Privacy

Privacy and Learning Environments
Digital Learning Environments can produce data about the learner, that interacts with the Digital Learning Environment. Furthermore the students may share the results of learning tasks with the teacher and the teacher analyses the learning results to provide individual feedback to the student. Privacy by design principles for digital learning environments assure that the data is shared and used in digital environment that is equivalent to physical non-digital environment of interaction between teacher and student or group of learners/students that collaboratively work on a joint learning task (e.g. on students device, the classroom, the school).
 * (OER1) Assume you have an set Open Source learning environment and several Open Educational Resources for specific subject in school (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Social Sciences, Mathematics, ...) the software for the learning environment is executed with Open Source interpreter that is aware of the local IT infrastructure for individual work and sharing of results between students and teacher.
 * (OER2) Open Educational Resources can be adapted to the regional and local aspects (e.g. Real World Lab close to the school, college or university, that students can visit. These adaption made available for the classes and seminars and maybe shared beyond with other schools that visit the same location with the students. Integration in Open Source learning environment and the local client-server infrastructure in performed transparently via compilation for the local infrastructure.
 * (Digital Signature and Cryptography) Discuss the role of digital signature and cryptography for the privacy in digital learning environments that connect to remote IT services used in digital learning environments.
 * (JSON as Exchange Format for Learner Data) The data in the learning environment generated by student might be used just offline on the students device to adapt the learning environment to the students needs. If the data is not shared beyond the students device, then privacy is respected by default by the learning environment. As an example we store the generated learning data as JSON data that can be stored locally on a USB thumb drive to take home by the student, similar to Octave/Maxima file that is improved as homework. Combine JSON with Digital Signature and Cryptography and identify benefits and challenges for the application.
 * (Scaling Network Size for Sharing) Now we assume we have LAN (Local Area Network) for the classroom that is disconnected internet or even from the LAN for the whole school. Now the student wants to share the results on a digital white board. Furthermore we store the learning results as JSON. The digital white board has RESTful API the student can submit the learning data for a presentation she/he does in front of the classroom. On the digital whiteboard the results generated by the student is rendered in the same with OpenSource infrastructure as on client device. Define and identify the relevant aspects for the IT infrastructure to work within the classroom. Define and apply Open Source compilation or interpretation of the source to a given learning environment, so that is transparently integrated in the school environment.
 * (IT Fallback Method and Privacy) Privacy by design principle assure that data kept locally on the client's device if no client-server interaction is available. At the same time the offline use on the learning environment on the client is at the same time a fallback method for a lesson plan if network connection fails.

Learning Tasks

 * (Digital Learning Environment) Collect the IT requirements and constraints for an Open Source infrastructure at your school, college or university. What are the challenges for the implementation of privacy of data generated by students. Discuss this in the context of Learner Analytics and Privacy.

Fall 2009 Course Content

 * Privacy Outline Fall 2009
 * Privacy Cases Fall 2009
 * Privacy Lecture Fall 2009
 * Privacy Case Discussion Fall 2009

Other Resources
Reporting an alcoholic patient Randy Cohan, The Ethicist, New York Times, September 6, 2009. Listen to Letter #2.-- Taylor Raftery 7:06, 11th of September 2009