As teachers and students rely more on on-line material to ensure a comprehensive education, students' private information is increasingly placed at risk. In this new networked learning environment, ensuring the protection and privacy of student information, while maintain connectivity and access to educational resources, is more critical than ever.
The privacy and security of student information is a major concern among K-12 educators and IT leaders across the country. In fact, nearly two-thirds of the respondents in a 2016 K-12 Leadership Survey from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) indicated their concern with network security was "more important" than it was even just a year ago. Ensuring sufficient network security is as high a priority as ever.
Most K-12 districts in the U.S. now provide some level of Internet access. The trouble is, according to organizations like the State Educational Technology Directors Association and National Conference of State Legislatures, that access level and speed is often sub-standard. The dramatic increase in BYOD programs and the growth of online curriculum are taxing on-line resources.
Clearly, 21st century teaching and learning continues to evolve from the time-honored tradition of the three Rs— reading, writing, and 'rithmetic—to the National Education Association’s Four Cs—critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. This is thanks in large part to the number of students that have multiple devices and the increased acceptance of BYOD programs.
As digital education takes a front-row seat in providing rich and engaging learning experiences for the 21st century learner, the importance of content filtering isn't just a matter of following laws such as CIPA. It's a matter of public trust. It's also a matter of ensuring continued access to federal E-rate funding.
What constitutes a good digital citizen? The International Society for Technology in Education says good digital citizens "recognize the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical." Meeting those objectives has significant ramifications.