Katherine Taylor EDUC-1070-2 Personal Framework Paper

Katherine Taylor

There are many issues regarding ethics apparent when one uses technology in a classroom, including social, educational, cultural, equality, and illegal and unethical activities (Roblyer and Doering, pg. 13). As an educator, I would be sure to educate myself about all of these issues so that I will know how to deal with each, educate my students about these issues correctly, and overall, know all the risks that are a potential threat to my students so that I can protect them from these issues. Social issues that may occur when using technology in the classroom is, quality of life concerns, technology being overused, risks with social networking, and the risk of a student causing a virus to appear on the technology ( Roblyer and Doering, pg. 13). My concern in this area of issues with technology is the risk of social networking, especially for students who are new to it and are not aware of online predators, cyberbullying, or pornography, etc. ( Roblyer and Doering, pg. 16). Educational leaders need to guide students, faculty and staff in recognizing their own responsibility, and in developing empathy and understanding for others, in the case of cyberbullying (Ribble, pg. 3). Presenting privileges for students to use social networking requires maturity to be demonstrated by the student and making sure that the student is aware of these expectations. I think what would lessen these issues would be monitoring the students behavior at all times when they are using the internet, and depending on the school or grade level, having particular settings that would determine what sites can be visited and limiting any possibility for the student to get to harmful, school inappropriate, or distracting websites that take away from the educational environment. In my teaching career, Elementary Education, I would always assume that the site that was accessed was not purposeful, and perhaps blame myself for not knowing or being more cautious
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of sites that could be accidentally accessed; however, to avoid getting to this point, I would make sure to be clear that if they happen to come across a site that is inappropriate for the class or school, that they would show me right away so that I could fix it as soon as possible. I would also point out websites that would have severe consequences. Overall, I think that to limit these issues, I am responsible for guiding these students and future students in the right direction and exposing them to all the risks on the internet. For example, I would present risks in a serious and realistic tone and be straight forward, such as, 40-year-old men with prison records for child abuse really do try to seduce 13-year-old girls via web sites and email (Purdue University, Dangers of Using the Internet). In addition to this belief, I would never judge or control what a student did on the internet outside of the classroom, unless it caused danger to his or her life. The difference between what is appropriate for school and outside of school should be addressed. Educational issues that are apparent in schools when dealing with technology is funding, accountability of students learning what they need to know, what the best technology will have the best effects, and distance learning success ( Roblyer and Doering, pg. 17). As an educator, I would not let the cost of particular software or technology for students because negative effects on their learning. I would look for any cheaper alternatives that are at least a little like an expensive software or technology, which would require research. I would advocate against cutting band (music), theatre (art), or any other class that can help academically, so that a school district can afford better technology. I think that alternatives are the best way to support the missing advantages of technology if no funding is available. I also recognize that I am
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accountable for finding the best technology that will have the best results, and ultimately help my students. This requires research and communication with principal and other leaders above me. I would suggest options for technology and present alternatives in options are unable to be done. I think, overall, if a particular software or technology will help the students, it is worth promoting. Distance learning provides a great opportunity for students; however, I would only suggest it to students who have a legitimate reason to use it or would benefit from it (Roblyer and Doering, pg. 17). Since dropout rates in distance learning are higher than a physical school, I would encourage not choosing distance learning (Roblyer and Doering, pg. 17). The dropout rates for distance learning is unfortunate, but distance learning could be taken advantage of by one in a different country, neighborhood (in a school district), or one who does not have access to a proper education. Ultimately, I think that distance learning has significant pros, but I would still encourage learning at a school for students who are newer to school, such as elementary students. Cultural and equality issues that interfere with technology use are the Digital Divide, which is the discrepancy in access to technology resources among socioeconomic groups (Roblyer and Doering, pg. 17-18), race and gender inequality, and special education equal opportunities when dealing with technology use (Roblyer and Doering, pg. 17-18) The Digital Divide can cause many problems, since not every student is getting an equal opportunity of the advantages of technology. As an educator I need to understand and get to know each student, since there may be different incomes, backgrounds, and overall, access to technology. I may one year expect students to get homework done with a computer or internet access at home, and then another year try
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to provide more time with computers at the school; therefore I would attempt to prevent any problems that some students may have with access to technology at home, and have them do all of it at school or library. Another issue that gender and race is correlated with is the dominance of male whites achieving goals that have higher pay because of their access to technology (Roblyer and Doering, pg. 18). This will also be a factor that I as an educator will have to be aware of when I am faced with all kinds of students and diversity. Special needs students will also be an issue that I will have to face when dealing with technology. Like most of the issues, I would have the responsibility to do research and provide the best technology for students with special needs. There are many options of technology that could be used as accommodations that can be used for all kinds of disabilities and impairments. Although there may be insufficient funding for special needs students in some schools, I would try to find the best alternatives and do what I could to give special needs students an equal opportunity. Legal and ethical issues that can be threatening when integrating technology in the classroom are identity theft and hacking, online predators, academic honesty, and illegal downloading (Roblyer and Doering, pg. 18-19) All of these issues could be prevented from clear and adequate expectations for the students when they are using technology or doing an assignment with technology. Identity theft and hacking could be a serious threat, especially among younger technology users who may not know what they are doing on the internet. As an educator, I would constantly be making sure that most threats will be prevented from ever being exposed to my students. I think the most reliable way to prevent identity theft and hacking is to educate myself and my students,
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so that I will know what to do when it happens and what to look out for when my students are using technology. Online predators are another threat that can be extremely dangerous for students using technology. As an educator, I would do my best to block or protect websites from my students that may have online predators. I would also inform parents of these websites so that the student will be protected at home also. Furthermore, like most of these issues, I would demonstrate safety rules and rules that relate to not talking to strangers online or visiting certain sites that online predators are known to be prevalent. Academic honesty is important as a student and future educator. Plagiarism is a serious crime and can have serious consequences. As a student, I make myself aware of all the types of plagiarism, therefore, preventing any risks of accidentally plagiarizing any material. I learned all of these different types of plagiarism by being exposed to them in classes and being taught about how to avoid plagiarism. Furthermore, I would use the same strategy for my students. The best way to prevent this issue is to not beat around the bush when talking about this issue with students. Introducing this topic and not leaving out the risk of having serious consequences, I think, will give the students more incentive to do their work properly. Illegal downloading is something that many people have participated in. As an educator, I would encourage students to avoid doing any kind of illegal action, regardless if it can possibly be easy to get away with. I would demonstrate this by not downloading illegal copies of software or education materials. In conclusion, as a student and future educator at Concordia University Chicago, I promise to be aware of risks that could be apparent in my students academic or personal life when using technology. I will also demonstrate the correct use of
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technology and be a role model for my students. These issues are preventable, and I know that I am responsible for teaching my students the appropriate ways to use technology in school, the risks and dangers that they may be exposed to, and how the internet is fun, but can also be dangerous. Overall, being aware of all the negatives of having technology in a classroom or in education, will help me to provide the best information for my students, who are future citizens in society; therefore, I need to educate them how to use technology correctly, since technology is only going to become more prevalent in their future.

Katherine Taylor

Work Cited

Dangers of using the Internet: Purdue University Calumet Ribble, Mike (2013) Educational leadership in an online world: Connecting students to technology responsibly, safely, and ethically: Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, Volume 17: Issue 1