Demonstrate an understanding of the legal, social, and ethical issues related to technology use.
Indicators
Identify ethical and legal issues using technology.
Analyze issues related to the uses of technology in educational settings.
Establish classroom policies and procedures that ensure compliance with copyright law, Fair Use guidelines, security, privacy, and student on-line protection.
Use classroom procedures to manage an equitable, safe, and healthy environment for students.
Case Study
You are a student teacher at Greater Maryland Middle School. Today you are observing Mrs. Jones teaching her social studies class in the computer lab. Her first period is her planning period. She has asked you to assist her with setting up the lab for her lesson plan. She is installing the school's only copy of an atlas software program for a single user license on the 22 computers in the lab. She explains that her lesson will require students to download information about the country that they have been assigned from the atlas program and to also search the Internet for more information for a PowerPoint presentation. Mrs. Jones encourages students to freely use any information from the Internet for their presentation. At the beginning of each class, the students enter and sit where they choose, occasionally arguing over seats. For the four classes with more than 22 students, Mrs. Jones pairs a boy and a girl, assigning the boy to operate the computer and the girl to take notes. Mrs. Jones starts the class by sharing a model of a final product, a PowerPoint presentation. Without guidance, she encourages the students to freely copy any graphics and text from the Internet to brighten up their slides. She explains that they will have one day in the computer lab to complete the assignment and that, if they do not finish in class, they must complete the work at home within two days. She directs them to use the atlas software and to search the web for sites about the country assigned to them. At the completion of class, she gives them time to save their work to the class folder on the local area network and reminds them not to access other folders.
During the first class period with students, a few students become distracted with the computer in the first row where Mrs. Jones had been working on her gradebook program at the end of her planning period. They begin reciting aloud the classmates' scores that are still visible on the monitor. She closes the program and puts the students back on task. Several students sitting by the windows complain that they cannot read their monitors due to glare.
During the next class, Period 3, several students rush in and sit toward the back of the lab while the teacher does hall duty. As the other students enter the class, they become interested in the stifled giggles from the back row. The bell rings and the teacher enters the room approaching the group of students huddled in the back around a monitor. She disperses the group and finds the monitor displaying a commercial web site for movie videos. She proceeds as she did with the previous class. When the bell rings at the end of class, several students rush out without properly logging out and the backpack of one gets hooked to a monitor cable. Luckily, a student nearby catches the monitor before it falls.
Period 4 begins more smoothly than the last, except for a brief delay to locate a workstation for a wheelchair-bound student. One student has already started the assignment at home and has brought his work on disk. He opens the file and continues his work.
Several minutes into the 5th period, the guidance counselor brings a student new to the school and introduces her to Mrs. Jones. The counselor explains that her mother is downstairs completing the entrance paperwork. Mrs. Jones briefly describes the assignment and seats the new girl next to another student accessing the Internet.
The day concludes with a smooth opening to period 6; however, 15 minutes into the class, the power to the lab server goes out. Mrs. Jones calms the excited students and asks them to be patient, assuming the power will be on within a few minutes. The principal makes an announcement that a local power surge affected the server and the lab computers will be down for the remainder of the day. Since there are 35 minutes left until dismissal, he encourages teachers to continue their lessons. Mrs. Jones mentions to you that she really had nothing else planned and she does not want to begin the next day's lesson, which would put the classes out of sync with each other. She tells the students they will have to complete the project on their own and allows them to talk quietly until the dismissal bell rings. After the final bell, Mrs. Jones dismisses the students and tells you to reflect on the day.
1. I underlined every practice Mrs. Jones exercised that was questionable to me.
2. Three legal and ethical issues I found were as follows...
Mrs. Jones is installing the school's only copy of an atlas software program for single user liscense on 22 computer.
Installing the atlas software on 22 computers violates the single usage liscense which mandates the program be downloaded to only one computer. In
order to legally install the software to several computers, she needs to obtain a group or enterprise liscense.
She is requiring students to download information from the atlas program.
The information from the software that Mrs. Jones is using is most likely propriety and not public domain, therefor, downloading any information from it is most likely also in violation of the liscensing agreement. Also any information used from the Internet needs to be sited.
She is advising students to freely use any info from the Internet for their presentation as well as any graphics and texts from the Internet.
Any photos, graphics or texts that are copyrighted cannot be used in student's presentation. For example, a student can't use a federal logo for their presentation.
3. I noted several health and safety issues;
Students arguing over seats
The students should have assigned seats in the computer lab to avoid any negative issues about seating arrangments.
Students' unruly entrance and exit, potential equipment damage and inappropriate behavior such as visiting sights not permitted.
Before holding class in the computer lab, I think Mrs. Jones should have gathered students in the regular classroom and introduced the assignment, gave specific instructions, took questions, restricted casual net surfing on sites unrelated to the assignment, reviewed computer lab safety rules and regulations as well as consequences for inappropriate behavior.
Teacher doing hall duty
Students are never, ever to be left unattended! Too many incidents can occur. If the teacher must do hall duty, the students should be required to line up outside the computer lab or make a straight, inconspicuous line in the hallway Mrs. Jones does duty on.
Mrs. Jones had no back-up plan for the assignment so she allowed the students to talk until dismissal.
A concrete lesson, such as previously prepared worksheets or books, should always be accessable in the event that "power poops". A stage for disaster is set leaving more than 22 middle schoolers with nothing to do but converse freely for 35 minutes.
4. In reference to security and privacy;
Students should not have saved their work in files on the local area network of the school PC's.
Other files should not have been accessible to other folders.
Students should not have been required or allowed to continue or finish outside of the classroom.
5. There is so much knowledge to be gained as teachers as well as given to students in reference to technology benefitting academics. Students have use of various reputable search engines to obtain facts, there are a number of ways to enhance projects and tons of tools teachers can use to engage and involve students. Though technology is wondrous, tangible back-ups must be ready in case technology becomes uncooperative. Also teachers must cover themselves by making sure they adhere to laws and regulations of software liscensing agreements and copyright laws. Teachers also need to consider the inexsposure resulting in ignorance students may bring to dealing with technology in the classroom.
Outcomes
Demonstrate an understanding of the legal, social, and ethical issues related to technology use.
Indicators
Identify ethical and legal issues using technology.
Analyze issues related to the uses of technology in educational settings.
Establish classroom policies and procedures that ensure compliance with copyright law, Fair Use guidelines, security, privacy, and student on-line protection.
Use classroom procedures to manage an equitable, safe, and healthy environment for students.
Case StudyYou are a student teacher at Greater Maryland Middle School. Today you are observing Mrs. Jones teaching her social studies class in the computer lab. Her first period is her planning period. She has asked you to assist her with setting up the lab for her lesson plan. She is installing the school's only copy of an atlas software program for a single user license on the 22 computers in the lab. She explains that her lesson will require students to download information about the country that they have been assigned from the atlas program and to also search the Internet for more information for a PowerPoint presentation. Mrs. Jones encourages students to freely use any information from the Internet for their presentation.
At the beginning of each class, the students enter and sit where they choose, occasionally arguing over seats. For the four classes with more than 22 students, Mrs. Jones pairs a boy and a girl, assigning the boy to operate the computer and the girl to take notes. Mrs. Jones starts the class by sharing a model of a final product, a PowerPoint presentation. Without guidance, she encourages the students to freely copy any graphics and text from the Internet to brighten up their slides. She explains that they will have one day in the computer lab to complete the assignment and that, if they do not finish in class, they must complete the work at home within two days. She directs them to use the atlas software and to search the web for sites about the country assigned to them. At the completion of class, she gives them time to save their work to the class folder on the local area network and reminds them not to access other folders.
During the first class period with students, a few students become distracted with the computer in the first row where Mrs. Jones had been working on her gradebook program at the end of her planning period. They begin reciting aloud the classmates' scores that are still visible on the monitor. She closes the program and puts the students back on task. Several students sitting by the windows complain that they cannot read their monitors due to glare.
During the next class, Period 3, several students rush in and sit toward the back of the lab while the teacher does hall duty. As the other students enter the class, they become interested in the stifled giggles from the back row. The bell rings and the teacher enters the room approaching the group of students huddled in the back around a monitor. She disperses the group and finds the monitor displaying a commercial web site for movie videos. She proceeds as she did with the previous class. When the bell rings at the end of class, several students rush out without properly logging out and the backpack of one gets hooked to a monitor cable. Luckily, a student nearby catches the monitor before it falls.
Period 4 begins more smoothly than the last, except for a brief delay to locate a workstation for a wheelchair-bound student. One student has already started the assignment at home and has brought his work on disk. He opens the file and continues his work.
Several minutes into the 5th period, the guidance counselor brings a student new to the school and introduces her to Mrs. Jones. The counselor explains that her mother is downstairs completing the entrance paperwork. Mrs. Jones briefly describes the assignment and seats the new girl next to another student accessing the Internet.
The day concludes with a smooth opening to period 6; however, 15 minutes into the class, the power to the lab server goes out. Mrs. Jones calms the excited students and asks them to be patient, assuming the power will be on within a few minutes. The principal makes an announcement that a local power surge affected the server and the lab computers will be down for the remainder of the day. Since there are 35 minutes left until dismissal, he encourages teachers to continue their lessons. Mrs. Jones mentions to you that she really had nothing else planned and she does not want to begin the next day's lesson, which would put the classes out of sync with each other. She tells the students they will have to complete the project on their own and allows them to talk quietly until the dismissal bell rings. After the final bell, Mrs. Jones dismisses the students and tells you to reflect on the day.
1. I underlined every practice Mrs. Jones exercised that was questionable to me.
2. Three legal and ethical issues I found were as follows...
- Mrs. Jones is installing the school's only copy of an atlas software program for single user liscense on 22 computer.
Installing the atlas software on 22 computers violates the single usage liscense which mandates the program be downloaded to only one computer. Inorder to legally install the software to several computers, she needs to obtain a group or enterprise liscense.
- She is requiring students to download information from the atlas program.
The information from the software that Mrs. Jones is using is most likely propriety and not public domain, therefor, downloading any information from it is most likely also in violation of the liscensing agreement. Also any information used from the Internet needs to be sited.- She is advising students to freely use any info from the Internet for their presentation as well as any graphics and texts from the Internet.
Any photos, graphics or texts that are copyrighted cannot be used in student's presentation. For example, a student can't use a federal logo for their presentation.3. I noted several health and safety issues;
- Students arguing over seats
The students should have assigned seats in the computer lab to avoid any negative issues about seating arrangments.- Students' unruly entrance and exit, potential equipment damage and inappropriate behavior such as visiting sights not permitted.
Before holding class in the computer lab, I think Mrs. Jones should have gathered students in the regular classroom and introduced the assignment, gave specific instructions, took questions, restricted casual net surfing on sites unrelated to the assignment, reviewed computer lab safety rules and regulations as well as consequences for inappropriate behavior.- Teacher doing hall duty
Students are never, ever to be left unattended! Too many incidents can occur. If the teacher must do hall duty, the students should be required to line up outside the computer lab or make a straight, inconspicuous line in the hallway Mrs. Jones does duty on.- Mrs. Jones had no back-up plan for the assignment so she allowed the students to talk until dismissal.
A concrete lesson, such as previously prepared worksheets or books, should always be accessable in the event that "power poops". A stage for disaster is set leaving more than 22 middle schoolers with nothing to do but converse freely for 35 minutes.4. In reference to security and privacy;
5. There is so much knowledge to be gained as teachers as well as given to students in reference to technology benefitting academics. Students have use of various reputable search engines to obtain facts, there are a number of ways to enhance projects and tons of tools teachers can use to engage and involve students. Though technology is wondrous, tangible back-ups must be ready in case technology becomes uncooperative. Also teachers must cover themselves by making sure they adhere to laws and regulations of software liscensing agreements and copyright laws. Teachers also need to consider the inexsposure resulting in ignorance students may bring to dealing with technology in the classroom.