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Using Google Sites is a teaching tool that our teachers must embrace. Our students and parents are tech savy and this instructional tool is expected of us, I think. That said,  I agree with everyone else. I see a few concerns regarding Google Sites. First, we have to make sure  that teachers, students, and parents clearly understands our policies, what constitutes PII and the expectations/goals of our use of Google Sites. We all need targeted training on how to manage our sites without divulging identifying information, violating FERPA regulations, etc. I think it also very important to not force the use of Google Sites down the throats of teachers and parents who are not ready to embrace the technology. In my opinion forcing the issue will increase the risk of these kinds of errors happening. 

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Using Google Sites is a teaching tool that our teachers must embrace. Our students and parents are tech savy and this instructional tool is expected of us, I think. That said,  I agree with everyone else. I see a few concerns regarding Google Sites. First, we have to make sure  that teachers, students, and parents clearly understands our policies, what constitutes PII and the expectations/goals of our use of Google Sites. We all need targeted training on how to manage our sites without divulging identifying information, violating FERPA regulations, etc. I think it also very important to not force the use of Google Sites down the throats of teachers and parents who are not ready to embrace the technology. In my opinion forcing the issue will increase the risk of these kinds of errors happening. 

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M.B. Morris

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Everyone has made excellent points to consider. In reviewing random educator's classroom sites, I noticed I was able to view student work with not only their first and last name; but, the student's grades were accessible as well. I think that should not be appropriate and would be considered a violation of privacy. We all know with the internet in the palm of our hands, privacy could potentially be breached within moments. And, we all know, once it's posted, it's out there forever.

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I think the biggest concern is posting student work or photos and being able to protect PII, especially if the Google Site is set for public access for parents.  Teachers would also need to periodically monitor the links and other information on the Site to ensure that it is still working and appropriate.  Another possible concern that I have is linking to a Google Drive account.

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I think the biggest concern is posting student work or photos and being able to protect PII, especially if the Google Site is set for public access for parents.  Teachers would also need to periodically monitor the links and other information on the Site to ensure that it is still working and appropriate.  Another possible concern that I have is linking to a Google Drive account.

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-Lauren Tanis

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I think the biggest concern for privacy is sharing student information or photos. I would be sure that students have signed and returned our media release forms, but I would feel safer not sharing photos of students AT ALL. I would also be worried about students browsing the internet while they are supposed to be following directions within a Google Site, but this is a concern anytime students are using the internet. Teachers will need to make sure they are monitoring what students are doing.

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I could see how easy it could be to get excited and carried away when posting pictures or videos of student work or class activities. Teachers will have to be very cautious about only posting pictures of students that have a signed media release and avoiding student names when posting pictures of student work. I would probably err on the side of caution and only take pictures or videos from the back.

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If the Google Site is set to public for parents to access, this means anyone can access. Also, any Google Docs, Sheets etc. would have to be made public in order for parents to view. Typically a teacher's page identifies the school and/or county name, the grade levels and possibly photographs of students.

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There are many great points. I especially agree that our staff need proper pd. I think sharing with parents at an event is a great idea. We would benefit from educating parents on what we believe is appropriate use. That way, they know what standards we hold our students to. We also need to model appropriate technology use for our staff - be mindful of what we post including not accidentally posting work samples with student names visible.

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When using Google Sites it is very important to make sure that if you are posting student work and/or pictures, that no PII (Personally Identifiable Information) is being used. In addition, media release forms would pretty much have to be signed by everyone in your classes so you could easily film activities or post work without worry of violation. In addition, I also think constant monitoring of the site is a must. We have had an instance of some middle school students posting some inappropriate content in Google Classroom last year. Let's face it....it is going to happen. The key was that the teachers in the situation were vigilant and caught the incident quickly. It was investigated and those students lost their tech privileges for a certain period of time.  It sent a strong and clear message that it would not be tolerated and we could track exactly who did exactly what even if they thought they erased it and I think that is something kids don't believe until you show it to them in black and white.  I think parent education also has to be a big part of this whole thing.  I think by and large, our parent population does not know all the risks and pitfalls surrounding their child's online presence (as well as theirs).  We need to think about providing some education for our parents as well.

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When incorporating Google Sites into one's classroom, educators most definitely have to be careful about what is being shared online. Whether it is student's work, videos or other information, common sense must be used and every teacher should follow county's guidelines and policies. Anna Breland

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Teachers would definitely have to be cautious when posting samples of work, class photographs, etc. Sometimes we assume because something is private or only for our school that it won't be accessed by others but we all know that isn't always the case. It is very important for teachers to incorporate technology into their lessons and communication but do it in a way that aligns with our county policies. Monitoring on the site will also be important as we don't want anyone to be able to post anything inappropriate on our site.

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When using Google Sites, we need to consider the public vs. private setting since we are dealing with students and parents viewing the site.  Our decisions also need to reflect proper use of technology according to our county policies.  I agree that we need to make sure that student privacy is protected in regards to photographs as well as release of personal information, such as names, location etc.  One possible way to maximize the benefits would be to do a parent student night to introduce the use of the sight and/or send home a contract to parents and students with proper use of the site and require them to be signed and returned before students and or parents are allowed to participate on the site in regards to posting information.  In addition, I feel the teacher needs to decide how the site will be used best for their classroom and make sure that they are monitoring the site on a regular basis to check to make sure it reflects proper use by the participants.

Stephanie Sproul

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I agree with everyone else, we need to be sure we train teachers about how to use the site within the county guidelines and policies including being sure to not posts PII as Patti said. Sometimes, we don't always think about what qualifies as PII so I think it would be good to give examples for teachers. It is also important to be sure to train parents and ensure that they sign and turn in their media release form. Students who do not have release forms should of course not be included on the site. I think the Google new sites application is very user friendly and a great way to stay in touch with parents/students in a multitude of ways. I think many teachers tend to shy away from technology for fear of violating student privacy, but I think if we properly train teachers this is a valuable tool that can help move our classrooms forward in a modern and useful way.

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If we were to use Google Sites as a way to inform parents of what is going on in our classroom on a daily basis we would need to be careful if we photograph students during a lesson. We need to ensure we adhere to our county's policy on releasing student information as captions for the pictures. I also considered that if we want parents to be able to access our google site we need to make the available documents public or at least more public than just sharing within those with a Somerset County google account. This then leaves the information we put up from say a google doc  more susceptible to tampering with from an outside source since it is public.

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If we were to use Google Sites as a way to inform parents of what is going on in our classroom on a daily basis we would need to be careful if we photograph students during a lesson. We need to ensure we adhere to our county's policy on releasing student information as captions for the pictures. I also considered that if we want parents to be able to access our google site we need to make the available documents public or at least more public than just sharing within those with a Somerset County google account. This then leaves the information we put up from say a google doc  more susceptible to tampering with from an outside source since it is public.

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-Logan Webster

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Potential privacy issues come up whenever technology is used in the classroom. I'm always concerned that inappropriate material will somehow get on the site and students will see it and be upset by it. I think we have to be very cautious with how our students use technology and we can do this by keeping our sites private.  We can give the links to those we want to see and use it and that's it. We need to monitor the site every day to make sure even the students don't add inappropriate contact and take action if they do. In the past, when students have added inappropriate content their technology privileges have been taken away for two weeks. Although that is a hard ship for those of us that do everything on line, it sends a strong message that we won't tolerate inappropriate material being placed on our protected sites.

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Potential privacy issues come up whenever technology is used in the classroom. I'm always concerned that inappropriate material will somehow get on the site and students will see it and be upset by it. I think we have to be very cautious with how our students use technology and we can do this by keeping our sites private.  We can give the links to those we want to see and use it and that's it. We need to monitor the site every day to make sure even the students don't add inappropriate contact and take action if they do. In the past, when students have added inappropriate content their technology privileges have been taken away for two weeks. Although that is a hard ship for those of us that do everything on line, it sends a strong message that we won't tolerate inappropriate material being placed on our protected sites.

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What potential privacy issues exist with using Google Sites as a classroom tool? How can we maximize benefits and keep student data safe?