[0:00] Hey, I'm Hayden Manard, the AV [0:02] technology specialist at Lakeville South [0:04] High School and a member of DISC, the [0:06] ISD 194 technology team. Whether we like [0:08] it or not, technology has become an [0:10] inescapable part of the modern world. [0:13] And so, in order to prepare the next [0:14] generation for it, it has also become an [0:17] integral part of the modern classroom. [0:19] In the Lakeville area school district, [0:20] this takes the form of our 1:1 device [0:22] program. But those devices are nothing [0:24] without the software that runs on them. [0:26] Keeping this in mind, it's only natural [0:28] that we've received numerous questions [0:30] involving all aspects of our approval [0:32] and vetting process. This ranges from [0:35] questions on what the decisive criteria [0:37] is to who's making these decisions, [0:39] whether there's a master list of [0:40] approved apps and what staff members can [0:43] do to request an app be vetted. Now, I [0:45] can't promise to have all of those [0:46] answers, but I can promise that they [0:48] involve a lot more privacy laws and [0:50] acronyms than any of us want to deal [0:52] with. Let's get started. [0:54] Well, I'll start with the first and [0:56] easiest question. How do I begin the [0:58] approval process? This may actually be [1:00] different for primary and secondary [1:02] teachers. So, if you navigate to the [1:04] staff resources section of the ISD194 [1:06] website, a link should be there that [1:08] will guide you through the process. And [1:10] it might even involve our favorite [1:11] thing, submitting a ticket. The [1:13] technology side of the vetting process [1:14] primarily involves three different [1:16] factors: data privacy, integration with [1:18] our systems, and compatibility with our [1:20] current devices. Working backwards, [1:22] device compatibility is pretty simple. [1:24] Does it work on our current wave of [1:25] devices? If it doesn't, there's no point [1:27] in vetting any further. If we can't run [1:28] it, we can't use it. Integration with [1:30] our systems is a little more complicated [1:32] and involves where data is pulled from [1:34] and how accounts are created. If an app [1:36] supports single sign on through class [1:37] link or Google, that's obviously [1:39] preferable to one that may require us to [1:41] manually create thousands of accounts. [1:43] The third and final part is where it [1:44] gets fun. If your definition of fun [1:46] involves reading through privacy [1:48] policies that most people skip past to [1:50] determine whether or not an app violates [1:52] state, federal, or district guidelines [1:54] on collection of student PII or personal [1:56] identifiable information. This of course [1:58] includes the obvious data like name, [2:00] address, email, gender, or birth date, [2:03] but also more esoteric information like [2:05] the geoloccation or IP address of the [2:07] device using the software, web beacons [2:09] or analytics gathered, even whether or [2:11] not the students have to sign in before [2:13] accessing the service. Then there are of [2:15] course age restrictions. Now we do not [2:17] have software on our iPads limited by [2:19] age but rather by grade band. K to 2, 3 [2:22] to 5, 6 to 8 and 9 through 12. The most [2:25] common age restriction is ages 13 and [2:28] up. Most of our students turn 13 in [2:30] grade 8. So there is a lot of software [2:32] that is only available once they reach [2:34] high school. If an app or piece of [2:36] software passes this rigorous screening, [2:37] it doesn't necessarily mean that it is [2:39] approved for use. Once technology has [2:41] determined whether a piece of software [2:43] is legal to use, teaching and learning [2:44] will perform their own analysis to [2:46] determine whether or not it meets our [2:48] standards and whether are there are [2:49] already any resources similar to it on [2:51] our curriculum. This is not only [2:53] important for providing a consistent [2:55] learning experience for students, but [2:56] also to allow staff to properly support [2:58] each other as well as any newcomers or [3:00] substitutes in the district. For all of [3:02] these reasons, it's so important to make [3:04] sure that software is getting vetted [3:06] before any licenses are purchased. even [3:08] for software that's been used by the [3:10] district before as privacy policies can [3:12] and do change. For those curious, a [3:15] comprehensive list of all of the digital [3:16] tools in use by our district, both core [3:18] and otherwise, is available through the [3:20] ISD194 website. And you should reach out [3:22] to digital media specialists with any [3:24] questions about finding or using these [3:26] apps. Thank you all so much for your [3:28] time. And if you have any questions [3:30] about our ticketing process, we've [3:32] created another video about that that [3:33] you can view here. Thank you. [3:47] [Music]