonCraft. com. (2008, May 28) Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE • Dunn, J. (2010, July 8). The 35 best web 2.0 classroom tools chosen by you. Retrieved from http://edudemic.com/2010/07/the-35-best-web-2-0-classroom-tools-chosen-by-you/ • Government of Prince Edward Island School Act. Retrieved from http://www.gov.pe.ca/law/statutes/pdf/s-02_1.pdf • Government of Prince Edward Island School Act. Retrieved from http://www.gov.pe.ca/law/statutes/pdf/f-15_01.pdf

39. References • Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2012, May 10). Minister's directive MD No. 2012-02 acceptable use of communication and information technology. Retrieved from http://www.gov.pe.ca/eecd/index.php3?number=1043875&lang=E • Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (n.d.). Unblock site request. Retrieved from http://www.edu.pe.ca/journeyon/stchelp/UnblockSiteRequest2.htm • Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (n.d.). Recommended guidelines for school websites. Retrieved from http://www.edu.pe.ca/journeyon/techsupport/guidelinesschoolwebpage.html • Information Technology Share Services of Prince Edward Island. (n.d.). Privacy Impact Assessment. • Eastern School District of Prince Edward Island. (2010). Media Consent Form. • Eastern School District of Prince Edward Island. (2011). Student Information Form. • Eastern School District of Prince Edward Island. (2012). Student Information Form.