By Mike Mustiglione
Seems like the videoconferencing platform known as Zoom has become a ubiquitous form of communication in these challenging times in which we live. Due to the rapid spread of the Coronavirus and the new guidelines that we are mandated to scrupulously adhere to such as social distancing, this year saw thousands of Passover Seders being brought into the homes of those who were alone for the holiday, while serving as a nexus for others to band together as a group.
But with all relatively new technology, there are always glitches and it seems that Zoom is not immune to those. According to a recent article in the New York Post, the Department of Education of the City of New York has now nixed the use of Zoom for remote learning and have told teachers and administrators to stay clear of the videoconferencing app because of concern over security breaches. The report indicated that chat rooms can be easily hijacked by “Zoom-bombers.”
The person who informed city public school principals that they should boycott Zoom as a learning tool was DOE Chief Operating Officer, Ursulina Ramirez, according to the Post article. In a memo that the Post obtained that was addressed to principals, Ms. Ramirez said that the platform should be replaced with Google Hangouts Meet or Microsoft Teams.
“We know how hard you and your staff are working to make remote learning a reality for students and families, and appreciate the ways in which you’re going above and beyond every day. We also know you share our concern for student safety. If you are currently using Zoom for videoconferencing, we are ready to support you in a transition as quickly as possible,” the letter said.
Educators throughout the city began using Zoom when public schools were officially closed by Mayor DeBlasio on March 16th, as a step to help stop the spread of the deadly virus. Experts have said that children often unknowingly pass the infection on to adults.
Ramirez also wrote: “Some of this might feel like a sudden transition, but we are here to support you. We know how hard you and your staff worked to quickly acclimate to videoconferencing tools, and we urgently worked over the weekend to preserve some widely used options while establishing clarity on those that pose a risk to privacy or security.”
After having spent weeks learning this new way of teaching, some educators did not take this advice too well.
The Post reported that one administrator told them: “While I understand there were security issues with Zoom, we are in an unprecedented time and state of urgency. Educators came up with online learning plans and communities for their students with zero guidance and zero input from the DOE. Many teachers established ongoing Zoom lessons with their students.”
Commenting on the ban of the use of Zoom for educating students, Mayor DeBlasio said last Monday that, “We’re not going to put our students’ privacy and our students’ data at risk.”
