How may FIPPA impact your professional practice?
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, referred to as FIPPA, will have significant implications in my professional practice as a Social Studies teacher. There is no doubt in my mind that I need to familiarize with FIPPA now, as it will for sure be relevant during my entire teaching profession and is piece of legislation that I will need to refer back to throughout my career.
I believe that FIPPA will specifically have a large impact on the ways in which I communicate with parents as it essential for parents to be informed and aware of how personal information regarding their children is being shared and protected online. Despite the fact that we live in a digital era where it is commonplace to instantaneously share information online, teachers need to be very mindful of what kinds of content are being posted and what personal information is being shared, especially when it involves students. Since I know for certain that my lesson plans will involve activities that require students to go online, browse the Internet, and perhaps sign up for various digital tools and educational platforms, I will have to educate myself on how such tools handle student data to ensure it is incompliance with FIPPA. For example, found in Google Suites, Jamboard is a free digital tool that allows students to collaborate and work together on an interactive board and is a useful tool in social studies classes. According to FIPPA, students are not required to share their personal information with services such as Google, due to potential information privacy and security issues, so there are certain measures I would need to take if I wanted to continue down this route. I would need to be transparent with their parents and clearly state why I am asking the students to use this tool and how it supports my pedagogical and instructional goals to help build key skills and literacies, as well as explain how the tool stores their data.
The protection of student information is a very serious matter and I want to ensure that I am following the appropriate protocols to protect the safety and privacy of my students. I will need to explain to parents’ why the disclosure of personal information is necessary and detail the methods and implications to ensure everyone is aligned and on the same page. Furthermore, I will also need to obtain a written form of the consent agreements from the parents or guardians, furthering highlighting the significance of communication between the teacher and the parents in relation to FIPPA. I recognize that the failure to comply with FIPPA can lead to legal issues for teachers and institutions and I would rather avoid that pathway altogether, so it’s great to get a head start now and familiarize myself with the legislation.
