Thread by @bradlander

After conversations w/teachers, families, cybersecurity folks and @NYCSchools ...

I'm even more sure this is a terrible decision.

@zoom_us is far from perfect. Changes must be made.

But forbidding its use will severely damage remote learning. Right now, that is worse. THREAD

https://twitter.com/bradlander/status/1246492642160119809

I know that @DOEChancellor & @NYCSchools leadership really want the distance learning to work. They've put huge amounts of time & heart into distributing iPads and laptops, providing support for all families, incl. kids w/special needs.

That's part of why I feel so strongly.

It's true that there are real security & privacy issues with Zoom. I really don't take those issues lightly (right @naomi_dann?)

You can read a lot more about them here.

schneier.com/blog/archives/…

But look, hundreds of thousands of kids have been on Zoom for the past two weeks. Zoom already has their data. That's not changing.

So why wreck the distance learning program, when we can't get it back?

Let's instead demand that they make more changes.

I've talked to hundreds of teachers, students & parents about the remote learning program (ok, yes, on lots of zoom calls).

Most have told me that Zoom is the best thing about the remote learning program.

If anything, they want more face-to-face interaction.

Teachers who have tried Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts Meet tell me that Zoom is just better for teaching-and-learning (which is already massively hard remotely). They prefer the breakout rooms for small-group work and interaction.

Zoom seems to be the best tool for kids with special needs, who are really at risk of being left behind right now. We should lean hard in the direction of what works for kids with IEPs. n.pr/39LSKQi

And the "sunk costs" issue here is very real. @NYCSchools did not forbid schools from using @zoom_us at the start.

They recommended Microsoft Teams or Google (where they have enterprise-wide contracts).

But they allowed schools to choose Zoom on their own, and hundreds did.

To ask all those teachers, students, and parents to switch now?

It just won't work.

Some will just ignore the rule. But for others, I really think it will dramatically diminish face-to-face learning, and wreck the remote learning program.

So, what to do instead?

Just yesterday, Zoom made passwords & waiting rooms the default setting for meetings, which will help a lot to prevent “Zoombombing.”

Let's give teachers some training on how to use these features.

theverge.com/2020/4/3/21207…

Then, let's give @zoom_us two weeks to clean up their privacy practices. They've already made some improvements, but we should demand more.

We can team up with @NewYorkStateAG @TishJames to push for specific additional changes in that time.

nyti.ms/349Nm8o

Maybe we can even win a retroactive agreement to better protect the privacy of the @NYCSchools kids who have already been using Zoom for the past two weeks.

Please @DOEChancellor @NYCSchools, suspend the guidance TODAY.

Let teachers who are already on @zoom_us keep using it while we address the problems.

The fate of remote learning for hundreds of thousands of our kids is at stake.