I’ve been on planes a lot lately – flying from coast to coast. While there are inconveniences to air travel, the upside for me is that I use these long haul flights as a chance to catch up on my long-form reading list. While it may seem quaint or old fashioned to some (when accessing WiFi and on-demand videos seem de rigueur), it has been part of my travel routine for too many years to casually cast it aside.
I think a lot about the future of technology and its potential impacts on students and the K-12 education system (intended and unintended). Lately, my explorations into this topic have led me in some unexpected directions.
In the last week (thanks to my air travel), I’ve read a number of extended analytical pieces worth noting, including:
- The Limits of Education Purpose Limitations by Elana Zeide (which – among other things – calls for educator communities to promulgate ethical principles to guide student data use);
- Code Dependent: Pros and Cons of the Algorithm Age by Lee Rainie, Janna Anderson, and Dana Page (which paints a picture of the pros, cons, and ethical challenges facing increasingly automated decision making);
- “I’ve Got Nothing to Hide” and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy by Daniel Solove (which systematically debunks one of the most common arguments people use in discounting the impact of surveillance);
- Lawful Hacking: Using Existing Vulnerabilities for Wiretapping on the Internet by Steven Bellovin, Matt Blaze, Sandy Clark, and Susan Landau (which considers the ethics of law enforcement use of software exploits and their obligation to disclose them to vendors); and,
- Information Doesn’t Want to Be Free: Laws for the Internet Age by Cory Doctorow (which exposes the predatory behavior of publishers/distributors and other intermediaries, undercutting the interests and freedoms of both content creators and users).
While not every piece speaks directly to K-12 education issues at present, they all speak to the wider milieu from which our conceptions of public education and consumer technology are derived. And, given the scope of privacy and security issues dominating the news (with experts now arguing that we’ve lost control of our personal data, allegations of nation states weaponizing informatics, and ISPs clawing back consumer privacy protections), we ignore the implications of these ethical dilemmas on schools and students not at our own risk but at their own risk. Indeed, (in the vein of Dr. Suess’s Lorax) who speaks for the students?
Yet again this week, I’ve needed to update my post on the W-2 phishing scam victimizing school districts across the country. And, for those getting hyped by blockchain in education, my take on some of the magical thinking underlying the promise of blockchain for education.
Otherwise, here’s what caught my eye – news, tools, and reports about education, public policy, technology, and innovation – including a little bit about why. No endorsements; no sponsored content; no apologies for my eclectic tastes.
Strong opinions may be weakly held.
A Thinking Person’s Guide to EdTech News (2017 Week 12 Edition)
Maybe we're not afraid: on Edtech's inability to imagine the future | Long View on Education →
So, what issues should edtech be talking about instead of scared teachers and content creators? Pretty much everything that is NOT covered by the edtech trade press. Worth the long read.
Tagged on: March 25, 2017
Are computers teachers? Tennessee court might weigh in | The Tennessean →
Do the rights of Tennessee students to a public education extend into the right to have a teacher, and if so, does a computer program count?
Tagged on: March 25, 2017
Arizona lags behind in schools' internet access, but change is coming | Tucson.com →
“Urban Arizona keeps progressing and keeps getting access to better technology,” he said. “Rural Arizona keeps falling behind. What this does is level the playing field.”
Tagged on: March 25, 2017
Embracing online education for the benefit of students | Gallipolis Daily Tribune →
While there are many online schooling options in the state of Ohio, a program that is locally based and operated by a public school district is rather unique.
Tagged on: March 25, 2017
Schools told compulsory 'BYO device' policies are illegal | NZ Herald →
"We will be reminding all schools that boards of trustees can ask, but can't compel, families to bring their own digital devices because schools can't deny a child's access to learning if their parents can't provide them one," she said. "In these cases, boards need to provide access to a school device.
Tagged on: March 25, 2017
Google to Symantec: We don't trust you anymore | InfoWorld →
Admins need to consider whether they still want to use Symantec (the cybersecurity firm!) after its repeated mistakes with issuing TLS certificates.
Tagged on: March 24, 2017
Puzzling out TSA's laptop travel ban | CNN →
Says Bruce Schneier: "In the end, national security measures based on secret information require us to trust the government. That trust is at historic low levels right now, so people both in the US and other countries are rightly skeptical of the official unsatisfying explanations. The new laptop ban highlights this mistrust."
Tagged on: March 24, 2017
What Americans Knows About Cybersecurity | Pew Research Center →
Despite the risk-reducing impact of good cybersecurity habits and the prevalence of cyberattacks on institutions and individuals alike, a Pew Research Center survey finds that many Americans are unclear about key cybersecurity topics, terms and concepts.
Tagged on: March 24, 2017
Data breach disclosure 101: How to succeed after you've failed | Troy Hunt →
Folks in edtech may want to bookmark this one.
Tagged on: March 24, 2017
Cybersecurity Knowledge Quiz | Pew Research Center →
This is not easy (though I did get 10/10). Take it and see how you do!
Tagged on: March 24, 2017
Who’s logging your face? | The Washington Post →
The scope of facial recognition technology is massive and unregulated. You may brush off modern privacy invasions. Perhaps you have nothing to hide. But do you resemble someone who does?
Tagged on: March 24, 2017
Visualizing the network that connects mainstream and extremist news | Kris Shaffer →
As long as the pay-per-click advertising model rules the roost, and news sites continue to be the largest users of data-collecting adtech, online, data-driven propaganda will be a real possibility, not to mention a lucrative business opportunity. This is ALSO true for edtech.
Tagged on: March 24, 2017
Lower-income Americans still lag in tech adoption | Pew Research Center →
Even as many aspects of the digital divide have narrowed over time, the digital lives of lower- and higher-income Americans remain markedly different.
Tagged on: March 24, 2017
Psychological surveillance and psycho-informatics in the classroom | code acts in education →
New technologies of psychological surveillance, affective computing, and big data-driven psycho-informatics are being developed to conduct new forms of mood-monitoring and psychological experimentation within the classroom, supported by policy agendas that emphasize the emotional aspects of schooling.
Tagged on: March 24, 2017
Many businesses will have to understand and explain the rationale behind the decisions taken by machine learning algorithms they use to comply with new EU data protection laws, a UK watchdog has said.
Tagged on: March 24, 2017
Why America’s current approach to cybersecurity is so dangerous | Slate →
It treats users like they are the problem, when they should be part of the solution.
Tagged on: March 24, 2017
Up to 4.8 million Social Security numbers compromised in 10-state breach | StateScoop →
Ten states subscribed to a job-matching and workforce development service called America's Job Link Alliance that had user account data compromised.
Tagged on: March 23, 2017
Phishing 101 at the School of Hard Knocks | Krebs on Security →
A recent, massive spike in sophisticated and successful phishing attacks is prompting many universities to speed up timetables for deploying mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA) for access to student and faculty services online. This is the story of Bowling Green State University.
Tagged on: March 23, 2017
Zuckerberg’s plan to build a global hegemony through “social credit.”
Tagged on: March 23, 2017
Plymouth University computer experts create device to tackle internet groomers | Plymouth Herald →
Pitched as a good thing, but not so sure: Computer experts at the University of Plymouth have created a new device that provides round-the-clock monitoring against online child abuse and radicalisation for primary and secondary schools.
Tagged on: March 23, 2017
Navigating The Growing Pains Of Advertising To The Education Market | Forbes →
WTF? “The real beneficiaries of a more sophisticated education advertising system will be the world’s learners.”
Tagged on: March 23, 2017
A questionable software purchase has led to the discovery of over $1 million in waste in Dallas ISD's information technology and procurement departments.
Tagged on: March 23, 2017
School district to retain IT department | The Sentinel →
Several members of the IT department were present at Thursday’s meeting to urge the board not to outsource IT services to a company that proposed to do so.
Tagged on: March 23, 2017
Some Ohio educators question fairness of computer-required testing | The Columbus Dispatch →
This school year, Ohio law required all schools to switch to computer-based testing on state assessments. A few school administrators have questioned whether state testing in 2017 boils down to a situation of the haves vs. the have-nots.
Tagged on: March 23, 2017
Driving apps like Waze are creating new traffic problems | KALW →
“Routing people in the way that is best for them,” Bayen says, “doesn't mean that traffic overall is moving more efficiently.”
Tagged on: March 23, 2017
Court upholds ruling that teacher evaluation data is public in New Milford case | NewsTimes →
An effort by Connecticut’s largest teachers’ union to keep data about teacher evaluation private suffered another setback last week when a court referee ruled that the information is public. In an 11-page decision, New Britain Superior Court Referee Henry Cohn upheld a Freedom of Information Commission ruling that the information is public as long as it remains in aggregate form.
Tagged on: March 23, 2017
IES Audit Finds Problems With Screening for Contractors Using Student Data | Education Week →
The U.S. Department of Education's office of inspector general has released an audit sharply critiquing the Institute of Education Sciences' security screenings for federal education contractors.
Tagged on: March 22, 2017
Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex | Google →
“Howard West” is now the centerpiece of Google’s effort to recruit more Black software engineers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)—and to make them feel right at home here in Mountain View.
Tagged on: March 22, 2017
Why You Should Care About The Supreme Court Case On Toner Cartridges | Consumerist →
Can a company that sold you something use its patent on that product to control how you choose to use after you buy it?
Tagged on: March 22, 2017
A British teenager has corrected a mistake in NASA's data | ScienceAlert →
A British school student recently contacted NASA to point out that there was an error in data recorded on the International Space Station (ISS), earning him thanks from the US space agency.
Tagged on: March 22, 2017
A crucial product change was hiding in Apple's latest launch | CNBC →
Even if you don't want a thicker, heavier iPad, a child in India or China might.
Tagged on: March 22, 2017
Microsoft Teams Expands to Office 365 Education Users | Redmondmag.com →
Unlike the business rollout, Microsoft Teams will arrive in a turned-off state by default for Office 365 Education tenants.
Tagged on: March 22, 2017
Students are about to get “Starfished” | PCC Courier →
Pasadena City College is about to launch Starfish, a software platform that sends early-alerts to students based on their class performance and faculty concerns, then puts them in contact in real time with the resources designed to help them such as counseling.
Tagged on: March 22, 2017
I love my child too much to put her on the internet | Engadget →
If there's the opposite of a 'sharent,' then I'm that.
Tagged on: March 22, 2017
ASU students can take steps to stay safe from surveillance | The State Press →
Student perspective: "In a world where much of our information is vulnerable to third-party surveillance, it's no wonder many people are on edge."
Tagged on: March 22, 2017
BC government action needed to protect privacy of student data | Vancouver Observer →
In Canada, B.C. teachers are calling on government and school boards to take steps to protect student privacy and support teachers’ use of digital reporting tools.
Tagged on: March 22, 2017
Grayson County Public Schools catches W-2 phishing scam email | WDBJ7 →
A popular scam that happens around tax time has returned, but this time it's targeting schools, but one VA district caught it immediately. Unforrunately, this is news.
Tagged on: March 22, 2017
Yet, this does not seem an unabashed good: "By harnessing the smarts of the computer, new Google tools save time and reduce struggles with tech."
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Don't Send Your Selfies to This Creepy Chatbot for Teens | Motherboard →
'Hugging Face' needs a lesson in boundaries.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Projects like Unpaywall and the Open Access Button are good examples of continuing efforts to liberate all the knowledge contained in academic research papers, much of which is still locked away behind paywalls charging outrageously expensive fees. Until everything is released as open access, they will remain valuable and necessary tools.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Why American Farmers Are Hacking Their Tractors With Ukrainian Firmware | Motherboard →
Tractor hacking is growing increasingly popular because John Deere and other manufacturers have made it impossible to perform "unauthorized" repair on farm equipment. What happens when we don't own, but merely 'license' our things.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Putting the OA into interlibrary loan | Open Access Button →
The new Open Access Button library service provides the opportunity for libraries to see similar or greater cost savings while working in tandem with their existing interlibrary loan systems.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Inside The Fake News Fight At Apple, Snapchat, Facebook, And More | Co.Design →
Co.Design spoke to the biggest players in the Valley–including Facebook, Apple, and Reddit–to see what initiatives they’ve launched to counter the spread of misinformation.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
School board hears presentation on internet upgrade plan | Daily Globe →
A reminder that tech can be confusing: "Currently, the district has 280 megabytes per minute of bandwidth that goes to Windom and 100 megabytes per minute that goes to Luverne. The proposed update asks for an increase of 220 megabytes per minute of bandwidth to Windom."
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Get a Sneak Peek of Zuckerberg-Funded Middle School Coming to Union Square | DNAinfo →
AltSchool, a private school that uses a technology-driven approach to design individualized lesson plans for students, charges about $30,000 tuition per year. It revolves around a Montessori-like curriculum and bills itself as a hybrid tech company and education startup.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Of Apple's new iPad: "I’d guess education will play a heavy focus for this product," Futuresource analyst Mike Fisher said. Maybe, maybe not.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Adobe Is Launching an Advertising Cloud to Better Compete in the Ad-Tech World | Adweek →
Will have education implications (and not for the good): Adobe wants to compete more directly with major ad-tech companies, launching a cloud-based service that lets brands and agencies manage TV and digital buying across platforms to targeted audiences.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Samsung’s digital assistant, Bixby, goes up against Siri, Cortana | Network World →
The field of personal digital assistants is only getting more crowded, with Samsung's new entry Bixby joining the fray. The Korean electronics giant announced the new assistant ahead of the Galaxy 8 smartphone, where it will make its debut.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
The long, weird history of companies that put your life online | The Verge →
Future battles over online privacy may involve making personal details harder to weaponize, not trying to erase them — whether that means increasing penalties for harassment, improving screening and privacy options, or improving our ability to find people who make threats.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Trump Administration Opposes Facebook In Battle Over Birthday Texts | MediaPost →
Facebook lost a significant battle in restrictions over robo-texting earlier this year, when a federal judge refused to dismiss a class-action complaint accusing the company of illegally sending people messages about their friends' birthdays.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
With Hacking in Headlines, K-12 Cybersecurity Ed. Gets More Attention | Education Week →
Via Ben Herold: Amid a steady drumbeat of reports on cyber-espionage and election-related hackings, lawmakers are wrestling with questions of how to best protect the country from digital threats and address a severe shortage of skilled cybersecurity workers. Yet, this is only one aspect of the issue; schools themselves face their own cyber threats.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Walton School District falls victim to scam | WJHG →
Scammers seem to always be on the prowl, looking for anyone susceptible to falling for their tricks and recently one area school district is now among many who have fallen victim to tax scams. "Well we were victims of basically a very elaborate phishing scheme," said Walton School District (FL) Superintendent A. Russell Hughes.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Judge Finds Gmail Privacy Settlement Inadequate | Courthouse News Service →
A federal judge refused to sign off on a settlement between a class of email users and Google, sending the parties back to the drawing board to come up with a more detailed disclosure of how Google intercepts and uses emails for targeted advertising.
Tagged on: March 21, 2017
Schneiderman: Data breaches up nearly 60 percent last year | Capitol Confidential →
In New York, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced that his office received a record number of data breach notices in 2016.
Tagged on: March 20, 2017
Student Aid Tool Held Key for Tax Fraudsters | Krebs on Security →
Two sources familiar with the matter but who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak on the record told KrebsOnSecurity that identity thieves were using the IRS’s tool to look up the “adjusted gross income” (AGI), which is an individual or family’s total gross income minus specific deductions.
Tagged on: March 20, 2017
Examining SLDS Development and Utility | ECS →
This policy report explores statewide longitudinal data systems, including benefits and obstacles of connecting education data, and provides a comprehensive look at data systems in three states through detailed case studies.
Tagged on: March 20, 2017
Georgia System for Special-Needs Students Fails to Provide Equal Education | The Atlantic →
“Digital technology has been used inefficiently with children with disabilities,” Smith said in an interview from his office at the University of Kansas, where he is an associate professor in special education. Based on this article, that's an understatement.
Tagged on: March 20, 2017
Lords call for digital literacy to be 'fourth pillar' of education | The Bookseller →
In the UK, the Lords Communications Committee report “Growing Up With The Internet” has demanded intervention “at the highest level of government” after hearing evidence that the internet does not take sufficient account of the fact that the needs of children are different to those of adults.
Tagged on: March 20, 2017
Wi-Fi on wheels: Google helps students get online, on the go | News-Sentinel.com →
Google is funding Wi-Fi-equipped school buses targeted to rural students with Chromebooks who travel long distances to and from school.
Tagged on: March 20, 2017
Hundreds of Powhatan school employees compromised in data breach | WTVR.com →
Add Powhatan County Public Schools (VA) to list of W-2 phishing victims.
Tagged on: March 20, 2017
Ethics can’t be a side hustle | Dear Design Student →
Hey tech people, we need you to work ethically during that day job much more than we need you working with that non-profit.
Tagged on: March 19, 2017
Google is apologizing to some very big companies that stopped running YouTube ads after learning that their brands were being featured alongside offensive and hateful videos.
Tagged on: March 19, 2017
Zorin OS 12.1 Education Promises to Make Learning Better and More Impactful | Softpedia →
The developers of the Ubuntu-based Zorin OS operating system announced the release of the Zorin OS 12.1 Education Edition, a specially crafted and officially supported flavor of the OS designed for educational institutions.
Tagged on: March 19, 2017
Education Dept. urged to fix online system for special needs kids | NY Daily News →
City Controller Scott Stringer and New York parents are calling for a fix to a flawed Education Department computer system blamed for ruining the educations of kids with special needs.
Tagged on: March 19, 2017
Facebook will never take responsibility for fake news | TechCrunch →
Facebook made itself the middle man of media, but has yet to take responsibility for that role and its influence.
Tagged on: March 19, 2017
Online education and why we are a long way off from Saraswati and Lakshmi |YourStory.com →
From India: The industry is expected to grow to $5.5 billion in market size by 2020. But there is very little focus on outcomes and there is danger of focusing on business models that go after ‘loss-making’ market share.
Tagged on: March 19, 2017
Fitbit fitness monitoring program a hit at ORU | Tulsa World →
Fitbits are a good fit at Oral Roberts University, and among millennials, says the man who launched the project. An uncritical look at health monitoring on one campus.
Tagged on: March 19, 2017
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