The Importance of Safeguarding Data: How can Leaders Support Cybersecurity?

As a student in the Instructional Technology EdS program at The University of Montevallo, I am required to collect documentation of my various activities and assignments that connect to the Consortium for School Network (CoSN) Framework. [“The Consortium for School Network (CoSN) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community, best practices and advocacy tools to help edtech leaders succeed in the digital transformation” (CoSn). ] These documents are gathered together in an “OPL Record.”

This semester one of the activities I used for my “OPL Record” was a paper I wrote on district technology plans; in particular the importance of information security and safety. My paper was titled Information Security and Safety: Creating a Technology Plan to Safeguard Data, and I connected it to CETL Framework 10A. CETL Framework 10A is “ensure compliance with federal and state laws, board policy, and contracts relating to organization data privacy and security.” The purpose of this blog post is to highlight a field experience from this semester where I could have performed better. While I feel as though my paper was well-written and informative, I do not think it provides enough information to prepare me or a potential reader to create a technology plan that would prepare a school district for a possible cyber-attack.

“The pace of change in the digital age continues to increase at an exponential rate” and there is a growing dependence on technology for storing data (Sheninger, 2019, p. xviii). With so much at stake, it is critical for schools and districts to ensure compliance with state and federal laws and contracts in order to establish an effective technology plan and safeguard data. The paper I mentioned above briefly goes over the importance of data security and the legal obligation that educational institutions have in regard to cybersecurity. For example, The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), and The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). It also explains the purpose of a district technology plan and how information security and safety are tied into that plan. Unfortunately, my paper doesn’t go into detail about exactly what security measures school districts are including in their technology plans or how they are implementing those procedures or protocols within their buildings.

While working on this paper, I learned a lot about technology plans and data security, and I referenced a number of amazing sources full of information on safeguarding data in an educational setting. While most of my resources were current, the information I found most informative was published in 1998. Sadly, when it comes to resources related to technology, that is considered old. Fortunately, I believe the information is still useful and surprisingly relevant. If you are interested, you can check it out here: Safeguarding Your Technology - NCES. Even with great resources and a lot of research, I still do not feel capable of creating a technology plan on my own and I know I could never protect valuable data with my current level of knowledge. 

Despite completing the paper and still feeling wholly unprepared to complete such a critical task, I am comfortable with the notion that it’s ok not to know everything. I am happy to ask for help when I need it and I am always eager to collaborate. This type of dependence and teamwork is precisely what is required when educators and stakeholders get together to create a shared vision. Once this vision has been collectively built and the technology plan is written, it is still the responsibility of a group of educators and staff members to implement the plan. As with anything in education, working together produces the best results and creates a culture that is most conducive to learning.

“The world in which young children are growing up is different than that of previous generations” and recently “we have seen increases in regular access and use of digital technologies” (Lauricella, Herdzina, & Robb, 2020, p.1). Educators are responsible for guiding students on a path to becoming responsible, contributing adults. “It is important to understand that, even though today’s active learners have grown up with technology, it does not always follow that they know how to use it effectively for learning” (Sheninger, 2019, p. 19). Teaching internet safety and the importance of data security is not only a critical lesson for adults but students as well. “There is an increased need to support students’ understanding of how to be safe, responsible, and cooperative digital media users” (Lauricella, Herdzina, & Robb, 2020, p.1). Ideally, the training that teachers receive should also be shared with students along with a solid foundation on being good digital citizens. “There must be an emphasis on cultivating competent learners who are equipped to thrive and survive in a digital world” (Sheninger, 2019, p. xv). 

With all the changes in technology and an increased need to focus on data security, it is crucial for leaders to be open to change in order to provide students with the best possible education. According to Sheninger, “leaders must become advocates for the use of web applications in schools, working with all stakeholders to create an environment focusing on responsible use” (2019, p. 14). Information security and safety may seem like a behind-the-scenes task to be handled exclusively by technology directors, but that is simply not true. Successful leaders know that in a digital society, we must work together to create and implement a vision for education that utilizes digital technology to its full potential. Effective digital leaders “are tasked with preparing students for success in a world that is becoming more dependent on technology” and they are responsible for helping students use it safely. (Sheninger, 2019, p. 20).

 

Resources

Lauricella, A. R., Herdzina, J., & Robb, M. (2020). Early childhood educators’ teaching of digital citizenship competencies. Computers & Education, 158, N.PAG. https://doi-org.ezproxy.montevallo.edu/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103989

Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.