CODE77 Rubrics for Administrators 2010 Part 10 of 10
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 06:53PM I warned you these were coming.
Self-evaluation Rubrics for Basic Administrative Technology Use (2002) 2010
You're born with intelligence, but not with ethics. - Massad Ayoob
X. Ethical Use, Student Safety and Policy Making (TSSA Standards VI.A, VI.B, VI.C, VI.D) NETS-A, 2009 (5a, 5b, 5c)
Level One: I am not aware of do feel I need to be concerned with any ethical, safety, or policy issues surrounding computer use.
Level Two: I clearly understand copyright and fair use issues as they apply to information technology resources. I understand the school board policy on the use of copyrighted materials. I demonstrate ethical usage of all software and let my staff know my personal stand on legal and moral issues involving technology. I know and enforce the school’s technology policies and guidelines, including its Internet Acceptable Use Policy. I am aware of the issues as technology relates to student safety and security and the physical health and environmental risks associated with technology use. I have a personal philosophy I can articulate regarding the use of technology in education.
Level Three: I am aware of other controversial value-laden aspects of technology use including data privacy, equitable access, and free speech issues. I can speak to a variety of technology issues at my professional association meetings, to parent groups, and to the general community. I encourage all staff members in all classes to address the issues of safe and responsible use of technology and the Internet.
Why school leaders need to understand and practice technology ethics and safety and implement programs that help others understand and practice them:
Stories about the inappropriate use of technology in schools and by students abound that can cause any school administrator nightmares:
- a custodian is caught downloading pornographic materials on school computers
- a student is abducted by a stranger she has met in an Internet chatroom on MySpace
- a group of students hack into a school server and cause damage
- a student uses the printer in the computer lab to print reams of encyclopedia pages
- a district is fined for software copyright violations
- parents complain to the school board when their children are suspected of plagiarizing materials from the Internet
- a teacher receives spam for fraudulent investment schemes through his school email
- students use the Internet to locate information about making bombs
- controversy arises when a pictures of a student drinking are posted to a Facebook page and the student is suspended from a sports team
And the list goes on. It’s enough to make one wonder if technology is worth the problems it generates.
Of all the understandings that school leaders need about technology, its safe and appropriate use is easily the most important for them to have. Good leaders lead by example so they must exemplify safe and ethical technology use. And administrators are responsible for enforcing ethical computer use through good policy writing, good staff development activities, and enforcement of school rules related to technology use.
Computer ethics, better labeled "information technology ethics," deal with the proper use of a wide range of telecommunication and data storage devices. Ethics is the branch of philosophy that deals with moral judgments, issues of right and wrong, and determining what behaviors are humane and inhumane. Most Western codes of ethical behavior describe actions as "ethical" that do one or more of the following:
- promote the general health of society
- maintain or increase individual rights and freedoms
- protect individuals from harm
- treat all human beings as having an inherent value and accord those beings respect
- uphold religious, social, cultural, and government laws and mores
A simple way of saying this is that an "ethical action" is one that does not have a damaging impact on oneself, on other individuals, or on society.
Safe use is when one knows how to protect oneself from the unethical actions of others. Safe and ethical use are two sides of the same coin.
While families and the church are assigned the primary responsibility for a child's ethical education, schools also have traditionally had the societal charge to teach and reinforce some moral values, especially those directly related to citizenship and school behaviors. Most of the ethical issues that surround technology deal with societal and school behaviors and are an appropriate and necessary part of the school curriculum.
Not long ago, ethical technology questions were only of interest to a very few specialists. But as the use of information technologies spreads throughout society and its importance to our national economies and individual careers grows, everyone will need to make good ethical decisions when using computers. Studies show that persons involved in computer crimes acquire both their interest and skills at an early age.
The rise of sites that allow an easy means of anyone uploading information to the Internet have created new concerns. Students need to learn to protect themselves from online predators and from cyberbullies. But students also need to learn to protect themselves from their own inadvisable actions. Too often students share information that may at some later date prove to be embarrassing or even detrimental to college or vocational success.
Practicing safe and ethical behaviors needs to be an integral part of technology use in schools. And school leaders need the personal understanding of the issues involved in order to make that a reality.
Reader Comments (1)
I totally agree with you!
You're born with intelligence, but not with ethics
so true!