FIPPA, or the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act is an important act to consider when asking students to use many online tools for class-related work, especially social media which can include sources like Youtube, Instagram, Discord, Facebook etc… As online tools become more and more relevant in the classroom, it is important to be aware of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act as an educator and a student. As mentioned in the lecture this week, educators should be responsible for ensuring students are aware of this act when in school, especially if they assign a task which uses some form of online presence. This lesson was interesting to me because in the past I have used tools like Youtube in the classroom. While I am careful about my online presence and what information online, some students and educators may not understand why certain information should be kept private, and more importantly HOW to make certain things private between themselves or within a group/class. In the future as a PHE and English educator, it is very likely that some of my lessons may require posting to youtube or using google slides etc… as an aid for an assignment. I understand now that it is my responsibility to ensure students know how to do certain things such as:
- make a youtube video private and only viewable to me,
- limit what personal information is made public when online (such as names, email addresses, account information, location etc…)
- make a presentation that is closed to anyone without a link
and much more…
Personally, I have made all of my social media accounts as private as I would like them to be, including a private instagram account and a limited-view facebook profile (unless i friend you). While my privacy on these sites may not be as secure as they can be, I am confident that they are setup in a way to deter anyone who I don’t want viewing my personal life.