Opt-Out of Technology

Parents opting out of technology in the classroom that they find "creepy". post

As parents increasingly raise privacy concerns about technology in the classrooms, permission slips are becoming more common.

The Victorian Education Department now provides schools with template opt-out forms for six education technologies, including Microsoft Office 365 and Google’s G-suite for Education.

Information packs published by the department detail exactly what information is being collected and where it is stored.

A parent refers to a 2015 OECD report, which found students who used computers very frequently at school performed “a lot worse in most learning outcomes". post

Monash University education professor Dr Neil Selwyn said while technology played an important role in the classroom, parents were right to be concerned.

“There is often no due diligence or broader thinking about what the consequences are,” the digital technology expert said.