As the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to move to a distant learning plan over the past month, Zoom suddenly became the classroom of choice. Daily use of the platform surged from 10 million in December to 200 million in March.
With this type of popularity Zoom’s privacy policy and security began getting more attention. The focus has been on their data sharing features to recent “Zoombombing” (where uninvited attendees break into and disrupt meetings with hate-filled or pornographic content), — and as of writing this blog at least three lawsuits against the company.
I want to break down for you in this week’s episode what it all means and what your options when using zoom. I would like for you to have more information to make an informed decision about the use of the platform, rather than being forced away from it due to media stories and competitive companies trying to leverage Zoom’s mistakes for their own gain.
Tips to consider before using Zoom
- Learn about the platform from Zoom’s youtube channel and their website.
- Be media literate and keep in mind any bias a writer may have when releasing a story about Zoom (this includes my blog and podcast)
- Always download updates to have the most recent security features and encourage your students to do the same.
- Go over all the security features as a team with all your teachers and release a statement to parents about why you will use zoom and what security features you are implementing as a school.