A1. PHILOSOPHY

Equitable Use, Ethical Use, and Social Responsibility

Equitable Use

​

Technology can increase equity in schools in three distinct ways: accessibility outside the classroom, student personalization, and the ability to collect and analyze student data (Anderson, 2019).

​

Through the creation of a class blog, educators can provide additional resources and support for students outside of class time. No matter where a student is, an online blog can allow access to class notes and presentations, homework assignments, and student-centered discussion forums. Using technology, educators can support student success beyond the Monday to Friday routine.

​

Technology supports individualized goals by offering alternative learning resources for students. Through online research projects, students can demonstrate their understanding of the material through topics of their interest. By supporting additional engagement in technology, educators are allowing students to take on an active role in their learning and work at a pace that works for their needs.

​

Educators and administration are also able to use technology to track student progress and create data to understand trends and plan future lessons. Through technology, educators can create online polls for quick formative assessments or student-designed digital portfolios for individualized summative assessments. Looking beyond the traditional quiz handout, educators can quickly collect student data and be proactive in supporting student success.

​

Ethical Use

When researching and using educational resources, educators and students must keep in mind intellectual integrity and privacy. 

​

Fair use and copyrights work hand-in-hand when engaging with educational technology found on the Internet. Students need to understand the guidelines of what makes material available to use and share. Copyrights help to protect authors and creators to ensure they are in control of the ownership of their intellectual works and where they are shared (University of Chicago, n.d.).

One way educators can inform students about Fair Use and Copyright protections is through lessons on plagiarism. Plagiarism is taking the work of someone else, such as through copyrighted material, and passing them off as your own ideas (WPA, 2019). A common way students plagiarize is by not properly citing sources while online researching. Before students are allowed access to educational resources, they must be familiar with properly citing and the importance of writing original work.

The Common Sense Education site includes Plagiarism-focused lesson plans created by other educators for grades 2-12. Topics range from digital citizenship, citing sources, and the best places on the Internet to cite information.

​

Social Responsibility

Before introducing technology into the classroom, students must have an understanding of their role on the Internet. Global citizenship reminds students that technology, and other forms of digital media, must be used with respect, appreciation, and positivity (MacBury, 2017). Especially with the importance of technology within society, students must be familiar with how to properly communicate and practice online safety, known as netiquette.

One method of promoting social responsibility online is through classroom dialogue and related projects. The Common Sense Education site offers lesson plans for K-12 learners. Lesson plans range from learning about sharing personal information, cyberbullying through social media, and data policy protection (Wilkey, 2020). By allowing students to learn about social responsibility, they can connect the lesson material with real-world scenarios and act appropriately.