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Education and Teaching
Michelle Borunda
For over a decade, technology has been used to aid in the education and instruction of students and non-students alike. The increased use of the Internet and online classes clearly demonstrates that society has moved into a new realm of thinking and understanding of technology. As a consequence, ethical issues arise constantly around its application. It is important to look at why people view ethics in technology the way they do and what is being done to educate people about the practice of ethics in computer usage.
The first step in tackling this issue is to develop an Ethics and Technology: Education and Teaching Code of Ethics. The following code is an example taken from an article published by the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign:
Computer Ethics for Educators
1. Educators shall respect the intellectual property rights of others.
2. Educators shall promote and encourage the appropriate use of the Internet.
3. Educators shall only access information about students, their families and fellow staff members for which they have a need to know and for which they are duly authorized to access. They shall protect the confidentiality and restrict access to this confidential information.
4. Educators shall impart to students an understanding and respect for the privacy of others.
5. Educators shall acquire and maintain professional competence in the use of their schools platform(s) of computers, related equipment and software.
6. Educators shall implement systems for use in the classroom that will benefit all or parts of society.
7. Educators shall respect the privacy of their students, faculty, and staff.
8. Educators need to understand that copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed.
9. Educators shall refrain from acts that waste resources or prevent others from using them.
10. Educators shall protect the safety and security of all students by limiting access to confidential information. This may involve the use of technology itself to shield the identity of students from those without need for this information. Certainly this involves practicing and teaching safe telecommunication practices to students.
A prominent need that surfaces throughout this code is the fact that questions must be asked when using technology in education and technology. These are: Do we truly save time and resources? Is this method of teaching (through the use of the computer) appropriate for the subject matter? What effect is this having on the student? (Havice and Hill). An educator must constantly be aware of these questions and analyze them on a perpetual basis.
The biggest advertisement for online classes is the fact that you can spend your time away from the school and create your own schedule to fit your life while earning a degree. However, in some cases it requires even more time to participate in an online class than it does in person. While this method of teaching may save resources (such as electricity, money and paper), it does not always save time for students. This misuse of technology violates number six and nine of the code of ethics above. It is a waste of student resources (time and energy) and does not benefit those paying for and using the technological services of the school.
Like all ethical dilemmas it requires the evaluation of short and long-term consequences, which in this case are more than they seem. For example, if a certain course is only available online and requires more time and hassle on the computer than would be needed in person, a student may decide not to take anymore online classes and advise friends and fellow classmates to do the same. This will have a trickle-down effect and could cause a majority of students to not participate in future Internet classes. If an online course is time efficient, the absolute opposite could happen and encourage an increased use of this tool. This is why it is imperative for instructors, as well as students, to evaluate the usefulness and efficiency of teaching and learning via online instruction.
Lastly, the responsibility for exercising sound judgment in education and technology and notifying educational institutions of problems with the use of technology in teaching ultimately rests with the student. The teacher/educator imparts the knowledge to the student, but it is up to each individual to use that knowledge in a useful and practical way. Education with technology is a two-way street that requires constant communication between instructors (and their institutions) and students. Technology can be the greatest addition to teaching if users are taught the value and necessity of ethical decision-making.
Works Cited
“Computer Ethics for Educators”. University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign.
15 Apr. 2009 <http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/tsullivl/304Su01/ethics/
handel.htm>.
Havice, Bill and Roger Hill. “Ethics and Technology Education”. University of
University of Georgia. 12 Apr. 2009 <http://www.students.ccsu.edu/
~rodriguezjel/Ethics(Havice&Hill)-1.pdf>.