Ethics is one of the most important aspects of implementing technology in the classroom. In today's world, the ethics of technology are constantly evolving as how we use technology evolves. We post much of our lives online, via social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. This trend is only going to continue, and students today can only benefit from learning to think proactively about the ethical questions surrounding their technological lives. Ethics in technology use is not just a question of how the teacher utilizes technology in education, but also of sharing that outlook and awareness with students for their own futures. With that in mind, I chose to focus on a blogging activity I had designed, and redesign it with a focus toward the ethical implications of educational practice:
Ethical Practices of Technology
Use: Blog Redesign
Introduction
In recent years, technology has
literally changed our society on a fundamental level. The very basis of how we
communicate has diversified and grown into something entirely new in the just
the last two decades. Not long ago, communicating with another person over long
distances required either the transport of a written letter, usually taking
days, or a phone call. Now, with a few clicks of a mouse, or swiping a touch
screen, or using a mobile device, we send our thoughts and feelings in an
instant to not just one person, but as many as we want, or even millions more
than we intend. The change has come so rapidly, that the ethical rules to this
online culture are still catching up in many ways. When I was growing up, it
was not uncommon to keep a journal, an actual bound book, filled with events
taking place in my life, written down by me. Most often, journals were meant to
be kept private. We shared them only with our very best friends, or nosiest
younger sisters. Today, people write their journals online, for the whole world
to see, often without a second thought as to who might be reading it, how long
it will be available, or what kind of copyright issues may arise. But teachers
implementing the use of this technology in the classroom have a responsibility to
keep ethical practices at the forefront
of both their application of it, and their students’. In many ways,
teachers are not just teaching students the learning activity, and the
technology tool being used to support it, but also a basic set of ethics that
will stay with them throughout their lives.
Original
Activity: EDU 651 Blog
Using Edublogs, I created a blog
designed to support a specific learning activity in my classroom, specifically,
writing a short story. The blog can be found here: http://paintwithwords.edublogs.org/.
This is a pretty large undertaking, even for a high school class of students.
This idea behind the blog was that it would be specific to a particular
creative writing class. Students in this class would have several assignments,
culminating into a final project writing their own short story. The blog
existed to give them recourses and supports outside of the classroom, engaging
them in discussions with other classmates and the teacher, and giving them a
forum to access with questions or critical thinking applications at any time.
For example, if a student had a question pertaining to one of their
assignments, they could post it as a comment on the blog, eliciting response
from not just the teacher, but also fellow classmates. They may even find the
answer to their question posted on the weblog, or they might have a thought to
share that could help another student with their project. “Research shows that
blogging in its truest form has a great deal of potentially positive impact on
students” (Richardson, 2010). This is the goal, to engage and impact students,
even when they are not in the classroom. It should also be noted that parents,
too, can access the blog and get a better idea of what activities their child
is working on for that class. They can see the comments as well, and get a
sense of the interaction their child is having with other students, and with
the teacher.
Ultimately, the blog could also grow
over time, extending from one class of students to the next, giving future
students access to the resources provided by previous classes. In many ways,
the blog becomes a database of knowledge revolving in this case, around
creative writing, and short story writing. Students can utilize it as much or
as little as they want. Some may not feel it necessary at all as they complete
their project, while others may find it helps keep them on track.
Activity
Redesign: 697
When I created this activity, I was very
focused on the many ways a blog can encourage learning and engage students. It
did not occur to me so early in the program to be concerned with ethical
practices. However, it should have. There are several ethical aspects to
blogging online for a classroom, with copyright, access, and privacy chief
among them. It is important to remember when blogging, not to steal someone
else’s work. For example, this blog is meant to hold several posts depicting
helpful articles on short story writing. However, it would be a violation of
copyright for me to post someone else’s article on short story writing without
their permission and crediting them. Similarly, the images or graphics I use
should either be royalty free, such as clipart, or my own photos. “There is no
specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without
permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not
substitute for obtaining permission” (U. S. Copyright Office, 2012). It is
important that this be made clear to students, as well. Understanding the
definition of plagiarism, and what copyright means, particularly online, will
be vital not just to their academic lives, but to everything they ever do
online.
Access is another concern with implementing
a classroom blog. While we live in a very convenient technological age, it is
important to consider that not all students may have easy access to the
internet. Families may not have home computers, tablets, or mobile phones
capable of surfing online. These items are often expensive, and some school
districts are low income. However, allowances for this can be made by making
sure students know how and where to access the blog, either at school, or a
local library. This is also why the blog should not necessarily be required
reading, however, but form a supportive role in the activity.
Privacy is another huge ethical concern
in online blogging. Students need to understand that what they put online is
visible by many people: their classmates, their parents, and their teacher. It
may also be visible by others who have nothing to do with the class. “The
possible violation of learner privacy seems to be a constant ethical concern
faced by professional technologists in design and training situations” (Lin, 2007).
They should be careful what information they post, and what they say to others.
Keeping all of these ethical practices
in mind, the blog can still be an integral part to supporting learning, and
providing a valuable resource to students, parents, and the teacher. It is very
clear that a technology activity such as this should always consider the
ethical practices, in addition to the positive input it can give to learning.
The ethics of technology practices need to be clearly communicated to all involved
at the beginning of the activity.
Challenges
At first, I really struggled with what
to do for this assignment. I was unclear how to redesign an activity to address
ethics. However then I realized it wasn’t so much about redesigning the
project, but about rethinking important aspects I had failed to previously
consider. Ethical concerns such as copyright, access, and privacy are all
things students will need to consider many times in their life, if they
continue to use online media and participate in activities like blogging,
Facebook, and Twitter. Even e-mail has a strong ethical aspect. The lessons
communicated to them in this activity will prove just as invaluable to their
future as the lesson itself will to their education. Once I understood this, it
was easy to pick an activity, and apply the most important ethical practices to
it.
Conclusion
The
culture of communication has changed radically in the last twenty years. Right
now, education is going through a similar radical change, largely due to the
same technologies. As teachers implement these technology tools more and more
into their curriculum and classrooms, it becomes ever more imperative to keep
ethical practices at the forefront of awareness. Teachers need to clearly
communicate the expectations and ethical responsibilities of students, parents,
and themselves, so everyone is clear on what is acceptable and what the dangers
are. These are invaluable lessons, useful across an ever expanding spectrum, as
people keep more and more of their lives online.
References
Lin, H. (2007). The ethics of
instructional technology: issues and coping strategies experienced by
professional technologists in design and training situations in higher
education. Educational Technology
Research and Development, 55, 411-437. Retrieved from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/ed690mb/ethics.pdf
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful
Web Tools for Classrooms (3rd Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Corwin.
U.S. Copyright Office. (2012). Fair use. Retrieved from
http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
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