Protecting student privacy while using edtech products

School districts across the country are increasingly using computer software, mobile apps and other web-based tools to foster and enhance the learning process. The widespread adoption and use of online technologies have the potential to positively transform the educational process, but they also have called attention to possible risks.

Truancy, teachers and technology

This week's blog post focuses on three tidbits of educational news involving Ohio’s truancy laws, the new reading tests required for some teaching licenses, and a policy brief on the educational use of technology for young children. 

Senate education committee to focus on truancy

Supreme Court to rule on districts ability to access employees' text messages

This spring, the United States Supreme Court will hear the case of City of Ontario v. Quon, which questions whether the Fourth Amendment protects the privacy of text messages that a government employee sends by electronic device.

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Can we buy a jammer to cut cell phones in certain areas of a school?

So-called "jammers" block the signals of telecommunications devices so that they do not function in certain areas. Given the proliferation of cell phones in schools, many educators would love to have an "off" switch they could flip in classrooms or during testing periods. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) takes the position that the use of jammers violates the Communication Act of 1934. Its Web site states: