As the new school year begins, safeTspace and The Summit School in Edgewater, Md. continue to expand their secure online community pilot program that began during the last school year with a select group of upper level students. The program utilizes the Internet to extend the walls of the classroom while securing the experience utilizing the safeTspace in-person identity validation process as well as its biometrics technology.
Randy Herold, a safeTspace founder and project manager for this effort, said that the secure online community allows students and their parents access to teachers and homework assignments as well as an opportunity for the students to practice their reading and writing skills.
According to Herold, "pilot programs such as this one are a key element of our strategy for the education market because they accommodate a process for expansion, based on shared goals. The Summit School's leadership team’s ability to think outside the box regarding technology and how it applies to their students has made them an outstanding partner. They are the model for other schools as this project moves forward."
“E-learning has been a priority for us for the past few years but we were really concerned about the safety of our students' identities online. Partnering with safeTspace has allowed us to embrace e-learning, knowing that our students’ identities are protected within this online community," said Dr. Joan Mele-McCarthy, D.A., director of education for the private school for children in grades 1 through 8 with dyslexia and other learning differences. "safeTspace verified the identity of each student participating in our pilot program using its in-person verification process. When a student logs on to the community, he does so using his fingerprint to confirm his identity. "The parents are excited about the security of this community and the students haven't had any problems using the fingerprint reader. In fact, they seem to really like the extra attention!" McCarthy added.
Herold said that safeTspace is currently expanding its education pilot program strategy as it begins to network and connect with other potential partner schools.
