Frequently Asked Questions
How does Talk Trees handle student data privacy?
Talk Trees do not retain any of the student’s personal identifiable information and therefore the Talk Trees application is designed to support FERPA and COPPA compliance. Conversations are anonymized, annotated, then visualized as a tree. Any original material (e.g. audio file if uploaded) or material created during processing (e.g. automatically generated transcript) is deleted; all that is retained is the tree.
How does Talk Trees handle my data privacy?
The only information connected to your identity that we request is your name and email. We ask this in order to create a Talk Trees account for you and communicate important updates related to our Talk Trees account. We will never share this information with any outside parties and you can delete your account at any time.
How should I introduce Talk Trees to my administration?
When introducing Talk Trees to your administration, you can describe it as a research-backed tool developed at the University of Colorado Boulder to help make classroom discussions visible. Talk Trees is privacy-preserving: the platform does not retain any of the student’s personal identifiable information. The platform acts as a mirror for classroom discourse, helping teachers and students visualize patterns in participation, reasoning, and collaboration. By highlighting student talk, Talk Trees supports reflection on classroom discussions and the kinds of conversational practices that contribute to learning.
How is Talk Trees data uploaded or streamed and what is stored?
In the first step of processing, speech recognition software creates a transcript from the uploaded audio file or stream. If you are uploading a lesson, Talk Trees only accepts audio or transcript files (i.e. we do not accept video files). The audio file is deleted after transcription. Next, the transcript is run through an anonymization process to remove any identifying information. The de-identified transcript is then annotated for talk moves, while the original transcript is deleted. Once the frequency of talk moves is calculated, all transcript text is then deleted. The talk move counts are used to create the Talk Tree, which can be deleted by you at any time.
Am I allowed to record my class conversations?
This is dependent on your state and school policies and would be best to check with your school administration. Typically tools used for educational purposes are acceptable, but it is always best to check what your school allows.
Who can see my Talk Trees?
Only you and those who you choose to show the Talk Trees to can see them. Your account is only accessible via your own login. Talk trees are meant to be used for the sole purpose of supporting teachers and students as a reflection and goal setting tool. Talk trees are not meant to be used to evaluate teachers by admin or other parties.
How does Talk Trees handle student data privacy?
Talk Trees do not retain any of the student’s personal identifiable information and therefore the Talk Trees application is designed to support FERPA and COPPA compliance. Conversations are anonymized, annotated, then visualized as a tree. Any original material (e.g. audio file if uploaded) or material created during processing (e.g. automatically generated transcript) is deleted; all that is retained is the tree.
How does Talk Trees handle my data privacy?
The only information connected to your identity that we request is your name and email. We ask this in order to create a Talk Trees account for you and communicate important updates related to our Talk Trees account. We will never share this information with any outside parties and you can delete your account at any time.
How should I introduce Talk Trees to my administration?
When introducing Talk Trees to your administration, you can describe it as a research-backed tool developed at the University of Colorado Boulder to help make classroom discussions visible. Talk Trees is privacy-preserving: the platform does not retain any of the student’s personal identifiable information. The platform acts as a mirror for classroom discourse, helping teachers and students visualize patterns in participation, reasoning, and collaboration. By highlighting student talk, Talk Trees supports reflection on classroom discussions and the kinds of conversational practices that contribute to learning.
How is Talk Trees data uploaded or streamed and what is stored?
In the first step of processing, speech recognition software creates a transcript from the uploaded audio file or stream. If you are uploading a lesson, Talk Trees only accepts audio or transcript files (i.e. we do not accept video files). The audio file is deleted after transcription. Next, the transcript is run through an anonymization process to remove any identifying information. The de-identified transcript is then annotated for talk moves, while the original transcript is deleted. Once the frequency of talk moves is calculated, all transcript text is then deleted. The talk move counts are used to create the Talk Tree, which can be deleted by you at any time.
Am I allowed to record my class conversations?
This is dependent on your state and school policies and would be best to check with your school administration. Typically tools used for educational purposes are acceptable, but it is always best to check what your school allows.
Who can see my Talk Trees?
Only you and those who you choose to show the Talk Trees to can see them. Your account is only accessible via your own login. Talk trees are meant to be used for the sole purpose of supporting teachers and students as a reflection and goal setting tool. Talk trees are not meant to be used to evaluate teachers by admin or other parties.