Somehow when we think about data security and privacy, we tend to look to technology solutions to minimise risks. And, while technology solutions are certainly part of the privacy equation, there’s another area of risk that must be addressed: people.

Teach the teachers

Staff members, instructors, students, and even parents can all be ‘weak links’ when it comes to protecting sensitive data. Whether through viruses transferred between shared files or email, the sharing of passwords or data theft, the perils of people can’t be overlooked.

But teachers play a crucial role, thanks to the amount of time they spend in the classroom and the on administrative tasks, like grading work, preparing lessons and communicating with parents and faculty. They must, of course, employ good security practices themselves. Then they can, in turn, model those good practisces to their students and emphasise their importance to parents.

IT – a big part to play in data privacy training

That’s where the IT team comes in. IT leaders have an opportunity, even a responsibility, to train technology users about the risks that their actions may represent – whether inadvertent or intentional. But as any teacher will tell you, training must be more than a ‘one and done’ exercise. So, make good use of your colleagues’ teaching expertise and, once you’ve figured out what the content of your training must be, get them to help fine-tune how it’ll be delivered.

Ahead of those conversations, here are some best-practice tips for delivering privacy training designed to stick:

1. Keep it fresh: The cybersecurity threat landscape is always evolving, as new attack vectors are discovered, and new exploits uncovered. This not only requires vigilance on your part, it also requires regular ‘refresher’ training for all users – at least yearly and preferably more frequently.
2. Keep it simple: IT is notorious for jargon and complexity but many of your audience will have little to no understanding of technology, so make sure your lessons and instructions are easily understood and not steeped in data security terminology.
3. Explain the ‘why’: It’s easy to ignore a rule or procedure if you can’t connect it to a larger purpose. You don’t need to get overly technical but explaining why security requires certain practices will help make them ‘stick’.
4. Use examples: Don’t be sensationalistic but use a few simple and preferably local examples of security gone wrong to emphasise that the threats are real. Relate your examples to the ‘why’ behind specific rules or policies.
5. Give feedback: Let your audience know when they’re getting things right and share examples of internal best practices as well as internal breaches as appropriate.
6. Include the parents: Make sure your training includes some communications with the parents, through newsletters, notes and other means. Their behaviour is a big influence on your students, so it pays to help them understand cybersecurity too.

Bonus tip: Get user feedback. It’s helpful to know if your instructions and suggestions are clear, if you’re clearly explaining the ‘why’, if there are suggestions on how to improve and so on. Opening the lines of communication between IT and others can help build relationships that boost compliance.

Protect Your Teachers and Staff From Cyber Threats

Technology has become a critical tool for teachers and staff in the education sector today. According to a global study by SMART Technologies, almost three-quarters (64%) of UK schools now embed technology in everyday teaching and learning.

Unfortunately, this same technology leaves teachers and staff at risk of a digital attack. Around one in 10 primary schools in the UK have experienced a cyber attack in the past 12 months, while a third of secondary schools have been victims of cybercrime.

However, by giving your staff the right tools to manage security risks, you can set them up to manage security risks while still reaping the endless benefits of technology use in the classroom.

How Google Workspace for Education Is Keeping Schools Safe

Communication and Collaboration With Students Are Crucial for Teachers

Teachers rely on their schools to find the right technology that allows them to do so securely. Approximately 170 million students and educators use Google Workspace for Education worldwide.

For schools looking to give teachers the benefits of Google for Education, the free edition offers a myriad of security features, including:

• Advanced Google Drive security controls
• Alert centre notifications to keep you informed of potential security threats
• A security centre that allows you to prevent, detect, and remediate threats
• Data protection including automatic encryption, two-factor authentication & automated data loss prevention

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Paid Editions of Google for Education Can Bring Teachers and Staff Even More Peace of Mind

Research shows that Google for Education Plus led to a 95% reduction in the number of phishing attempts experienced, due largely to its out-of-the-box security and email filtering.

With additional services such as attendance tracking, a security centre and investigation tool, document approvals, and more meeting and live stream capabilities, any of the three upgraded editions can help educators focus on teaching with the necessary security in place.

Click here to compare all Google Workspace for Education editions.

Google also announced in the spring of 2023 that it was releasing new features to help protect users’ privacy, keep schools’ data secure, and create safe digital learning environments.

ChromeOS Offers Built-In Security and Control

More UK schools recognise the benefits of Chromebooks over iPad. In addition to the many collaboration and education benefits behind Chromebooks, there are also many security features. To help reduce risks in the classroom so teachers can educate their students without distraction, ChromeOS offers a number of security features such as:

• Embedded security: Protect your institution from evolving cybersecurity threats with built-in virus protection, 128-bit data encryption, Verified Boot, and sandboxing.
• Automatic updates: With updates that happen in the background, Chromebooks stay current against the latest threats without having to restart their systems.
• Proactive tools and guidance: Keep an eye on security with alerts, dig deeper into incidents with the investigation tool, and get tips from

Many schools looking to give their staff the right tools to manage security risks choose to utilise Chrome Education Upgrade. The upgrade transforms devices for standardised testing, allows devices to be securely managed from the cloud-based Google Admin console, and offers 24/7 IT admin support for teachers and staff.

Complete the Digital Citizenship and Safety Course

Google created a course to help teachers and students learn how to create a safe and positive experience online. The course comprises several lessons to read, videos to watch, and activities to do. Once you’ve completed the course, you’ll better understand how to integrate these best practices into your classroom curriculum. Take the free course now.

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Setting Students up for Success

Protecting students’ privacy, keeping schools’ data secure, and digital learning environments safe are cornerstones of Google’s commitment to education. Explore the features for safer learning released by Google for Education.

Teach Safely and Wisely

Since its launch in 2009, the 5 year old operating system, Windows 7, has finally reached a 50% market share.

Figures from Net Applications show that in the few weeks since Microsoft ended its support for XP, the share for Windows XP users has fallen by 2.42%, while Windows 7 has risen 1.29% and Windows 8 by 1.32%. What makes the figures interesting is that Windows 8 is now the default operating system on new machines, however, the increase in market share between Windows 7 and 8 is very close. Microsoft still lacks the widespread general acceptance of Windows 8, which suggests that end-users (particularly businesses and schools) and diehard XP fans are choosing to upgrade/downgrade to Windows 7 instead.

A machine purchased with Windows 8, can only be downgraded to Windows 7 if the machine has been pre-installed with the Professional version of Windows 8. The Professional version allows many advanced features including the ability to join a domain, group policy support and remote desktop – basically, it is suited to a server/client environment such as schools.

The Windows XP share is declining much slower than anticipated, especially for an end-of-life product. At the current rate, it is expected to continue to still have a significant share for at least the next 18 months.

In most cases, our schools are able to upgrade to Windows 7 through buying individual “volume” licenses or a Microsoft EES-OVS agreement. Certainly, if not already, now is the time to plan for the retirement of Windows XP from the school. It’s also the ideal time to consider the Microsoft Open Value Subscription Agreement for Education Solutions (OVS-ES), which is especially cost effective during these schools wide, upgrade projects. Ask us for more details

Keeping Students Safe from Cyber Threats in the Digital Age

Protecting Your Students from Cybercrime

An audit by the National Cyber Security Centre found that cyber incidents have affected over three-quarters (78%) of UK schools. Because of the increased use of technology, students are much more susceptible to cyberattacks today than ever before. In fact, 60% of children around the world between the ages of eight and 12 are exposed to various cyber risks online.

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That equates to 12M children exposed to cyber risks.

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At the beginning of 2023, confidential data from 14 different schools in the UK, was leaked online after the schools refused to pay the hackers’ demands. The leaked data included children’s SEN information and pupil passport scans. The education sector continues to be heavily targeted by ransomware. A 2022 report revealed that 56% of lower education institutions and 64% of higher education bodies worldwide had experienced a ransomware attack in the past year. Fortunately, there are some things schools can do to protect students from cybercrime.

Cybercrime Prevention Tips Schools Can Use

Monitor Their Apps and Services: Many students become targets of cyberattacks through the apps they use. Ensure your students only use the apps and services provided to them by the school. Have a conversation with them about the importance of protecting themselves when using apps on their home devices.

Make Privacy a Priority: In a world where people post everything about themselves online, it’s critical to talk with students about their personal privacy and how they can protect themselves against threats. Schools should also consider their own data and security policies to ensure their students’ information is kept safe.

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Keep Mental Health Top of Mind: Emerging technologies can be exciting, but students should take them in stride. It’s important that students balance their use of technology with other things that are important to them. New technologies can provide an opportunity for both students and adults to learn and implement new safety, privacy, and security protocols.

Talk to Students About the Future of Technology: New technology, such as AI, can offer new ways to identify and solve problems. While it won’t ever replace human moderators, it can be an additional means of support for cyber safety. Educating students early on about the benefits of this technology and helping them find ways to tap into peer support will allow them to feel more secure.

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Remind Students to Check if It’s Real: It’s easy for people to hide behind their computers and target students online. Remind your students how to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not. Teach them the suspicious language and activities to watch for so they don’t get tricked into clicking into something that will put them at risk.

Achieving the Highest Level of Security in Schools in the World

Implementing the world’s most advanced security in schools is another big step in keeping students safer in the classroom. With best-in-class privacy and security capabilities, Google for Education offers a first line of defence against online threats.

Here’s a look at how Google protects the digital safety of students around the world:

• Every day, 74 million users get help from Google’s Password Manager.
• Every day, 100 million phishing attempts are blocked by Gmail.
• Every week, 30,000 unsafe websites are identified by Google.
• Every year, 700 million users strengthen their security with Security Checkup.

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There have also been zero reported ransomware attacks ever on any educational ChromeOS device.

Chrome Education Upgrade Helps Schools Ensure Students’ Safety

Chrome Education Upgrade is a tool many schools are embracing to help them keep students safe. With easy device management and the latest built-in security, this upgrade is helping provide students with the technology they need to embrace education without the risk of a cyberattack.

By implementing the right technology and openly communicating the importance of security and privacy to students, schools can arm their children with the knowledge and defence they need to stay safe.

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Be Internet Legends

Created to help children be safe and confident explorers of the online world. Students can make smart decisions that allow them to use the web safely and wisely.

Click Here to Learn How

Google’s priority with Meet is to make sure meetings are safe and secure. Last year they launched a number of tools to help with this, including security controls so only intended participants are let into meetings and advanced safety locks to block anonymous users and let teachers control who can chat and present within a meeting. In the coming months, Google will be adding to that list improving Meet for Teachers and Admins.

Helping teachers keep virtual classes safe

1. End meetings for everyone

Teachers now have the option to end meetings for everyone on the call, preventing students from staying on after the teacher has left – including in breakout rooms.

2. Advanced Mute Options

The new “mute all” function will help educators keep their classes on track. Sometimes it’s important to teach without interruption, meeting hosts will be able to control when students can unmute themselves.

3. Tablet & Mobile Phone Capabilities

Educators using tablets or mobile phones to teach also have access to key moderation controls, like who can join their meetings or use the chat or share their screen, directly from their iOS or Android devices.

4. Google Classroom + Meet Improved Integration

Classroom and Meet will work together even better, so every meeting created from Classroom is even safer by default. When meetings are generated from Classroom, students won’t be able to join before the teacher. Meet will also know who’s on the Classroom roster, so only students and teachers in the class will be able to join. Every teacher in Classroom will be a meeting host by default, so if there are multiple teachers, they’ll be able to share the load of managing the class.

Greater visibility and control for admins

Google will be launching new settings in the Admin console so school leaders can set policies for who can join their school’s video calls, and whether people from their school can join video calls from other schools. This will make it easier to facilitate things like student-to-student connections across regions, professional development opportunities for educators, and external speakers visiting a class.

1. Google Meet audit log

Google will be adding more information to these logs – like an external participant’s email address – so admins can better understand how people are using Meet at their school.

2. Investigation tool

Educators with Education Standard or Education Plus licenses can now access Meet logs in the investigation tool, so they can identify, triage and take action on security and privacy issues. And later this year, admins will be able to end any meeting within their school from the investigation tool as well.

Engagement and inclusivity in Meet

Over the past six months, Google has launched features like breakout rooms, hand raising, digital whiteboards and customised backgrounds. Later this year, students will be able to more easily engage and express themselves with emoji reactions in Meet.

1. Emoji reactions in Meet

Students will be able to pick emoji skin tones to best represent them, and react in class in a lightweight, non-disruptive way. Teachers and admins will have full control over when reactions can be used.

2. Lowering Bandwidth Capabilities

Unreliable internet connections can make remote teaching and learning more challenging, Google will be improving Meet to work better if you have low bandwidth. Rolling out in the coming months, this can help keep class on track when internet connections are weaker.

3. Performance of Meet on Chromebooks

Google also made significant improvements to the performance of Meet on Chromebooks. These include audio, video and reliability optimisations, better performance while multitasking and more.

4. Teaching and Learning Upgrade or Education Plus licenses

Rolling out over the next few months, educators will be able to set up breakout rooms ahead of time in Google Calendar. This will make it easier for teachers to prepare for differentiated learning, be thoughtful about group dynamics and avoid losing valuable time setting up breakout rooms during class.

5. Meeting transcripts

Helping students who are not able to attend class stay up to date, later this year educators will be able to receive meeting transcripts. They’ll be able to easily share transcripts with students, review what was discussed during class, or maintain a record for future reference.

By Frederick Hess | Forbes

When assessing government funding for schools, the focus is usually “How much?” – with too little attention given to how effectively funds are being used. It’s time for a second look at how, when, and why schools buy what they do.

The question of how, when, and why schools buy stuff usually travels under the yawn-inducing label of “procurement,” and gets about as much attention as you’d expect. But this inattention has created huge problems, meaning that huge sums get wasted, educators get frustrated and schools have trouble getting their hands on goods and services that actually help.

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Inattention has created huge problems, meaning that huge sums get wasted, educators get frustrated and schools have trouble getting their hands on goods and services that actually help.

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Even as schools across the country spend billions each year on education technology, tech companies estimate that two-thirds of educational software licenses go unused. Some educators wind up relying on what they can assemble from Pinterest on a Sunday night. Why does this happen? And how can we do better? Here are three takeaways that can help address the disconnect.

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School officials need to be clear as to how a new purchase actually helps teachers do their job.

An eternal complaint among educators is that schools waste money on ineffective programs and resources that they don’t want or need. Thomas Arnett, a one-time middle school math teacher and now a researcher at the Christensen Institute, explains that teachers view procurement as being more about creating new things to do than helping teachers accomplish tasks they’re already tackling.

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If it’s not clear to teachers how a new purchase or program is going to help them do their job, they’ll (quite reasonably) stick with what they know.

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If it’s not clear to teachers how a new purchase or program is going to help them do their job, they’ll (quite reasonably) stick with what they know. Decisions about outlays will be more likely to yield useful purchases if they start with a clear understanding of what teachers say they need to do their job.

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Compliance concerns shouldn’t drive spending decisions.

Increased government funds could make a big difference for students, but experience teaches that they rarely do. In practice, concerns about spending restrictions, reporting requirements and government timelines mean that these pounds can wind up underwriting fragmented services, ineffective but familiar programs or faddish offerings.

As Junge and Krvaric explain, the complexity of government funding rules – and the risk-aversion of education officials – often lead to a reliance on programs that feel “safe,” including fragmented offerings that readily match government guidelines, familiar programs that don’t get audited or new offerings that enjoy a clear wink-wink endorsement.

Government officials could help by simplifying spending rules; in the meantime, schools need to more aggressively explore what’s allowed and resist the temptation to stick with what’s “safe” over what’s successful.

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Education officials need to engage with vendors.

School systems are constantly inundated with vendor pitches. But experiences with vendors overpromising and under-delivering leave many school officials leery and inclined to keep them at arms-length. The ironic result, as former school HR administrator turned ed-tech CEO Lauren Dachille observes, is that when it comes time to buy new textbooks, assessments, information management or pretty much anything else, those making the purchase are frequently only familiar with what’s on offer from the vendors with the biggest and pushiest sales teams.

One consequence is that a given “request for proposals” (RFP) tends to include specific requirements that reflect the “features” list of well-known products, unintentionally excluding less familiar, more customisable, cheaper and (frequently more user-friendly) products of smaller or newer vendors. Rather than view vendors as an inconvenient blight, school officials should regard them as a resource and as potential partners.

Government funds are intended to help schools enhance learning, make schools safe and help students catch up. All of these require substantial outlays on technology, supplies and hardware. As school officials make these purchases, they have an obligation to ensure that they’ll actually be used and won’t languish on the shelf, like too many textbooks and technologies from days past.

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This article was written by Frederick Hess from Forbes and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.