Grey areas of ethics…
Also of interest in the conversation are the areas of ethics that lay outside the traditional boundaries of law and policy, and are fairly unregulated. The constant revolutionizing of technology is a part of our overarching economic system, capitalism. Karl Marx would say that the “whole relations of society” are influenced by changes in production and technology, and I think his ideas were apt in this case.
I believe technology should not be seen as having inherent properties (good, bad) but could reflect either, both or the complexity of society. Digital technology could actually be used as a democratizing tool, a consumer tool or define terms of communications in human relationships. I will bring the lens in closer to consider some actual issues emerging in adult education. For example, I came across article on professional conduct with digital technologies that are worthwhile for any current educator to review:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/guidelines-wanted-for-teachers-on-facebook-1.849553
CBC News (2009, September 8). Guidelines wanted for teachers on Facebook.
In this news story, we see school district staff grappling with the idea of setting rules to govern internet behaviour among educators. This excellent article “Media and Social Spaces” by Jeff Millar from UBC explores how social media spaces are calling into question “traditional means of knowledge production and relationships within formal academic communities.” http://sammelpunkt.philo.at:8080/2298/1/miller.pdf
He raises questions about how educators can use Facebook for example, to drive educational issues forward, without ever infringing on student’s personal use of social media/ information technology. It discusses expanding the idea of what constitutes “literacy” into a a networked context. Is social media a terrain that favours relationship building, rather than informational content? I have worked intensively in the area of online safety with youth, and am aware of the implications of students/youth interacting in an unregulated terrain. It would appear that any interactions using information technology/ social media should be premised on “kindergarten” level training on the basics. The fact that teachers and students are both on facebook with possibilities to interface is new and unchartered territory, and need to be addressed “head on”. While internet conduct (that is lawful) should not be left solely to the discretion of individual teachers in the absence of ethical guidelines, it could also be problematic to apply a arbitrary “one size fits all” rules of engagement can infringe on personal rights and become punishing (sorry for using two metaphors in one sentence!). Miller had a good concluding paragraph that I think would be useful to frame future discussions about professional conduct in the “digital age”:
” There is much to be gained within formal education if more critical attention is directed to understanding how these new communication technologies disrupt existing relationships at the same time as they open up the potential for rethinking how we might best leverage the affordances of such powerful tools for social interaction. Networked publics as defined by social interactions in digital spaces need to be places for active engagement, not spaces constrained by the literacy practices of print culture, nor spaces out of bounds to educators, who should be finding ways to expand participation and collaboration with their students, not keep them off the school grounds.”
Finally, some discussion not of the ethics of using IT in the classroom at the secondary level that may have some application to adult education. Despite the fact that this article discusses primary and secondary students, there are relevant considerations for adult education: How can we use technology to engage learning, and discuss it openly, and ensure in our teaching that it is not a distraction, but a tool.
Rules for smartphones in classrooms examined at BCTF workshop
B.C. teachers discuss merits of using smartphones and other devices in workshop this week
By On the Coast, Radio West, CBC News Posted: Aug 26, 2015 9:30 AM PTLast Updated: Aug 27, 2015 9:22 AM PT
Cellphones can be a distraction in the classroom, but educators say that it is up to the individual teacher to establish guidelines with students. (Getty Images)
BCTF workshop on smartphones in class 7:54
BCTF workshop on smartphones in class 7:54
Teachers’ workshop on smartphones in class 7:45
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