The use of technology and particularly the World Wide Web in educational settings has significantly increased over the last twenty years. With this increase has evolved inappropriate use of plagiarism and copyright violations as essays and information are becoming more easily assessable by all. This has created great concern for educators as is becomes a serious ethical concern. Baum states that twenty-five percent of post-secondary students cut-and-paste from internet sites without the use of citation.

As the use of technology in schools increases so will this ethical issue. The question that becomes more apparent now is “how do teachers inform students about the serious ness of this issue and what is the most efficient and effective way to implement awareness?” Many educators agree that informing students of these ethical issues would take far more than one school period. Rather, many schools are implementing technology ethics into their curriculum over a significant timeframe. The Urbana school has implemented a two semester course based on technology and internet do’s and don’ts.

So, the big question teachers are asking is how do we teach our students to be aware and responsible users of technology? Baum includes five steps of how to inform students: initiate a CyberEthics curriculum, teach CyberEthics in the classroom, use the internet as a tool to teach CyberEthics, create an acceptable use policy with students, and have students make a pledge to become responsible and honest web users.

My question to you is do you teach students the seriousness of this matter and what are some other ways to inform students of this issue?

Links to this issue:

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te400.htm

http://rhetoric.sdsu.edu/lore/2_2/ornat_internet.html

http://www.ubets.pdx.edu/Resources/ETHICS.HTM


Leslie

The issue of internet ethics is a growing concern as technology as an educational tool increases within the classroom. According to a professor at the University of San Francisco, "nearly one third of students have been flagged for internet plagiarism." If this level of internet misuse is occurring in post-secondary the level of probability is high that is also taking place within the k-12 levels of the educational system. A recent study found that most students did not view illegal internet activities such as hacking as real crimes. With such a major increase in the amount of technology the average student now uses it is quite possible that a lack of cyber moral training has resulted in an unethical attitude regarding internet activities. This is why in recent years many school based computer courses have turned towards a focus in ethical web training.

The Alliance for Childhood Technology Literacy believes that there is a strong need “to infuse the study of ethics and responsibility into every technology-training program offered within a school. There are a number of instructional methods that can help in instilling a sense of electronic ethics within the classroom that include: initiating a cyber ethics curriculum, teach cyber ethics, use the internet as a tool to teach, create an acceptable policy with students, and have students make a pledge to become ethical web users.

“Do you believe it is possible for a person to carry ethically responsible behaviour in day to day life but at the same time bear unethical views as to what is acceptable web conduct?”

http://www.rogerdarlington.co.uk/Internetethics.html

http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/library/computerlit/scenarios.php

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/pccs/documents/rc_pc_pccs_doc_20020228_ethics-internet_en.html


Reid Litster