2018-01-26-BRIDGE-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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an online interface for parents to see what tools are being used by LPS and what privacy policies are being applied to each tool. A question was asked about the electronic tools used in classrooms. Ms.Judkins explained that teachers select their own tools and are not required to get those tools approved by the district.A listing of teacher resources will be coming soon,though, in order to make sure educators around LPS have access to the same information and digital strategies. Another question was raised about the location of student data. Ms.Judkins said that LPS is moving away from locally hosted data and into the cloud.When data is hosted onsite at LPS, LPS is exposed to equipment failure and related problems. It's also expensive to maintain the equipment. Moving to the cloud allows LPS to stay current with technology advances and gives staff access to the data no matter where they are located. This is most important for health data. Ms.Judkins addressed the safety of LPS student data. She said that the information is secure in the cloud. The biggest problem the technology team sees is user error, i.e., using unsecure passwords, clicking on "phishing" links, etc. She and her team respond quickly to any concerns, and they are looking into increasing the education staff receive about phishing so they are not vulnerable. (For example, staff should use different passwords for different accounts, no matter how good the password is; employ two-step verifications on their accounts; considering implementing a password manager/generator like Last Pass.) Ms.Judkins also reviewed the process of rolling out Google accounts to LPS students. Starting in fourth grade, students receive Gmail accounts through LPS, part of Google Apps for Education. These accounts and their associated data are owned by LPS and they are "walled off' from the outside world, meaning students, at first, have restricted access,with access increasing as they age. Their account stays with them throughout their years at LPS, and LPS releases additional tools to them as they grow up. LPS manages these accounts through a Google dashboard. Ms.Judkins said that the district recently went through a comprehensive audit of its dashboard, and the 84-page report that resulted indicated that LPS was doing well protecting data. It also offered some additional strategies for privacy and security. The Google platform is a powerful tool for writing, getting feedback from teachers, and collaborating. Students can log into their account from home to show family members their schoolwork. Additionally, students at Bridge attend Digital Citizenship classes, starting in grade one. These classes are held in their classrooms and at the library. Ms.Judkins shared the following resources with the SBC: • LPS Digital Citizenship Parent Resource Page 2