What are some of the ethical and social issues involved in the use of technology? To explain my stance on keeping our students safe on the internet, I have to step back from the question and first ask what our purpose is in education. Briefly, I believe our purpose in education is to prepare students for living happy, healthy, productive and successful adult lives by giving them the experiences and tools that they need to find their own path to achieve those results. This is put more eloquently in my school district’s mission: "The mission of the Solanco School District is to develop responsible citizens and life-long learners by providing opportunities to maximize student academic performance in a safe and secure environment." Working from that, my stance on student safety in regards to the internet is that we need to teach the children we work with how to handle and use to their benefit the internet as it is because this is what they are already dealing with outside of the school environment and what they will need to be capable of living with while maintaining those happy, healthy, productive, and successful lives. The students will not graduate, move into their first apartment or start their first job and encounter the internet as they see it at school – with every possibly negative site (and plenty of positive ones) blocked for their protection. Much in the same way, students will not go into these new living arrangements or jobs with someone looking over their shoulder to make sure they are using their time wisely, accurately detecting the credibility of the sites they look at, and are not putting themselves in danger. But guaranteed, in these new situations, there will be consequences if students are not able to maneuver and use the internet wisely – everything from lost opportunities to lost wages to lost relationships or more. So, yes, we need to protect them while they are in our care, but we cannot do that by simply avoiding reality. Instead, we need to face reality with them while teaching them to find and use those positive aspects of the internet and to steer clear of the negatives.
Keeping students safe on the internet has to start with ground rules. Students have to understand what is and is not appropriate at school as well as what is and is not safe anywhere. My district begins the process of handling this concern with an acceptable use policy that students are introduced to at the beginning of the year and which they must return with student and parent/guardian signatures. Students are not allowed on any computer in any class until this paper is returned. In addition, if students misuse the computers/internet access during the school year, part of the discipline almost always includes a suspension from all computer privileges (depending on the infraction, this may be anywhere from a week to the remainder of the school year). I feel like this policy is more than fair and one that I would not hesitate to adopt into a classroom version if my school were to ever discontinue it. The school provides the technology, the rules to keep the students safe, understanding of the policy, and then students are trusted to follow it. If not, then they clearly need a break from being allowed this privilege. Within my classroom, I afford every student one reasonable mistake. If there is any problem with using the technology appropriately, students get one warning (again, assuming this is a reasonable reaction). After the warning, if there is a second incident, students are referred to the administration which most likely leads to a suspension from computer/internet access.
Students must be taught what it means to have copyright rules, how to follow them, and where to find the information about what is right and wrong about following these rules.
Students must be taught about using the internet and the information they are able to share on the internet for good - not for negative or hateful purposes.
Students must be taught not to share fraudulent information or fall victim to fraudulent information on the internet.
Students must be taught about avoiding inappropriate material, particularly at school or when not accompanied by their parents.
Students must be taught about information sharing - what is okay to post about themselves and others, plus what is not okay.
Students must be taught about bullying and that this kind of behavior is never okay, in person or on the internet!
Teachers must remember there is not an equity of access in our current society and that sometimes this inequity is about use and desire for use (or lack of) rather than actual possession.
To explain my stance on keeping our students safe on the internet, I have to step back from the question and first ask what our purpose is in education. Briefly, I believe our purpose in education is to prepare students for living happy, healthy, productive and successful adult lives by giving them the experiences and tools that they need to find their own path to achieve those results. This is put more eloquently in my school district’s mission: "The mission of the Solanco School District is to develop responsible citizens and life-long learners by providing opportunities to maximize student academic performance in a safe and secure environment." Working from that, my stance on student safety in regards to the internet is that we need to teach the children we work with how to handle and use to their benefit the internet as it is because this is what they are already dealing with outside of the school environment and what they will need to be capable of living with while maintaining those happy, healthy, productive, and successful lives. The students will not graduate, move into their first apartment or start their first job and encounter the internet as they see it at school – with every possibly negative site (and plenty of positive ones) blocked for their protection. Much in the same way, students will not go into these new living arrangements or jobs with someone looking over their shoulder to make sure they are using their time wisely, accurately detecting the credibility of the sites they look at, and are not putting themselves in danger. But guaranteed, in these new situations, there will be consequences if students are not able to maneuver and use the internet wisely – everything from lost opportunities to lost wages to lost relationships or more. So, yes, we need to protect them while they are in our care, but we cannot do that by simply avoiding reality. Instead, we need to face reality with them while teaching them to find and use those positive aspects of the internet and to steer clear of the negatives.
Keeping students safe on the internet has to start with ground rules. Students have to understand what is and is not appropriate at school as well as what is and is not safe anywhere. My district begins the process of handling this concern with an acceptable use policy that students are introduced to at the beginning of the year and which they must return with student and parent/guardian signatures. Students are not allowed on any computer in any class until this paper is returned. In addition, if students misuse the computers/internet access during the school year, part of the discipline almost always includes a suspension from all computer privileges (depending on the infraction, this may be anywhere from a week to the remainder of the school year). I feel like this policy is more than fair and one that I would not hesitate to adopt into a classroom version if my school were to ever discontinue it. The school provides the technology, the rules to keep the students safe, understanding of the policy, and then students are trusted to follow it. If not, then they clearly need a break from being allowed this privilege. Within my classroom, I afford every student one reasonable mistake. If there is any problem with using the technology appropriately, students get one warning (again, assuming this is a reasonable reaction). After the warning, if there is a second incident, students are referred to the administration which most likely leads to a suspension from computer/internet access.
"Solanco School District." Solanco School District. Web. 14 June 2012. <http://www.solanco.org/index.htm>.
Ethical Issues:
Social Issues: