Monday, July 19, 2010

Ethicality

It is not only apparent but clearly a responsibility as a educator of students we must model the most ethical and responsible behaviours in the use of information technology. Not only is there responsibilities when it comes to the more legal side of the coin for example, copyright issues, illegal downloads of music and videos etc. There are social and moral responsibilities to consider. It has become apparent that the use of digital media's for the purpose of bullying and to anonymously make random and hurtful comments to the other members of our virtual community are becoming more and more frequent. Under the haze of a virtual account individuals seem to be able to make these comments without the face to face confrontations and from behind the protective screen of their PC. These interactions are probably more damaging with the facelessness of the perpetrator. Has our ability to connect so easily and input ourselves into others lives crossed the line without the responsibilities of normal social conventions. These maybe are the things we need to guide our students through and assist them to make appropriate and informed choices for their safety.

2 comments:

  1. I completely agree Simon that as teachers we need to be modelling the behaviour we want to see in our students. As learning via technology has increased in the past ten years, teachers also need to model appropriate behaviour in this sense. Students need to be aware that copyright is very important and without referencing there may be harsh consequences from the legal side of things. However, it goes past the legalities of technology. These days, many students are being cyber-bullied via the internet and mobile phones. It is something as a teacher, that is hard to control, but while using ICTs in class, it is important to keep a close eye on all children to ensure they are working academically in class and in an ethical manner. I do believe Simon that this is called "Netiquette", where someone works ethically via the internet/computer etc.

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  2. As teachers, either introducing this technology into the classroom and maybe to the students for the first time I strongly agree that it is the teachers responsibility to ensure that the students understand the responsibilities that come with internet interactive content. Many parents are still not computer savvy and would not know any better then their child as to the dangers associated with the internet. So while I agree that digital pedagogy is needed in the schools today, all teachers need to strongly reinforce with the students all the bad points that go along with it.

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