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NYT: Privacy Concerns For ClassDojo, Other Tracking Apps For Schoolchildren
theodp writes: The NY Times' Natasha Singer files a report on popular and controversial behavior tracking app ClassDojo, which teachers use to keep a running tally of each student's score, award virtual badges for obedience, and to communicate with parents about their child's progress. "I like it because you get rewarded for your good behavior — like a dog does when it gets a treat," was one third grader's testimonial. Some parents, teachers and privacy law scholars say ClassDojo (investors) — along with other unproven technologies that record sensitive information about students — is being adopted without sufficiently considering the ramifications for data privacy and fairness. "ClassDojo," writes Singer, "does not seek explicit parental consent for teachers to log detailed information about a child's conduct. Although the app's terms of service state that teachers who sign up guarantee that their schools have authorized them to do so, many teachers can download ClassDojo, and other free apps, without vetting by school supervisors. Neither the New York City nor Los Angeles school districts, for example, keep track of teachers independently using apps."
A high school teacher interviewed for the article confessed to having not read ClassDojo's policies on handling student data, saying: "I'm one of those people who, when the terms of service are 18 pages, I just click agree." And, if all this doesn't make you parents just a tad nervous, check out this response to the "Has anyone ran a data analysis on their CD data?" question posed to the Class Dojo Community: "I needed to analyze data in regards to a student being placed on ADHD medicine to see whether or not he made any improvements. I have also used it to determine any behavioral changes depending on if a student was with mom/dad for a custody review. I use dojo consistently, so I LOVE getting to use the data to evaluate and share with parents, or even administrators."
A high school teacher interviewed for the article confessed to having not read ClassDojo's policies on handling student data, saying: "I'm one of those people who, when the terms of service are 18 pages, I just click agree." And, if all this doesn't make you parents just a tad nervous, check out this response to the "Has anyone ran a data analysis on their CD data?" question posed to the Class Dojo Community: "I needed to analyze data in regards to a student being placed on ADHD medicine to see whether or not he made any improvements. I have also used it to determine any behavioral changes depending on if a student was with mom/dad for a custody review. I use dojo consistently, so I LOVE getting to use the data to evaluate and share with parents, or even administrators."
well all k12 targeted "apps" and services *NEED* to have option to be completely SELF HOSTED by the school or district with NO DATA LEAKAGE to the vendor or other 3rd party. GOOGLE and APPLE, i'm talking to YOU TOO.
this is just too easy.
More like the "personal privacy" bandwagon, which Slashdot (and most internet denizens) have been riding for over a decade.
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It's quite shallow. Another app harvesting data from schoolkids. Privacy policy is vague. Teachers don't care because it's useful. Parents try to care but don't really. There's really nothing new here that deepens the discussion about the continuing erosion of student privacy.
Anyone really looking for a good read on that subject should turn back to the May Politico article highlighted earlier on Slashdot. Also interesting to note is how some companies are pledging to no longer mine student data, as well as companies that were notably absent from signing that pledge, including the one that promised to stop collecting student data last April.
And the cops that use it have been riding the "fighting crime" bandwagon for more than a decade, etc, etc. But it's good to know that "think of the children "is only valid when Slashdotters use it.
I envision a brave new world, where teachers can determine who is and who isn't going to be a success, and we can become an even better society
Teachers will know who is or is not worth working with - not much differnet than before
But now, Law enforcement will be able to access this valuable information so that they will be able to study, and keep an eye on children likely to be n'er do wells.
Socially motivated groups will be able to profile and experiment. If you thought the self esteem movement was great, we might be able to successfully ingrain all male children to stop being misogynists.
But most important of all, we'll be able to monetize this information for profit, as the merchandizers get access to this vital marketing information.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
Each student had old fashioned paper records recording all that stuff: behavioral problems, class results, rewards, etc.
Is it really that different now because it's on a computer?
These kids have no future anyway.
Quoting from TFS
>a running tally of each student's score,
>award virtual badges for obedience,
>(and to) communicate with parents about their child's progress
So, what's the alleged privacy problem with this again? So far, I'm not seeing it.
Quoting from TFA:
>ClassDojo does not seek explicit parental consent for teachers to log detailed information about a child’s conduct
Teachers need parental consent to write down info about a child's conduct? Are you kidding me? It's part of the job description as far as I'm concerned.
The only legitimate gripe I can see is that information about a child is being transferred to a for-profit entity apparently without parental knowledge or consent in some cases. That's trivial to rectify.
In what jurisdiction is it common, or even allowed, that a child's teacher (and his or her opinions about how the child performs when he's living with mom vs. dad) becomes a party to a parental custody hearing? It sounds to me like this information is being used waaaaay "off-label."
The quote "I like it because you get rewarded for your good behavior — like a dog does when it gets a treat" should be plenty to flag a really archaic approach to school that's going to work for some kids and poison the rest. The article mentions the criticism for the underlying theory as well. Teachers should be connecting with their kids. What's next? Food pellets for good behavior? Arf! Johnny's a good boy.
You, Yes You.
This will go on your permanent record and there is nothing You can do.
I remember laughing at that back in the day,
today I am not quite so sure.
Are we talking about children or dogs? Wtf?
Seems things are really going down the drain. Citizens are getting morphed into slaves, essentially.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
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Windows XP POSReady no longer updates if you did the registry fix to get it to be POS 2009. Sorry, Charlie, dead tuna!
its worse than that, its the rest of "free" world since the enlightenment, and the first republics. These sneeky little fuckers even got it put in the UN declaration of human rights. Next they are going to want their votes to count, and this so called "Freedom of Speech", when its not relivant to viral marketing schemes, and perhaps they might actually get critical with how the system is run. Fucking bandwagoners man. I mean no one would ever display anything but absolute love for Big Broth, umm, king and coun, umm, our most benevolant terrorist catchers and pedophile stoppers is purely just doing it to look cool.
since the 1960s actually.
Insanity in another thread
BF Skinner, your app is here and your rats await.
It's not "think of the children." It's "think of these people's privacy." Just because the issue happens to impact children does not mean that there isn't a legitimate problem, you ignorant fool.
Really -> "you get rewarded for your good behavior - like a dog does"
Is this what school has come to!?
Their knowledge database seems to have been scrubbed of all references to data analysis. The link, has-anyone-ran-a-data-analysis-on-their-cd-data, and others are MIA.
My daughters were required to use turnitin in high school. I asked whether the teacher had read the user agreement to which the children were required to agree, and whether the faculty knew that a child could not enter into the agreement in the first place, being under 18. No and No.
So I put the printed out user agreement on the table in front of them, all 50 pages of it, and started to work through the privacy issues, the assignment of rights issues, the mandatory arbitration clause, the "we can use your data for anything that we deem is our business" (e.g. a worthless privacy clause). It was to no avail in the long run: they still had to use the site, but I think that it at least raised the awareness of this.
The challenge is that you're not in a strong negotiating position: Will you as a parent object to an onerous contract of adhesion that is of little value, and sacrifice your child's academic standing? Probably not. You'll roll over because the teacher holds the grade card in their hand. On the other hand once they graduate, I expect to speak against this at School Board meetings, which is ultimately where school policy is determined.
First of all, "what happens to the data" is a huge question that's valid and needs to be answered.
Second, to the /. outrage "Obedience is now a virtue?" --- someone doesn't recall ANYTHING about school. It's a totalitarian regime with no room for anyone who deviates from the norm. Yes, you have some better teachers and some not-as-bad-as-the-other-administrators, but anyone who remembers k-12 as anything other than "sit down, shut up, and stay with the program" was in the favor of 'the norm'.
Now, the Dojo system allows everyone in the class to compete against themselves and against the group average. The group, then, gets to compete against itself week-to-week, trying to do better as whole. It works a lot better than sending little Timmy to the office because they can't sit still. It creates a reward system that is more in line with "self-respect is it's own reward" vs. "you get a cookie, you were good".
Lastly, you can look at the data points for a given day, and you can see that "'everyone' just had a bad day", again, giving kids a big picture.
How does this not violate COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) when it comes to students under the age of 13? The law requires "...verifiable parental consent, with limited exceptions, prior to any collection, use, and/or disclosure of personal information from persons under age 13" Wikipedia
I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
IM-not-soHO as a school and clinical psychologist: 1) The third grader is insightfully correct, reward desired behavior just like a dog. Nothing wrong with that. My paycheck is a very good reward for doing what I am supposed to be doing. My job. It is not bribery unless I am getting rewarded to do something I should not be doing. 2) The teachers who are using this data, upon request, to help with ADHD medication monitoring and divorce data, are probably making a mistake. Due to social perceptual biases, like Confirmation Bias, teachers are going to attend to behaviors of particular students selectively. This is not good data for individual children. 3) That said, it is a good general classroom behavior program. It reminds the teacher to reward and attend to good behavior, it gives feedback, and it is visible as a reminder to students.