Acceptable Use Should Include Acceptable Filming

Protecting teachers and students from unauthorized filming is an issue as can be seen with what happened to this fifth grade teacher at an event that many people film -- the fifth grade graduation.

The video's originator filmed the teacher at graduation with close ups of her face and zooming in on her lower anatomy and set the 3 minute clip to "hot For Teacher" before it was taken down off youtube when she found out about it last week.

We should be discussing privacy concerns in amateur videos. We should learn about and be educated on what is it proper to share and what is not.

The reason we don't talk about it more, I think, is a sinking feeling in our own stomachs that perhaps we don't know what to tell kids or adults!

I always tell students that to post any digital artifact (podcast, photo, video) of a person that you must have that person's specific permission -- let them see it and ask them. (Of course, what if their parents argue that they are a minor and don't have a right to decide.)

It saddens me that such things happen but I also rejoice in the new Internet and its possibilities.

Sometimes we just need to think. I find it interesting now the number of times YouTube is mentioned on the evening news each night. Has anyone ever counted?

tag: youtube, teaching, education, privacy, fifth grade teacher, teacher, video, acceptable use policy