Tuesday, January 10, 2017

PLO 5

Exemplify ethical practices of technology usage.


Program Learning Outcome 5 exemplifies the ethical practices of technology usage. 
When using technology as a part of a lesson, a teacher must strive to use the ethical practices to ensure that all students are safe and being treated fairly.  I have found that students need to know that computers software is protected by copyright laws.  They also need to know that it is unlawful, as well as unethical, to make copies of textbook pages, websites, and computer programs without permission or payment of the person or persons responsible for the work.  When I speak to my students at the beginning of the school year, I stress that plagiarism is easier with the help of the computer.  Students need to understand when and how to cite sources in both print and electronic formats.  With the help of some websites, it will allow you to input information and it will cite the reference for you but students also need to know how to cite it on paper in class.  When using technology as a part of a lesson, a teacher must strive to use ethical practices to ensure that all students are being treated fairly and are safe.  According to Lin (2007), there are several methods that all teachers should employ to ensure that they are developing technology use strategies that are ethical. 

The revised assignment involved the creation of the classroom blog that students could access at any time of the day.  The blog was also set up for parents to check homework and assignment due dates.  Also, then the intent of the blog was to include a link to a classroom wiki where students could participate in class discussions together outside of the classroom.  In researching the use of blogs, the teacher found that there are many different types of blogs.  “Blogs and wikis have tremendous potential to increase learning as long as they are used appropriately” (Heilferty, 2011, p. 947).  In reviewing many education blogs, the major lesson that was found to be missing from the lesson was an explanation of ethical guidelines and principles.  According to Heilferty (2011), people often fail to realize that the information they post to online discussion forums such as blogs is going to be read by others, sometimes by many others.  According to the Heilferty (2011), even private classroom blogs and wikis can be hacked, so students need to be aware that any information they post on these social networking sites in not too personal or embarrassing.  When reviewing these resources, it was fascinating that classroom blogs can be hacked even if they are private. 

This activity will cover Program Learning Outcome 5 “to exemplify ethical practices of technology usage.”


References

Heilferty, C.M. (2011). Ethical considerations in the study of online illness narratives: A qualitative review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 67(5), 940-959.

Lin, H. (2007).  The ethics of instructional technology: Issues and coping strategies experienced by professional technologists in design and training situations in higher education.  EducationalTechnology Research & Development, 55(5), 411-437. doi:10.1007/s11423-006-9029-y


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