Many of these same companies have purpose-built educational versions offering safeguards against many of these pitfalls. If any of this sounds scary or makes you want to avoid these tools altogether, you should strongly consider paying for the premium or educational versions. In addition, it is recommended that you obtain permission from either your IT person or your administrator prior to use. As with any resource you use with students, you should thoroughly review the website yourself to make sure that it is appropriate for use in your classroom. There’s nothing more embarrassing while you’re teaching than to have a student call out a loop name that makes everyone in the class laugh (or blush). There is also a “Community” page where some of the song names would make anyone a little uneasy. In the free version of Soundation, for example, the names of some loops contain profanities and drug references.
Is that OK with your school privacy policies and/or Internet Acceptable Use policy? Are you comfortable with a student posting an assignment they created in class and having users of all ages from around the world critique their work? Additionally, some of these sites allow for some “colorful” language to be used throughout. Many free sites have open forums in which users engage in discussions about the software, their compositions, and anything else under the sun. Students over 13 may be able to use websites that require email addresses, but there are other issues to consider. Talk to your school IT administrator for more information. Both of these federal laws require teachers to be mindful of the fact that asking students to supply any personal information to a company or website outside of the school district is fraught with risk, and can be downright dangerous. The reason for this is that if they do supply their email address, as well as any personal information (name, address, date of birth, etc.), they risk exposure to marketing efforts from that company, as well as others. A simple rule of thumb is that students under the age of 13 should not be required to supply their email address in order to use a website. COPPA specifically protects the privacy and data of children under 13 FERPA, meanwhile, protects all students, and strictly limits what personal information school districts may disclose to a third party.
SOUNDATION FREE PREMIUM ACCOUNT SOFTWARE
When using free software that requires a user to enter an email address in order to create an account, special consideration must be given as to whether asking students to supply this information is in compliance with two very important federal laws concerning student privacy: the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Websites and other platforms offering free services to their users still have operating costs, and without payment from the end consumer, they must generate their revenue elsewhere- often through the sale of highly-targeted ad space.
User data and online behavior are extremely valuable to advertisers, as companies use this information to target their ads. Whether it’s Facebook, Google, Instagram, or Twitter, many free platforms require users to surrender their email addresses, as well as personal information and access to their friends, in order to utilize their services. If you have been watching the news over the past year, you have no doubt heard about the controversy surrounding online platforms and user privacy.
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