Activity 8

Activity 8

Legal contexts and digital identities...

An ethical dilemma raised at a recent school meeting was the issue of students videoing teachers in class with their smartphones and posting them on face-book or snap-chat for no reason at all, for a joke or for humiliation.  Teachers are feeling threatened causing a power shift in the classroom.  

As a "traditional" school the current procedure for teachers, since the 2011 earthquakes has been that...

'Students are not allowed to use cell phones, or have them out during class time unless there has been an emergency and/or the teacher has given permission. The general rule has been that if you see them, or hear them, you may take them. If confiscation is required, use this as the last resort. If you do confiscate a student’s cell phone, it is your responsibility to name it, and take it as soon as possible to the office to be placed in the safe. Tell the student that they will need to pick it up from the AP/DP of their level.' (Aranui HS Key Operations and Procedures, 2015).

Up until this year our student phones have generally not been smart enough to post humiliating videos online - although we have had the odd fight along with one particularly nasty taunting of our wonderful rubbish lady posted onto face-book a few years ago.  As school did not then, have wireless broadband available to students for free, such incidents remained thankfully few and far between.

This year, with free internet wireless and some decisions still to be made regarding how to manage and limit student use of this, it seems that smartphone use is increasing, so the potential for videoing during class time and posting online has increased.

SOLUTIONS?

On enrolment students are expected to sign a Cyber-Safety Use Agreement which covers the use of computers and mentions briefly the use of phones in this way, 
"I understand that the rules in this agreement also apply to mobile phones.  I will only use my mobile phone(s) at the times that I am permitted to during the school day."  Later in the agreement the rules about posting information are worded like this... "I will ask a teacher's permission before giving out any personal information (including photos) online about myself or any other person.  I will also get permission from any other person involved.  Personal information includes ....photos."  AHS CYBERSAFETY USE AGREEMENT.,  (2016).  This is quite clear about photos, however should the word "video" also be included?

Another place this issue could be addressed could be the school privacy policy.  This is a Board of Trustees Policy reviewed every 3 years. However, in our ultimate year, there is little need for policy review, hence the reliance on the document from the Privacy Commissioner's Office,  "Privacy in Schools".  This document states that if there is a breach of privacy (and gathering digital information without permission is a breach), individuals can make a complaint to school through our Complaints Policy or take the issue up with the Privacy Commissioner directly.  

My immediate solution would be to limit or better manage student access to the free wireless internet, by password protecting the use of certain sites such as snapchat, instagram or facebook. This would limit the ease that students can currently video and post.  

Longer term solutions are inevitably to be works in progress due to our "Ultimate Year" status, however I expect Haeata(the new school), will have in place student education for the use of digital devices in classrooms.  I also suspect that there would be appropriate user agreements for mobile phone use in place, especially as this school will be an Innovative Learning Environment and classroom phone use will be encouraged by the school.  Best of luck guys!

References:

Aranui High School. (2015).  Key Operations and Procedures.  (Aranui High School). Christchurch, New Zealand.

Aranui High School. (2016).  Cybersafety at Aranui High School:  Cybersafety User Agreement for Secondary Students. (Aranui High School).  Christchurch, New Zealand.

NetSafe. (2015). Digital Technology:  Safe and Responsible Use in Schools.  (Ministry of Education Report).  Wellington, New Zealand.

Kathryn Dalzeil. (2009).  Privacy in Schools:  A guide to the Privacy Act for teachers, principals and boards of trustees.  (The Privacy Commissioner).  Wellington, New Zealand:  The Office of the Privacy Commissioner.