Moral issues of technology use in the classroom
Cyberbullying/Cyber-harassment
Amanpreet’s article on Social Media, states that most users of social media use it to build community, for sharing content and for entertainment. Social media can also be used for successful educational purposes and improve academics. There are also many negatives to social media, such as depression, anxiety, other mental health problems, and academic issues. The results of the study in this article indicated that while many university students use social media, most have not been victims of cyberbullying/harassment. However many reported having negative experiences on social media. From a moral standpoint, most of the participants of the study did not claim to be perpetrators of cyberbullying, though concluded that if they were, it was for revenge or a sense of control. Evidently, universities have as much a need to promote appropriate social media use and digital citizenship as K-12 schools do.
Social Media Use in the Classroom
Lovepreet’s article largely focuses on the ethics of social media use in the classroom. Examining the ethical issues of social media does encompass some level of moral judgment as well. Determining what educators choose to share in the classroom, keeping in mind ethical dilemmas such as consent, confidentiality, boundaries, and recognizing and responding to illicit content when introducing social media into the classroom.
Proper Internet Etiquette
Shristy shared a particularly interesting article that focuses on “proper internet use”. Blending online and offline behaviour supports the notion that we need to act the same online as we would offline. This simple principle shows the importance of the rules being the same despite the sense of anonymity online. I especially appreciate the suggestions for incorporating cyber ethics into the classroom by drawing on parallels between real life and the online world, constructing classroom rules for responsible use of technology, and having consequences for misuse of technology.
Brainpop.com has some great digital tool for educators from K-12 with videos and activities for all subject matter including Digital Citizenship. Some content is free, other content is paid subscription.
Ethical Considerations of SNSs
Using Social Networking Sites (SNSs) as a mode of communication for educators is the focus of Dylan’s article. The ethical principles and considerations for educators are of the utmost importance. The use of SNSs has great opportunities but also immense ethical considerations. The four main areas of ethical exploration in the chapter that Dylan shared, examines the topics of full disclosure, privacy and security, educational integrity, and autonomy and independence.
Personally, I think I feel more comfortable using email, the school website, and Edsby for communicating with families in terms of specific student information. Using SNSs could be used for communication with families and community members for general school information.
Questions to consider:
- Do you use social media for communication or as an educational tool in your school?
- Do your students use social media and how do you reinforce appropriate use of it?
- How do ethical implications influence your choices of using Social Media in school contexts?
About The Author
Brenda Frederiksen
Greetings! My name is Brenda Frederiksen. I am a Teacher-Librarian/Literacy Specialist by day and a parent, wife, and grad student by night. I am passionate about reading and passing along that love of reading to students!
Thanks for the post Brenda, I feel like many parts of Edsby are like an SNS for school. I too don’t interact with student on social networks, but I would consider it for a school project in high school. I would be clear with families and student about the purpose and intent as well as give offline project options. I think students learning how to use social media for good is an important lesson.
I liked the flow of your post Brenda and how you touched on all the articles from this week. To consider your questions in my room I use Remind for daily communication with parents. In the past we have had to provide to our division if we are using other apps and what they were. I have never been told not to use Remind by our IT so I am thinking it is okay; however I think I should do some research into its policies myself knowing what I have learned from this class. Our school division uses Edsby but I find not all parents are on it or even use it frequently enough that using this system for daily communication would not be helpful to me. I wonder though are parents tired of divisions switching its platforms? We were using FreshGrade not too long ago, got parents kind of onto this and then a year later (literally a year) we switched. For not very literate parents making these transitions is hard and probably annoying if I am being candid so I think some would rather disengage rather then engage in platforms until we finally stick to one.
I liked the YouTube video. It clearly explains how one can act on a digital platform. I agree when it says that digital space is not a private place, so one should act smartly and carefully while working online. Teachers can guide the children if they find any ethical issues and teach them to act smartly. I think we can not ignore the elements of digital citizenship while working online. If one completely follows it, they can not harm any one.
a really informative and well-organized blog
Yes, technology ethics will in some way or another guide people on how to utilize technology in order to avoid abuse and other undesirable outcomes. Each person, in my opinion, should state their priorities, values, standards, and principles, which serve as the foundation for their actions and define their contribution to the technological event.
To be honest, I don’t engage a lot with social media in the classroom this year. There are a few reasons why. 1) Not all of my students have access to technology and this is one more thing that sets the digital divide, 2) My current group of kiddos is still learning how to be good digital citizens with the basics that we are doing in the classroom already, and 3) To be completely honest, it’s one more thing that I really do not want to have to deal with this school year. Would it make me a better teacher? Well, maybe. But if I am not invested in it, and do a surface-level job of tit, then who am I really helping anyways? Just a personal preference this year.