Thinkabara

🍎 Digital Tools for Teachers · Lesson 6 of 6

Privacy and safety with students

Google Classroom

What not to collect, what not to share, and what to check in any tool.

Two US laws to know

FERPAProtects student education records — grades, records, personal information
COPPAOnline services must get parental consent before collecting personal info from kids under 13 (schools can consent for educational use only)
State lawsMany states add student-privacy laws; check your district

Before using a new tool, check

  1. Is it on your district’s approved list?
  2. Does it need student accounts? What data does it collect?
  3. Does it show ads or sell data?
  4. Can students use nicknames instead of full names?
  5. Does it have a student privacy policy (or the Student Privacy Pledge)?

Don’t share

Student names with grades on a public board, photos of students on personal social media, or student work with names online — without the district’s permission and parents’ consent. Check your class’s photo opt-out list.

Model safe habits

Teach and model: strong passwords, no sharing logins, thinking before posting, and telling an adult. Our Internet Safety course works well as a class mini-unit.

Tip

💡 Tools that need no accounts and collect nothing (like Thinkabara) are the easiest privacy decision.

✏️ Practice: your turn

  1. Find your district’s approved apps list
  2. Check one tool you use against the 5-question checklist
  3. Review your class’s photo opt-out list
  4. Plan a mini-lesson from the Internet Safety course

✏️ All Thinkabara tools and printables for teachers

🧠 Quick quiz

Answer all 4 questions correctly to mark this lesson as done.

1. What does FERPA protect?
2. COPPA applies to children under…
3. Before using a new app, first check…
4. Posting student photos on personal social media is…

0 of 4 correct

All lessons in Digital Tools for Teachers

  1. 📺 1. A live class quiz on the screenYou on the projector, everyone answers from a device
  2. 🏠 2. Online homeworkCreate an assignment, send a link, see who did what
  3. 🖨️ 3. Worksheet makersCrossword, word search, bingo and a worksheet from your own words
  4. 📅 4. Planning lessons from your scheduleEnter your schedule, get the next lesson for every period
  5. 🧰 5. Classroom management toolsGroup maker, random picker, scoreboard and timer
  6. 🔐 6. Privacy and safety with studentsWhat not to collect, what not to share, and what to check in any tool