3 Days to Gather Field Trip permissions for Every Student in the School⊠ Panic, or Permission Click?
Barrington Christian Academy in Rhode Island found themselves in a predicament after a teacher emergency put the planning of a school-wide field trip on hold.
Instead of cancelling the event, the administration team decided to put Permission Click to the test.
The mission: Inform every parent of the field trip and gather parent permissions in just 3 days!
"Before Permission Click we would have been scrambling to collect paper permission slips, emailing parents, and making phone calls in order to get every parent's permission for the field trip" says High School Principal, Michael Skazinski
By the end of the third day here were their results:
Form created and sent to parents under 10 minutes
First responses received within minutes of sending form home
Every signed permission slip received within 3 days, on time
âPermission Click saves our teachers the time it used to take them to create, print/distribute, chase down, and track permission slips. Â Teachers are able to fill out a pre-built template and immediately send the permission slip link to parents. Parents are busy.â says Skazinski, adding âWhether at home, a sports practice, or other after-school obligation; parents can complete and return a permission slip from any device. Â We no longer have students losing permission slips or asking for extra copies and the turnaround from creation to completion is quickâ.
Permission Click Power User Challenge: Send us your success stories by email to [email protected]. We love to show off our power users! Each month weâll choose one Power User to feature in our blog.
Staying ahead of fast-moving Student Data Privacy regulations
âItâs a lot easier knowing that youâre not alone. Together we can figure it out.â - Linnette AttaiÂ
This post is part three of a four-part Speaker Series focused on sharing learnings from presenters at FETC 2017. If youâre attending FETC, be sure to stop by the Startup Pavilion and say hello to the Permission Click team. Attending in spirit? Send us a message on Twitter @PermissionClick and let us know what you thought of our FETC Speaker Series!
Linette Attai has over 20 years of experience in the compliance industry. Starting in the entertainment world, Linette served time with both Nickelodeon and CBS before forming her compliance consulting firm PlayWell LLC.
Often presenting to developers, marketers, researchers and attorneys about privacy, safety, and advertising, Linette switched gears this week to share her learnings with FETC attendees.
PC: What exactly are FERPA and COPPA?
COPPA ensures that companies are minimizing the amount of information we are collecting from children under 13. Really, itâs about giving parents control and authority over what is collected from their children and enables certain security diligence around third parties.
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) is actually not a new law. It was passed back in the 1970âs and has been updated in 2008 and 2011 to keep up with technology. FERPA was designed to ensure that parents and students 18 and older have the right to access information retained by schools about their education. It provides individuals with the ability to monitor, collect, and even amend their data.
âIn the past three years alone, weâve seen over 480 new bills passed and 82 new laws.â
PC: Within any district we have three main stakeholders: teachers, district administrators, and risk managers. With new laws and bills popping up almost daily, how can each stakeholder ensure they have correct and timely information?
To say that the rate of change in student data policy is high would be a gross understatement. In the past three years alone, weâve seen over 480 new bills passed and 82 new laws. Some are regional by state, but thereâs no shortage of new information that needs to be consumed by districts.
A big challenge for the education sector is that these laws arenât written with a set of instructions, and theyâre written for the legal community. This leaves a lot of room for interpretation - and possibly missing the mark on what the law is trying to accomplish. We canât expect educators to be part-time lawyers. When it really comes down to it, they need support, and they should be actively seeking that support. I do a great deal of training with school systems and educators in this very area. Sometimes that means guidance and education while a district builds their own compliance program. Other times we go ahead and build it for them.
PC: Resources at a district level are sometimes conflicting - other times theyâre non-existent. What should a teacher do when they feel they lack required resources or arenât properly supported?
I am lucky enough to be working with COSN (Consortium of School Networking) where we provide a lot of free resources for schools. In fact, weâll be running an online training program called âProtecting Student Privacy in Connected Learningâ starting in March. This is an excellent first step. The Privacy Technology Assistance Center also has great free online resources available to educators.
With all these resources and often conflicting online information, itâs common for districts and educators to feel overwhelmed and confused. The question becomes âwhat do I do with all this information?â. Even after weâve read the law and used the resources above, weâre sometimes still missing that vital set of instructions. How do I turn the law into policy? How do I then disseminate that policy to my schools, to my staff? How do I train them? These are tough questions and thereâs no one easy answer. This is why many districts contact a firm such as PlayWell LLC for guidance.
PC: If a new law comes out tomorrow, how quickly is a district expected to respond?
Implementation is usually six months to a year. They do give districts time to learn, understand, and develop policy. The challenge is the lack of guidance for schools on what the law means. When you sit down with schools who are really in the trenches, you can see the fear come up and itâs very strong. That is where I try to do a lot of my work with PlayWell, helping to explain these new laws or policies to the schools and give them support.
âThe government isnât in the business of putting schools out of business. They will work with you.â
PC: A Risk Manager at a district learns that for some reason, they are no longer compliant. What happens next? How serious is this issue?
Firstly, donât panic. When we look at FERPA or other state laws, youâre looking at a law that is designed based on limiting federal funding. This is a huge risk, absolutely. But we have to remember that the government is not in the business of putting schools out of business. That wouldnât be good for anyone!
Second, understand the scope of your problem and put a resolution plan together. Maybe you have to pull back some data, amp up your security, hire a Chief Privacy Officer. The resolution will be unique to the situation.
Third, keep it in perspective. No one - not any district - is perfect on their compliance. 100% compliance just simply does not exist. When you have an issue, understand how it happened, and plan to fix it. Most importantly - make sure it doesnât happen again. Having a breach in compliance doesnât mean youâre over. It simply means you need to pay attention to it quickly and seriously. If youâre really stuck on a serious issue, call PTACâs hotline, call me, or call COSN. These resources are here to support you.
PC: So much support for educators! What about vendors? We see many new EdTech companies every year. One has to wonder, with so many changes happening so frequently, what can we do to ensure weâre on the right side of the line?
For a vendor I see the risks being much greater. The laws treat companies differently - instead of the threat of losing federal funding, they lose the ability to work with schools. If a company isnât compliant, they risk a restriction to student data. Essentially, schools canât share student data with that company for five years.
âThere needs to be a trusted partnership between companies and educators.â
There really is no one silver bullet. Laws and regulations change depending on the state, the age of the student, and other factors. For an EdTech company, itâs vital to stay on top of the legislation and on top of your industry. Knowing the stakeholders and the entire ecosystem is critically important. Itâs not enough to be great at technology, or to have an amazing idea thatâs going to improve the education of students. You have to understand how schools work, the concerns of parents, and what is happening on a broader scale. Things are moving at a pace that we really have not seen in other industries. We have a fairly mature legislature in the financial sector, Â in medicine, and in the entertainment sector. But when it comes to technology and education, this is the start of determining the boundaries. 21st century classrooms are growing so quickly. We really need to understand the laws and the concepts behind them. Â Â
What I would encourage for everyone: understand that their are laws and rules to protect student privacy. Schools and vendors are both working hard to ensure the privacy of student data. There really needs to be a trusted partnership between companies and educators. Laws are changing, being written very quickly, and are really focused now on vendor control. So work together to really make sure that vendors are compliant with the data they get from schools.
PC: What do you predict we should be planning for in the next 5 to 10 years?
This generation of children are very different than millennials, they are going to be much more self-directed in their learning. I see personalized learning becoming much more important to them. Strong privacy around this self-directed learning, especially in the K-12 space will be key. I also see the empowerment of students and parents to use their data to direct their own higher education. Balancing protecting the data without limiting the studentâs and parentâs use of the data for their own benefit will become a key trend.Â
Linette Attai presented January 25th 2017 at FETC. For more information on how to ensure compliance within your district, reach out to her via PlayWell LLC, or check out her online course Protecting Student Privacy in Connected Learning. You can find Linette on Twitter @PlayWell_LLC
#FETC17 Series -Â Culture and Collaboration: The Winning Combination
How one district administrator combined learnings from the Private and Public sectors to grow an innovative and collaborative technology team.
This post is part two of a four-part Speaker Series focused on sharing learnings from presenters at FETC 2017. If youâre attending FETC, be sure to stop by the Startup Pavilion and say hello to your Permission Click family. Attending in spirit? Send us a message on Twitter @PermissionClick and let us know what you thought of our FETC Speaker Series!
Jim Bennettâs path into education was unique to say the least. Focused entirely on using technology to create operational efficiencies while minimizing expenses, Jim crafted a very successful 40-year career in the private sector.
Quickly discovering retirement didnât suit him, Jim made the decision (with some helpful prodding from his wife), to apply for an opening with one of the provinceâs largest school divisions. 10-year detailed strategic plan in hand, it wasnât long before Jim had officially made the switch from private to public sector.
While the learning curve was steep (at some times, completely vertical!), Jim was able to adopt his private-sector learnings into a new and innovative mindset for Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools (GSCS). His focus on culture and creating the right team first propelled GSCS into the forefront of technology awareness within his province and around North America.
Today we share with you Jimâs challenges, successes, and how he built in a âmagic bulletâ for his team: a culture of collaboration.
PC: After 40 years in the private technology sector, you were convinced to come out of retirement and join Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools (GSCS). What was the biggest shock moving to the public sector?
It was definitely a vertical learning curve! The education environment has challenges we donât see in the private sector: many different stakeholders, limited professional technology knowledge outside of the technology team, supporting thousands of users on a very finite budget, itâs very unique. In the public sector, you canât just ramp up sales to increase revenue if you want to start a new initiative. You have to be creative, Lean, and constantly focused on how to do more with less.
In most school systems, their existing architecture has grown organically - usually an employee with an interest in technology built the base architecture in the 80âs, and the district has added to it as necessary over the years. Often this means that we have to spend more financial and human resources on unwinding the previous architecture before we can start to think about putting in something new.
âYou have to be creative, Lean, and constantly focused on how to do more with less.â
Unlike the private sector, where branch offices are smaller, content sharing is minimal - in education, everything is about content sharing. The bandwidth requirements alone are a large expense that is unique to education.
PC: Architecture limitations, financial limitations, human resource limitations - how do you work within these constraints to make sure your students are still getting the best exposure to technology possible?
Our focus always has been, and always will be, 100% on improving learning outcomes and graduation rates for our students. We make sure to use technology intelligently. BYOD or 1:1 might not be in the framework for the next few years, but we ensure technology is accessible to our students. Using my background in Lean Six Sigma, and some creative thinking, weâve come up with many different options. Some classrooms have âpodsâ where students work in a team on group projects - which has the benefit of teaching them to share technology and resources, work together, build off each otherâs strengths. Itâs been a very successful model.
PC: When you started at GSCS, there was no Education Technology (ET) team, and a one-person Information Technology (IT) team. What culture challenges did you come across in this model?
Culture can be a huge challenge in any division. Professionals in IT may not come from an education background, and might not understand what itâs like to be in the classroom. Likewise, educators often donât have a professional IT background, so thereâs a lot of misunderstanding that can happen. Teachers have good and wonderful ideas, but sometimes itâs hard to understand the cost and resource requirements of implementing those ideas. We donât want teachers to be frustrated because they think weâre always saying no. We want to be able to understand both sides.
âThis isnât going to cost them their job. Itâs going to make their job more enjoyable.â
You have to have buy-in from everyone, but especially the team who will be involved. From the highest-level superintendent right down to the part-time office folks. They need to understand: this isnât going to cost them their job, itâs going to make their job more enjoyable.
PC: How did you bridge that gap?
Building an Education Technology (ET) team is vital. But, it has to be the right team. Iâve witnessed at many districts that the relationship between IT and ET is almost 100% confrontational. Nothing gets accomplished this way. This is why weâre having a session about it!
We took time to find the right people for our ET team. Teachers who understood the classroom, but who also understood IT, with team player personalities. We need to be able to work together, not be adversaries. Once our team was in place, we focused entirely on open dialogue. We have monthly meetings, shared goals, itâs very collaborative. When everyone is working towards the same goal, weâre more able to succeed.
âTeams are stronger when they grow and experience hardships together.â
Our ET team was built out at the same time as our IT team. I came into the position new to Education, and the ET team came into the position with no expectations of working with me. We were all learning together. We went through all the typical team stages: forming, storming, norming, performing. We learned to trust one another because we grew, learned, and fell together. This is one striking similarity between private and public sector - teams are stronger when they grow and experience hardships together. Had we built this team under different circumstances, I donât know that weâd have been as successful.
PC: A teacher in GSCS has a cool edtech tool they want to try out. What do they do?
Teachers bring the tools theyâd like to implement in their classroom to the ETâs, and the ETâs do an excellent job of vetting them. They compare the tool against our 5-year plan, check for security and privacy constraints, make sure it will work with our existing architecture. If the tool passes, the ETs bring it to our monthly meeting, and we go through the same vetting process. This works well because everyone understands our common goals. If we have to say no to a new tool, thereâs an excellent reason as to why that is, and everyone understands it. Our constant dialogue allows us to always work together - weâre very team oriented.
âWe all face challenges. The key is understanding, learning, and improving because of them.â
PC: Tell us about your 5-year plan. How can you build a 5-year plan for GSCS when the future of EdTech is always changing?
Coming into this position, I was hopeful we would be able to create a long-term plan with structure and vision. In the private sector I lived and died by 5-year plans. This can be tough to do in any sector, as the target is always moving. Doubly so in education. While we do have a 5-year plan, and we do follow it, we are also aware that things change, new technology comes available, priorities shift. We have to adapt, change, and be agile. We review our 5-year plan every year, so it is more of a rolling plan. What did we knock off this year? What are we adding to the end? It is our meter stick with which we evaluate new tools and make decisions, but it is not drawn up in stone.
âWithout a vision that youâre constantly rowing towards, how will you know when youâve reached your goal?â
I am a great believer in agility, being Lean Six Sigma and Scrum Certified. Agility is just as important as planning: but without a vision that youâre constantly rowing towards, how will you know when youâve reached your goal?
In our presentation on Thursday, weâll be showing you exactly what our 5-year plan looked like in years 1 through 4. What our ET team looked like, how we worked together then, how we work together now, and what we learned along the way. Lean Six Sigma is not new to the private sector, but it is new to Education. I look forward to sharing this with attendees, as it has helped us alleviate a lot of our pains, and understand the ones we went through together. We all face challenges, the key is understanding, learning, and improving because of them.
PC: Where does a teacher start? They see the adversarial relationship between IT and ET in their district, and they long for a better process. What are the first steps to take?
Thatâs a tough one because to be perfectly honest, thereâs no such thing as a âone size fits allâ. Across each school district youâve got different cultures, different administrative structures. Every district is unique.
The one biggest change we found - the closest to a silver bullet - was ensuring that the ET and IT teams report up to the same Superintendent. In most school divisions they operate on completely different teams, under different managers. How can you work together if youâre not invested with the same interests and goals, from the same management structure? Ensuring that both teams reported to the same manager expedited our team and trust building, encouraged an open dialogue and collaboration.
For teachers who feet that IT and ET are not working together in their district, this is the first thing to look for. If theyâre not on the same team, it is unlikely theyâll reach a true level of success.
Jim Bennett shares more details about the culture of his Education Technology and Information Technology team building at #FETC17. You can catch his presentation âInformation Technology and Educational Technology: A Collaborative Journeyâ on Thursday, January 26th 2017 at 2:00 pm ET.
#FETC17 Series - Want more collaboration, engagement, and dedication from your students? Go paperless!
Lessons, learnings, and observations from #FETC2017 speaker Kerry Gallagher on her #paperlesslearning journey.
This post is part one of a four-part Speaker Series focused on sharing learnings from presenters at FETC 2017. If youâre attending FETC, be sure to stop by the Startup Pavilion and say hello to the Permission Click team. Attending in spirit? Send us a message on Twitter @PermissionClick and let us know what you thought of our FETC Speaker Series!
If youâve been in the EdTech world for the last few years, youâve likely heard of Kerry Gallagher. A rising star in the Education Technology scene, Kerryâs blog âStart with a Questionâ was listed on EdTech K-12âs 50 Must Read Blogs for 2016. She frequently writes for EdSurge, has a Ted Talk under her belt, has presented at more conferences than we can list here, and was recently awarded the 2016 MassCUE Pathfinder Award for her leadership in the industry.
Passionate about the benefits of using technology in the classroom while also cognisant of potential risks and pitfalls, we couldnât wait to catch up with Kerry in advance of her sessions at FETC 2017.
PC: Youâve had quite the career, and youâre not slowing down anytime soon. What started it all?
Writing really opened the door to everything else. I always go back to this moment in 2009 - I made the decision to join an in-district cohort with a weekly blog requirement. This cohort allowed me to meet teachers across all grade levels and subject areas, giving me a broader perspective of education. I found it inspiring to know teachers who were also interested in moving forward, and receive consistent feedback from them on my blog. When the cohort ended, I continued the blog publicly. I found it so rewarding to be able to learn from, share, and engage with other motivated and passionate teachers.
Writing weekly and reflecting on my experiences as I brought new technology into my classroom opened the doors to so many things: it allowed me to connect with teachers outside my district, share amazing opportunities with my students, and present at conferences. The responses I receive are so rewarding - Iâm a better teacher because of it.
PC: Youâve had a paperless classroom for many years now, well before the industry shift towards 1:1 learning. What was your motivation to move towards paperless, and what did that look like in 2009?
For me, âpaperlessâ didnât just apply to what my students submit, but also to what they use in the classroom. I found Open Licensed Educational Resources (OER) were more applicable and adaptable to my studentâs learning outcomes than the textbook we had available to us at the time. OERâs allowed me to source and curate content from a variety of sources and opinions, providing a more enriched and dynamic learning experience for my students.
In 2009 our district had a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy and student wi-fi network, but most students worked on their phones. We encouraged students to bring in a laptop or tablet if they had one - but not everyone did. Students used their phones, and in some cases we would sign out a device from the library so that all students were connected.
âMy studentâs learning and exploration is no longer limited by the time of two bells.â
PC: One of the biggest criticisms we hear about 1:1 or BYOD initiatives is that they promote individualization over collaboration. In extreme cases, we envision all students sitting at their desk, headphones in, staring at a screen, with no interaction. It seems as though youâve had a very different experience - why is that?
We use technology to allow us to work together, not necessarily to have individualized learning paths. Technology allowed us to have the content, resources, and tools required to meet their individual needs, but the focus was always on learning together. Students might work on the same Google Slides presentation together, curate information using the same bookmarking tool, or take group notes using Google Docs. My studentâs learning and exploration is no longer limited by the time of two bells. Even if students were physically absent, they were still with us in class through the power of technology.
My classroom was always very noisy and active. Kids were sitting on the floor, on bookshelves, in the hall. We used the technology in a way that worked for us and not to isolate one another.
âWhy shouldnât students be using and benefiting in the classroom from the same technology that professionals use in their day-to-day lives?â
PC: A familiar picture to anyone working in the startup industry! I canât tell you how many times weâve had a âgroup huddleâ on the floor to mix things up. Would you say this style of teaching is helping students better prepare for their futures?
One skill that we use daily throughout our lives is the ability to create something that demonstrates what we can do, and what weâve learned. We also all need to be able to work together, regardless of age or profession. If my students can do these things as often as possible, theyâll be better prepared no matter the grade level or subject content.
We use technology to help us move towards these goals. Without technology, collaboration for us as professionals would be much harder. Why shouldnât students be using and benefiting in the classroom from the same technology that professionals use in their day-to-day lives?
PC: Sounds like the benefits certainly outweigh the risks! But thereâs an elephant in the room with every new edtech tool or idea that we havenât touched on yet. How does the connected teacher ensure Student Data Privacy for their students?
This is such an important topic, because I very much believe in the power of technology in the classroom. Whatâs interesting is that both students and adults in this case are learning together what the pitfalls are. For the first time in history, we have almost no expectation of privacy. Thatâs concerning. As a parent, it doesnât feel natural, it doesnât feel safe. And that can be scary.
âWe donât want to hold our students back in the interest of protecting them - itâs a delicate balance.â
We also need to be aware of these fears. We donât want to hold our students back in the interest of protecting them - itâs a delicate balance. There is no stakeholder in this industry; not companies, educators, parents, or students, who wants children to be hurt. If we start from this premise, the conversation can be much more positive.
Sharing data isnât inherently a bad thing. In many cases, the data a company collects helps to make their product better, which is good for our students. The question is what type of data is being collected, and how are they using that data? Collecting data outside of the scope of improving their product is a red flag. Companies should also promise never to sell student data, and never to advertise to students - those are big red flags.
PC: Seems like teachers have their work cut out for them!
They do! I think as time goes on, itâs going to become part of the role of an educator to be translators between companies who provide tools and the parents who are concerned. This isnât what most people expected when they became educators, itâs not within everyoneâs skill set. My second session, What Student Data Privacy Means for Classroom Educators, is all about empowering educators with tools and resources to help them in this journey. But at the end of the day, all stakeholders need to come together. Student Data Privacy is a school community responsibility.
PC: What tips do you have for the teacher who is entirely convinced in the benefits of using technology in the classroom, but might not have the resources or administrative support they need to move forward?
First, donât assume youâre not allowed to do something. Always, always ask. Itâs easy to misinterpret policies, and things change every year. Before you do something big, always ask, just one more time.
Secondly, apply for grants. I became a grant writing machine. Of course, not every single one was approved. I might have submitted 20 applications, to have one or two come back. But those that did come back were well worth the time investment. Once you have a grant, whether itâs for iPads or funding or something else, it is much easier to work with administration on your vision. We once received whiteboard film from 3M - allowing my students to collaborate all over the classroom. Every grant will help.
Third, Openly Licensed Educational Resources are a great place to start. Flex your instructional design muscle, get creative. Supplement your existing resources, change, and remix them. Success in one area will lead to success in others.
Kerry Gallagher is leading two sessions at FETC. Find location and session details for #GoOpen: Moving Beyond the Textbook and What Student Data Privacy Means for Classroom Educators on the FETC website. You can read her blog at www.KerryHawk02.com and find her on Twitter at @KerryHawk02.
PC among 10 companies selected for âCDMN Get Thereâ Silicon Valley 2017 Cohort
10 companies selected for winter 2017 Get There: Silicon Valley cohort
By CDMN on November 29, 2016
The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN) in partnership with Invest Ottawa has accepted 10 companies into the winter 2017 cohort of the Get There: Silicon Valley program.
This is a unique opportunity for Canadian technology startups to benefit from a hands-on experience navigating San Francisco, broadening their networks, meeting investors and connecting with potential clients.
This experience will help companies build a strong foundation and confidence for travelling to the Valley for future business trips. The trip also focuses on building the companyâs network and social capital in one of the most critical U.S. markets for technology companies.
Companies landing in the winter 2017 cohort, with their local CDMN hubs in brackets, are:
Blockthrough (DMZ); Brinx Software (Invest Ottawa); Flipd Inc. (Invest Ottawa); Harbr Inc. (Volta Labs); iBionics (Invest Ottawa); Paper Interactive (Innovate Calgary); Permission Click (ICTAM); Site 2020 Inc. (Volta Labs); The Growcer (Invest Ottawa); and Welbi (Invest Ottawa).
To learn more about the Get There program, watch the video and connect with a local CDMN hub.
Permission Click Launches âDistrict Clickâ Platform to Help Districts Take Control of Forms and Approval Processes
New features include customized workflows, pre-populated district templates, and reporting
(Winnipeg, Manitoba) June 21, 2016 â Three years after launching its flagship platform that delivers digital permission slips and forms for K-12 schools,Permission Click today announced a major new release aimed at districts.
District Click powers centralized curation of parent-facing and internal form templates, dissemination of these templates to schools via the Permission Click platform, customized workflows for approvals, multi-site management, and reporting.
âItâs clear that making it easier to collect permission slips and forms from parents at a school level is only part of the story,â said Chris Johnson, the co-founder and CEO of Permission Click. âDistricts often have fancy policies and approval processes theyâve spent years crafting centrally, but that fall flat at the school level in the wild.â
District Click was inspired by customersâ practical needs, Johnson said. âWe realized how much time we spend with district administration shedding light on the processes their school staff actually used day to day, and to be candid, they are commonly shocked to learn how differently waivers and forms are used from one school to the next.â
Iain Riffel, the assistant superintendent of programs at Pembina Trails School Division in Winnipeg, is amongst the first group of districts to implement the platform. âWe have robust policies and processes in our division for things like Student Activities and Permissions, and administering these policies across dozens of schools is a sizeable effort,â Riffel said. âDistrict Click automates the process of sharing forms and policies, approval workflows, and visibility of active events consistently across our schools. Weâre looking forward to rolling this out across our division in September.â
Johnson pointed out that day-to-day use of Permission Click by the companyâs existing user base will remain largely unchanged, adding that, âSchool staff in districts rolling out District Click will notice incremental features including pre-populated district templates, automated workflow for approvals, and more, while parents enjoy the same trusted experience.â
ISTE attendees can experience a live demo of District Click at the Start-up Pavilion booth #1311.
About Permission Click
Permission Click is an award-winning Canadian education technology company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The company was founded in 2013, currently employs 15 people, and has thousands of users in most states and provinces in Canada and the United States. Permission Click recently closed a $1.75-million seed capital round led by Real Ventures and Friesens Corporation to continue to expand its position as the leading platform for districtsâ management of student permissions and activities. For more information, please visitPermissionClick.com or call (844) PERMISSION (737-6477).
How Dr. Robert Craven implemented 1:1 deployment successfully to 24,000 students, and why you should hear about it at ISTE 2016.
These days, technology and education are becoming more and more intertwined, and no one knows that better than Dr. Robert Craven.Â
As the Senior Director of Technology at Tustin Unified School District, Robert successfully implemented what is known as 1:1. What does this mean? Why is it impressive? It means that each and every one of the 24,000 students in the district have access to a digital device, both in class and at home. It means that 24,000 students can now take their learning online, can make use of digital resources and can access information at any time that can enhance and promote learning.Â
We caught up with Dr. Craven ahead of his presentation at ISTE 2016 to talk about technology in schools, the challenges of 1:1 deployment, and why he believes that every student should have a digital device.
PC: You have quite the impressive resume! Senior Director for Tech at Tustin Unified School District, 20 years in technology education, time with LA Unified School District at the county level, youâre a Google Certified Teacher, an Apple Distinguished Educator and the CUE Board President. With all that experience in Education, what is it about technology that interests you the most?
I find it fascinating. As an educator in inner city LA, it really was a great engagement piece for students. I saw the way that technology had the ability to accelerate learning, when used correctly. In Tustin [Unified School District], weâre seeing amazing things happening. We have robotics programs going in as early as elementary levels that result in competitions from grade 3 all the way up to high school. Weâre seeing 3D printers and engineering programs in which students even went ahead and designed a prosthetic device for a student who was missing part of his arm. Technology [has the] power to transform the lives of our students by giving them opportunities they wouldnât naturally have had otherwise.
PC: Thatâs all amazing stuff - can we attribute this to the technology itself? Is there a support system to make sure the plans for 1:1 deployment run smoothly?
First of all, resources behind the technology must be robust. There needs to be excellent communication and access to [resources like] videos, sample lessons, support for the teachers, demonstrations and well trained coaches working with teachers, in their classrooms, a couple times a week. The schools also need to ensure that they have enough network bandwidth, because with 1:1 deployment, schools eat bandwidth like itâs going out of style. Beyond the classroom, administrators and the community really have to come through. At the community level, that could mean increasing taxes to go 1:1, setting up large grants and providing additional funding for schools. Itâs important that the schools work with the community on things like attendance incentive programs and attendance in general. [1:1 deployment] is a district project - everyone coming together to support the students in technology.
PC: Letâs talk about your ISTE presentation: Oh Snap: What didnât and did work in 1:1 deployments. Based on the title, it sounds like youâve had your fair share of spills in the 1:1 world. What was the biggest one youâve come across?
Most of the time, the biggest roadblocks come down to network issues, which are not as sexy or noticeable as some other components of 1:1 deployment, so it often gets forgotten. People donât realize itâs a major facilities project, which means it takes a lot of planning and  coordination. In fact, it is often an  18-36 month process.
Itâs going to be a fun presentation. Itâs nice to go and have fun on stage with other presenters without taking ourselves too seriously. Weâre trying to outdo each other on the biggest problem/whoops moment in our 1:1 deployment experience.
PC: Do you know ahead of time who has the biggest âwhoopsâ moment?
Weâll be figuring it out on stage!
PC: Why would a district NOT want to go 1:1?
Thatâs a very good question. Nowadays, I do not see a reason why a district should NOT go 1:1. For bigger districts it is more complicated, but students are at a disadvantage without it. Unless the local economy canât support it, but in that case it really is a shame. The bigger question becomes: how are districts working to bridge the homework gap, and ensure that all their students can have internet access when they leave the school campus? Homes have connectivity, but it isnât always easily accessible to the student. How do we ensure they have wifi access when they need it, and not just when the parents are home?
PC: We have talked about Permission Click and our experience with 1:1. Based on your experiences with 1:1 deployment, do you think that Permission Click would be useful?
It would definitely make the process easier. Having all that information online and easily accessible would certainly be beneficial, especially if it can be handled at the point of registration where parents are already completing information for their kids. That [functionality] makes it tremendously useful. The fact that itâs online, quickly accessible and that staff can check it out at any point; I canât see why you wouldnât do it that way. Having done it both ways myself, paperless is definitely the way to go.
PC: If you were to give a teaser to your future attendees, what would it be?
Come ready to laugh at us a bit, ready to empathize, learn a few things, and head back prepared for your 1:1 deployment.
Dr. Robert Craven (@digitalroberto) will be hosting a Listen and Learn Panel at ISTE 2016 titled Oh Snap: What Didnât Work in 1:1 Deployments. Drop by Tuesday, June 28, 2:15-3:15 pm at CCC 302.Â
Donât forget to come say hi to Permission Click while youâre there! You can find us in the Startup Pavilion, booth 1311.
The Dirty Dozen - 12 ugly truths of Privacy, Security & Compliance that could doom your organization
This article was originally written by Michael Legary - Director of Privacy, Security & Compliance at Permission Click
The realities of privacy and security are changing faster than ever and our organizations are poorly equipped to handle the next wave of change. I had a chance this week to discuss some of the major issues the industry has failed to address and highlight some of the insight executives and practitioners responsible for the culture of privacy and security risk management are using to pivot their assurance programs.
From international enterprises to venture capital funded startups, I talked to executives and practitioners about what they feel are some of the ugly truths they face inside of their organizations and what are some of the things that seem to be working to solve the issues. I condensed everything into a presentation I presented for this first time this week (which you can check out here) and have broken down the key insights below.
Ugly Truth: No one cares
Okay, so we start off a little dramatic, but the reality is that a number of Privacy and Security practitioners need to fight this feeling on a regular basis. The reality is a little more defined.
The business often doesn't understand how legislation, regulation and industry compliance should fit into the priorities of the organization
The board doesnât often doesn't know what questions to ask. Often Privacy and Security topics are so foreign or feel too operational, the board does not discuss them on a regular basis
Management is seldom accountable for a defined performance metric for the assurance of critical attributes such as Privacy, Security, Resiliency.
Improving the situation: Facilitate the establishment of context, goals and priorities.
Assurance Practitioners, especially executives accountable for Privacy and Security Programs must build and maintain a respected understanding of the business.
Needs you need to influence, mentor and motivate your business peers to embed the right balance of Privacy and Security into the culture of the business
Ensure  the board and executive is committed to the value that your assurance program will bring, by getting buy-in regarding the ways Privacy and Security enable the business and enhance service delivery
Privacy and Security practitioners need to expand and gather new experiences in order to be seen as a respected senior business peer who is known to make the right calls for the business
The Ugly Truth: No one knows where anything is
For many, the cloud is a convenient excuse to put everything somewhere, yet never to understand, document and monitor where somewhere may actually be.
Cloud and related solutions have created a potentially large, yet unknown amount of data exposure in the average organization. There is no way of putting the genie back in the bottle, once the data is out, it could be out for good.
Economics & competitiveness pushes businesses towards more shared infrastructure, creating unknown and often critical bottlenecks in privacy and security process and well as BCP/DRP plans
The flexible workforce prevents data from being truly isolated, yet legal and cultural standards for protection, segmentation and recovery feel constantly in flux.
Round out your Security programs with an assurance architecture
Trust Architecture & Contract Management are becoming central aspects of an assurance program for any size of business. Use SABSA and TOGAF to implement new business level artifacts that guide Privacy and Security.
Traditional assessments (BIA,TRA,VA, etc.) should be used to drive architected solutions which include active monitoring of application & data topologies.
Employee contracts, expectations and processes need to adapt to prevent the long term loss and impacts that the media likes to publish. Practitioners need to forge relationships with Legal and HR to deepen their understanding of Employment Law and the limits of appropriate Human Resources management
The Ugly Truth: No one wants to understand
Again, a tad dramatic, but it's got your attention. Understanding risk, communicating things in perspective and with relevance is hard. Hard enough many rather not do it, because it doesn't feel like a priority or there is a fear of being unable to defend your thoughts in a room of peers and external practitioners.
The scope and depth of risk management is often poorly defined and maintained
Systems risk and process risk are seldom managed or reported on as a whole, creating unnaturally high or low reported risk levels
The relationship gap between privacy, security and the business appears to be growing
Improving the situtation: Understand the business, find the data and articulate risk
Work with the business to have privacy and security integrated into the overarching risk register of the business, not as a silo alone, but as an aligned aspect of each area of risk
Use methods such as FAIR to integrate technical issues into the risk conversation of the business, ensuring everyone speaks the same language
Understand what governance means to your organization. Check out OCEG and get deeper about governance training.
The Ugly Truth: No one is doing anything about it
This one is a play on words. Practitioners are working hard, too hard; it is time to work smarter. For many, the burden of legislation, regulation and industry best practice has created privacy and security programs with tremendous amounts of breadth and depth in the documentation department, but don't have a good handle on the priorities of the business.
Many programs put too much effort into detective and reactive. We've built the policies, developed the processes, installed the SIEM, hooked the logging and hired the SOC team, but now, we're fighting more fires than ever before and the business wants to expand the scope of what detection can do
Design and architecture is considering privacy and security as they design solutions, but often the business drivers which would align and justify an appropriate level of controls is missing and assurance practitioners are involved only after the designs have been developed at the physical levels impacting the ability to be effective and creating unnecessary friction
Ten to twenty years of having an enterprise privacy and security program in place, has lead to over engineering of every solution. No one feels comfortable defining and accountable party and allowing them to develop a solution that they can defend in meeting the needs of the company, but is still lean and minimal. The concept of a âSecure MVPâ isn't allowed to exist in many organizations
Build a security program Minimal Viable Product (MVP)
Focus the design of a solution on the minimum viable components of a program. You can architect in tremendous detail and show all the traceability in the world, but come up with an acceptable way of creating solutions with a basic implementation maturity to enhance the flexibility and speed of solution implementations
Get priority elements / controls mocked up, linked to accountable parties and get buy-in fast. An MVP may not do all the things the audience wants, but it does the minimum. We want to work with people in the organization who can confirm we meet the letter of the law, the essence of the compliance requirement and are appropriate for our risk appetite, but no more than that day one. We can always come back and improve as needs change.
Link increased capabilities and maturity with new performance goals, measured value and cost structures. To develop this concept of continuous improvement, we need to measure value and performance on a regular basis. Take the concepts from above and tweak what your measuring and communicating about your strategies and programs.
The Ugly Truth: The future is coming and we're not ready
Needless to say, the future will continue to bring new challenges and risks, new opportunities for business and service provision, but what is the security industry doing right now to improve the situation? Â
I'll leave the last topic in the video for those who are interested to check out (here).
TEDx Winnipeg, The Butterfly Effect, and the Creation of Permission Click
An infinite amount of interactions happen every day in our world - conversations had, thoughts shared, decisions made. For most of us, these millions of choices we make every day have a minimal impact on the world around us. But, every now and then, one localized chance event sparks something special - shaking up the system and creating ripples across many experiences.
Permission Click was formed as the result of one such event. Letâs skip back in time to the inaugural TEDx Winnipeg event back in 2011. In the audience sits an excited attendee, Michael Legary, who is particularly inspired by speaker Kerry Stevenson - then presenting on the newest in revolutionary technology at the time: 3D printing. This connection sparked the development of the AssentWorks makerspace, where entrepreneurs and companies can rapidly prototype product ideas.
Around the same time, two other key events occurred. Chris Johnson launched Ramp Up Manitoba: a not-for-profit volunteer-led community supporting new business development and scalability in Manitoba. And Sonjia Macaulay, a local educator frustrated with the paper-and-backpack struggle she faced daily, had a digital idea to solve this age-old dilemma.
Winnipeg is an amazingly supportive and community-driven city. It didnât take long for Michael Legary and Kerry Stevenson -co-founders of AssentWorks, and Chris Johnson to cross paths. Recognizing their similar goals and aspirations, the two entities joined forces to create âStartup Winnipegâ - an entrepreneurship ecosystem located in Winnipegâs Innovation Alley (so named by the City of Winnipeg for the efforts of Startup Winnipeg in the area). It was at one of Startup Winnipegâs âRamp Up Weekendâ events that Scott Macaulay shared the idea of digital permission slips, where several community members decided to partner up to bring the idea to life.
Since then, Permission Click has grown to employ over 10 staff members in Winnipeg, activate 30 sales agents, and boasts a quickly growing repertoire of over 3600 accounts - local, national, and abroad. And, in a way, things have come full circle: if youâve applied to attend the upcoming 2016 TEDx Winnipeg event, you may have noticed some familiarities in their application form. TEDx Winnipeg has partnered with Permission Click to enhance, simplify, and streamline their guest application experience - imagine that!
Startup joins forces with Friesens Corp. to expand operations
Less than two years ago, Permission Click was named startup of the year by the National Angel Capital Organization summit.
This week, the Winnipeg company closed a $1.75-million financing led by Friesens Corp. of Altona and Real Ventures of Montreal that will allow the company to aggressively distribute its service â a platform for digital permission slips and payment collection for schools â more broadly throughout Canada and the U.S.
Chris Johnson, CEO and one of the co-founders, said it is an exciting time for the company.
"There is a whole bunch of things happening," Johnson said.
"We are closing the financing round, which is a big deal. Bringing Friesens and Real Ventures on board is a big deal. We are expanding the team and adding a bunch of positions, and we are moving into new space to grow."
'We're going to throw some gas on the fire. We would never have been able to do that on our own'
Employment will grow from about 10 people to 15 to 20 in the next while. The company has recently added Michael Legary, an investor in Permission Click and the founder and former CEO of Seccuris, as its director of privacy, security and compliance.
The Friesens Corp. connection will be an important strategic investment for Permission Click. Friesensâ extensive North American sales force, which sells Friesensâ yearbook and agenda products to schools, will now add Permission Click to its portfolio.
"Weâre going to throw some gas on the fire," is how Johnson put the impact of having about 30 sales people in the field.
"We would never have been able to do that on our own."
Curwin Friesen, CEO of Friesens, said itâs the first time the famous book printers have made an investment of this type. Friesens has 100 years of experience and deep connections with the schools.
"This is an exception for us," Friesen said of this kind of third-party venture capital investment.
"When I got to know Chris and what they were doing at Permission Click, we really liked that they have built a really good technological platform for a problem we see in the school house and in terms of one of our core products, the yearbooks â payment and collection of payment is always a pain and a problem for the schools."
Permission Click is up to more than 3,000 accounts now, but Johnson believes it has the kind of scale that can allow it to keep growing.
"We think we can be the de facto platform on the planet for management of permissions, liability waivers, event management, etc. for minors," said Johnson.
And Johnson believes it bests the competition in terms of being able to digitize forms and adhere to privacy requirements, as well as allow for payments, storage of the documents and reporting.
Fundamentally, he believes Permission Click is way ahead when it comes to dealing with minors.
"There is so much stuff we didnât know that we are now experts in," he said. "Itâs a whole different space once youâre in the minors market."
It has been a rapid maturation process for the company.
When it was formed, it was intended to be an efficiency play.
But Johnson and his team started to realize school administrators were really more interested in meeting compliance requirements, document storage requirements and making sure the process is secure.
"Privacy is a very big deal for us," said Lawrence Hamm, superintendent and CEO of Winnipeg Mennonite Elementary and Middle Schools Inc. where Permission Click is used by hundreds of students and their families. "For me, as the person putting the thumbs-up, it was a big concern."
Hamm needed to know the system was secure and the server farm was regulated properly according to Canadian standards. He said he is satisfied thatâs the case.
Permission Click has schools, clubs and sports leagues using the system in just about every province and state in Canada and the U.S.
The company has been invited as one of a couple of dozen education technology companies to participate in next monthâs Tech for Schools summit in Los Angeles put on by EdSurge, the leader in ed-tech consulting.
Permission Click Secures $1.75M in Seed Funds from Friesens Corp. and Others
Permission Click digital permission slip platform for schools was named â2014 Most Promising Startupâ by the Natâl Angel Capital Organization
March 22, 2016 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
WINNIPEG, Manitoba--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Permission Click Inc. today announced the closing of a $1.75M seed round from investors, including Friesens Corp. and Real Ventures, among others. The Permission Click digital platform helps schools and parents better coordinate permission slips, forms and payments required for student participation in school activities and events.
@PermissionClick announces $1.75M in seed round funding. @RealVentures #edtech #k12
âParents and teachers are well familiar with the complications that come with paper-based approval processes. Forms get lost in backpacks, unpaid fees prevent students from participating in events, and district policies arenât always followed correctly,â said Chris Johnson, CEO of Permission Click. âTeachers say that since using the system the number of parent responses increased considerably, and the average response time is now minutes, not days. Parents report that they love knowing forms and fees actually got to the school.â
A cloud-based platform, Permission Click allows schools to easily create registration forms and permission slips for field trips, fundraising programs, yearbook sales, and other school events. Forms are electronically sent to parents who can respond on any device in seconds, to approve attendance, fill out forms, and pay any associated fees online -- with no apps to install.
Lead investor Friesens Corp. is one of Canadaâs largest printers, specializing in hardcover books, yearbooks and packaging printing. The company has been a major player in the school market for more than 100 years. According to President and CEO Curwin Friesen, Permission Click has the rare and unique combination of assets that adds up to success in the school market.
âThe Permission Click platform is exceptionally well-developed. Itâs user-friendly, scalable, and includes strong security protocols. In addition, the management team has proven experience with startups, they clearly understand the challenges faced by schools, and theyâre ahead of the game with a solution no one else can offer,â said Friesen. âThis is an excellent opportunity for us which weâre excited to further maximize by selling Permission Click through our Canadian and U.S. distribution channel.
Permission Click is free of charge and can be deployed in less than 15 minutes. Additional premium district-level features and controls are available for a per student, per year license fee.
Affton School District - 'Removing the frictionâ with Permission Click
Removing Friction from the System
- Guest post by Dr. Robert Dillon, Director of Technology and Innovation, Affton School District
Every district in the country is looking for partnerships. Partnerships with companies and organizations that are looking to support the districtâs mission as they grow and refine their own products as an organization.
This desire by Affton has allowed us the chance to work closely with Permission Click over the last year. Permission Click has provided a way for Affton to remove friction from the system. Â Specifically, the online payment system has facilitated opportunities for parents and students to pay for school lunches, collect parental approvals for field trips, and more.
It is amazing how so many districts are stuck in legacy systems for payment and permission collection when great alternatives like Permission Click are available.
In addition to serving our families in a deep, meaningful way, Permission Click has worked hard in our partnership to be responsive to the needs of our organization. This means that they see their platform as responsive and growing quickly to meet the unique needs of its partner organizations and districts.
Permission Click continues to amaze in its ability to remove extra work from our teachers and free up support staff from collecting and processing field trip forms and other paperwork.
Finally, it is rare for schools to enter into partnership with organizations, and see those organizations far outpace initial expectations, but Permission Click is definitely doing this for the Affton community.
Additional comments by Chris Johnson, Co-founder & CEO, Permission Click Inc.
Working with Dr. Dillon on the Affton School District roll out was a really enjoyable experience for our entire team! Â Largely thanks to the planning and attention the Affton team put into the project, especially the finer details.Â
We first met the Affton gang at an EdSurge Summit in St. Louis, where a few specific challenges and opportunities faced by the district were shared. Â We had the means to address a few of these points, but admittedly, we could not meet them all. Â The spirit of Dr. Dillon and his team was to jump in with excitement, with no signs of reservation and plenty of support, and work with a growing EdTech startup to help shape the platform as we built it to meet their needs.Â
As a partner, the lines between âcustom softwareâ and âcontinued developmentâ can often blur.  The Affton team was very understanding of this, and showed amazing flexibility in the way features were implemented to ensure usefulness and relevance for districts beyond their own.  And that, for our team, is only a single example of the kind of tradeoffs successful long-term partnerships are built on.
Itâs thrilling to see the district adopt Permission Click in ever growing ways to collect digital permissions, forms, and payments from parents to âreduce the frictionâ.
Get back to school with less paper than ever! Digitally collect:
Digital Permission Slips
Online Forms
Collect Payments and Fundraise Online
Simply send a link to parents and watch the responses roll in effortlessly!
Join us for a free live webinar this September and weâll show you just how easy it is! Â Just click date below to add to your calendar.
                 Webinar 1 - PERMISSION CLICK 101
A front to back tour of the site to help you get going this fall. Weâll walk you through how to custom build an event, share the link with contacts, and use our reports to save time. Â Â
Tue, August 25, 11am CDT / 12pm EDT
Tue, September 1, 8am CDT / 9am EDT
Tue, September 8, 8am CDT / 9am EDT
Tue, September 15, 7pm CDT / 8pm EDT
Tue, September 22, 8am CDT / 9am EDT
Tue, September 29, 8am CDT / 9am EDT
             Webinar 2 - BRUSH UP ON WHATâS NEW
Fundraising, parent file uploads, and cancelling orders are just a few of the shiny new features weâll show you.
Thu, August 27, 11am CDT / 12pm EDT
Thu, September 3, 8am CDT / 9am EDTÂ
Thu, September 17, 11am CDT / 12pm EDT
         Webinar 3 - FINANCIAL REPORTS AND ACCOUNTING
Weâll go over how to use the reports in Permission Click to manage your events in real-time and reconcile your bank statements
âWith one platform, you can run everything that you do operationally, digitally.â Voted in 2014 as the âmost promising startup of the year,â Permission Click is a novel online solution to a problem...
Thank you to the team at CFIBâs âShop Small Bizâ movement team for sharing our story!
Whatâs new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for some of the latest and greatest web tools that can be added to your edtech toolbox for the upcoming school year! » Permission Click Create permission slips using an existing process or from a template in the easy form builder. Once generated, parents simply click a link which takes them directly to the digital permission slip anywhere, anytime!
Thank you to Edutech4Teachers blog for sharing Permission Click as a handy tool for teachers! Â
