Personal Framework: Ethics

Personal Framework: Ethics Gabriela Salinas Concordia University Chicago

Personal Framework: Ethics

There are four areas that involve the following ethical issues. These areas are known as societal, cultural/equity, legal/ethical and educational. When it comes to technology and how it develops every day, we need to be aware of the issues we may come across. In my opinion, these issues should be apart of a students every day curriculum and to be apart of both veteran teachers and up and coming teachers development. I think it is important to be aware of the concerns that come a long with the development of technology. Nowadays with the development of technology, more concerns are arising. The Internet is like a double edge sword and care must be taken when indulging in this vast ocean of knowledge and information. (Salman, 2013) With the technology developing so rapidly, it is beginning to affect our personal privacy. For example, companies are continuing to install software that is placed in ones computer without knowing. With this Spyware people are able to locate information about anyone or anything they want. There are also ways of tracking people down with the use of a chip. Spyware is a spiteful hardware that is designed to terminate computer operations, or spy on computers. There are also various types of viruses that can be found. Logic bombs, worms, and Trojan horses. One of many concerns found in the social area. The next concern is one that most teachers and parents worry about, misuse. The misuse of technology and software is happening every day as more and more young students and children begin learning about technology. I believe that one of the biggest issues has to do with social

Personal Framework: Ethics networking and the misuse of the Internet. Every day you hear more stories of young people who are coming across explicit content online and sending graphic images and text messages. Online social networking is an outlet that exposes youth to explicit content. Another major social issue is cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is becoming more common nowadays. A study shows that 72% of minors have reported at least one incident of cyber bullying. (Juvonene and Gross, 2008) It is

online harassment in the social network environment. In the past, cyber bullying has led to bullying on campus, suicide and other harmful consequences. When it comes to educational issues, it is all an ongoing development in technology and our society. One of the major issues is the lack of funds for technology. Which means there is a deficiency of money for hardware, software and training for updated technology. In times like these, technology expenses are increasing and funds are not. One-to-one-computing is allotting each student a computer to work with at each school. However, some schools are fortunate to receive funding because people support the use of technology and believe that it will benefit each student in the end. No Child left Behind (NCLB) is an act that put a federal burden on schools to meet their yearly progress, also known as AYP. This has put pressure on schools and teachers to raise their scores on standardized tests. (Garland, 2009) This means that each school must meet certain standards. There has been a growth in computer-generated courses offered for children in K-12 and institutes are looking for ways to better prepare students for this type of schooling. Although many educators are not on the same page when it comes to methods of teaching, many teachers see conventional teaching roles as if they are out of date.

Personal Framework: Ethics When it comes to cultural/equity issues and technology, it is obvious that technology could go one of two ways. It can be an advantage our students and teachers, or it can further divide our society. Which brings me to one of the issues found in this area, the Digital Divide, which is referred to a discrepancy in access to technology resources among socioeconomic groups. (Hoffman and Novak, 1998) One key factor when it comes to the access of technology is your economic status. However gender and race continue to play a role depending on the source of technology. Gender and racial equity are major in this area. There is dominance

over minorities when it comes to the use of technology. Meaning that there is a low use of computers and they are less likely to enter jobs in technology, math or science. When it comes to having equal time spent on these activities in schools, it is unlikely. Students with special needs have limited access to devices and different approaches to compensate for their physical and mental insufficiencies. I say limited because it is difficult for students with special needs to purchase and practice these tools, most of the time they go unused. Legal and Ethical issues is the last of the four areas. There are five major legal and ethical issues. These concerns are the reason for how technology activities are applied all together. Hacking can be anywhere from accessing someones personal data to identity theft. Hacking has been a major concern and now schools have called for firewalls, which is software that blocks any unauthorized users to access classroom computers. The Acceptable Use Policy is a policy that is signed by students and parents so that they are aware of the proper use of technologies that students and teachers use in the classroom. This outline is made to keep practices in

Personal Framework: Ethics

place. Academic dishonesty is another major issue. Cyber cheating or using the web for cheating in using materials you find on the web as your own. In our book it is states that some companies have actually developed the use of remote proctoring systems (Williams, 2010) to actually monitor their students. This is interesting because its a step to prevent hacking. The amount of cyber cheating has increased so much in the last few years that organizations are now helping educators catch plagiarizers. Lastly, software piracy is when a site offers ways to download or copy the software without paying for them. However it is ethical for teachers to not go along with these behaviors and have respect for all software. I thought it was interesting that as of 2009, a study was conducted by the Business Software Alliance (2009); according to their study piracy was up to 43%. What is important in these areas is that we realize that these issues are going to shape future technology. It should be a priority to work morally and to abide by these standards. It is important to be aware of developing technology and coming up with other strategies to continue to educate each other and our students on ways they can contribute to ethical standards. As a future educator, I promise to abide by these standards in order to keep my students safe, educated and informed. I promise to educate myself when it comes to developing technology and educate those around me. I hope that with the development of technology schools can find ways to educate our administrators and teachers so that we too can educate our students. As a student, I assure you that I will abide by these standards. These standards are what are going to shape our future in education and technology. I want to continue being educated on the development and benefits of using

Personal Framework: Ethics technology in the classroom and hope that my peers will stand by these standards as well.

References: Salman, A., Saad, S., & Ali, M. (2013). Dealing with Ethical Issues Internet Users: Do We Need Legal Enforcement?. Asian Social Science, 9(8), 38. doi:10.5539/ass.v9n8p3

Roblyer, Margaret, and Aaron Doering. Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall. 6th p. cm.
Garland, V. E. (2010). Emerging Technology Trends and Ethical Practices for the School Principal. Journal Of Educational Technology Systems, 38(1), 39-50.