Module 1
Emerging Technology---Biometrics---- Fingerprinting identification in education
Identify a current technology that has emerged in the last few years that shapes learning or productivity in your industry.
Biometrics has emerged in the last years to shape productivity in educational settings.
School officials used biometric fingerprinting in place of swipe cards to allow students to register, use the library, and purchase meals.
What problems or challenges have been associated with this technology?
Although fingerprint identification is viewed as more efficient than swipe cards, some oppose the fingerprinting system because it breaches students’ security. Some believe this system is an invasion of one’s privacy. Some believe fingerprint identification has the same type of stigma that is associated with criminals. If full fingerprint images are used, this present a problem for theft so individuals must safeguard numeric templates and destroy information once an individual leaves a school. Some school officials often resort entering data by hand or scanning ID cards whenever this technology and/or software won’t work.
What societal need does it meet, and what are its benefits?
Fingerprint identification can be used to insure accountability and minimize errors. For example, students may attempt to use another student’s ID to access the library or computer system, but fingerprinting technology minimizes those risks.
What would make this technology even better, avoiding the pitfalls you identified?
Designers might create efficient methods to safeguard data against theft, destruction, and damage. Fingerprint identification designers might safeguard data by selecting two people who could access the program. Either of the two could access the system at any given time. If anyone other than these two individuals attempts to access the identification system, the program would self-destruct. Educational officials would have a secret backup system to restore these files. Parents should be educated on the positive and negative aspects of using the identification system.
Biometric technology Fingerprinting identification in schools.
http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/data_protection/detailed_specialist_guides/fingerprinting_final_view.pdf
Valeria Shanks
