Part 1: Critical Assessment – Ethics in and through Technology

Identify a current application for digital technology you believe has social, moral, and ethical implications for teachers and/or students based on your current role in education (e.g., grade level, content area, leadership role). If you are not currently working in an educational setting (broadly defined), please identify a context you are interested in using to frame your work. Technology is broadly defined to include anything from a piece of hardware (laptop, gaming console, tablet) to software, apps, and social media platforms.

For this assignment, you will write one paper framed to argue its point toward a particular audience. You must first decide who you are considering to be the audience of the paper.  Then, do the research and write the paper as if you will be giving it to that audience. Choose one of the following:

Write a short policy brief that could be given to the school board, administration, or the legislature with practical recommendations.

Write an informational document with practical recommendations for your school’s parents.

Research the issue, identifying various perspectives on the positives and negatives of this topic. As you are researching, pay particular attention to educational implications for access, equity, social relationships, privacy laws/concerns, etc. This research serves as the foundation of ideas for the paper you will write.

Citing at least three research-based sources, write a 4- to 5-page paper (policy brief or informational document noted above) for your chosen audience that covers the following:

Briefly describe the issue you will discuss.

Explain the technology tool or application you have chosen. How do you see it related to ethical concerns for students and/or teachers?

Identify your chosen emphasis area for character development based on your reading from the course text (Seider, 2012). Thus MORAL CHARACTER

Identify current research on the topic that looks at trends in this area (this might include statistics on use, frequency of negative behaviors, etc.).

Pay particular attention to social and moral issues that are raised as related to your chosen technology.

Develop a synthesis of recommendations for safe, ethical use of that particular technology application, while also supporting educational initiatives or aims of schooling.

Tie your recommendations back to the social, moral, and character development issues discussed in this course.

Consider whether you are advocating for a view of character that emphasizes moral, performance, or civic character (Seider, 2012). Ensure your perspective, as it relates to your technology issue, is evident.

Please consider your chosen audience when writing the paper. Imagine that you will use the paper to share the information with the audience in an engaging way, and write accordingly.

Ideas for this project include, but are not limited to, topics such as:

Facebook, Edmodo, Google+ in the classroom

Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, Ask.fm, alternate forms of social media

Cyberbullying, Cyberbaiting

Plagiarism

Smartphones, mobile technology in school

Student access to Internet outside of school to complete schoolwork

Google Apps for Education

Technology for testing

Filming in the classroom (by teachers)

Use of YouTube with/by students

Use of media clips and films in the classroom

Wearable technology

One-to-one technology initiatives

Flipped classrooms or flipped pedagogy

Digital footprints and data safety/student privacy, digital citizenship

Online learning in K-12 settings

Gamification (games-based learning)

Teacher blogging

Digital fabrication (3D printing)

Robotics (drones)

Support your statements with evidence from the Required Studies and your research. Cite and reference your sources in APA style.

READINGS

Character Education and Media Literacy – Finding Common Ground (Herrington & Emmans, 2002) [Webpage]

Guest Post by John Chase…Character Education: The Secret Benefits of Edtech and Media Literacy (Gutierrez, 2012) [Webpage]

The Impact of Technology on Character Education (Jolls, 2008) [PDF]

New Media Literacy Education: A Developmental Approach (Graber & Mendoza, 2012) [PDF]