Running Head: Current Issues

Current Issues in Educational Technology

Melissa Audilet
Foundations of Educational Technology
Prof. Lisa Sill
March 2, 2015

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With the advancement of technology in our society and in our classrooms we have to look at
both sides of how beneficial is it to our students. I have previously done research on the use of
technology in our classrooms and believe it or not there are several downfalls with implementing
technology use. That is why I have chosen the topic Social, Ethical, Legal and Human Issues.
Although I am for technology use and I believe that it is very beneficial to our students I cannot
help but wonder about the students who are not able to get access to computers or internet
services specifically the digital divide. Digital divide has always and will always be a problem
with implementing technology in schools. Some students are at a disadvantage when it comes to
having access to technology. Also with children of my own I worry about the safety of our
students as they access the www; are they safe? To what measures should a school take to keep
them safe from not only spam, but also cyber bullying. Cyberbullying is always a concern to any
parent and with students having access to social media cyberbullying is easy to do. In this
article it focuses on several different questions that would be a concern with having technology
in our classrooms, but I liked pinpointing the topics of the safety and the access of technology
and how it affects or students.
Within this topic it gives several web links to view that is related to the topic of Social,
Ethical, legal and human issues. It also has a slide show and within the slide show there are
suggestions on how to stay safe such as maintaining security ex: being cautious, use passwords,
firewalls, and system lock. As wonderful as having technology is and the benefits that it has
there are concerns not only to the teachers, but with the parents and for the students that are
affected. There are many great topics in this discussion that I encourage everybody to look into
some of the reading you can look into are listed in below. Within the articles it will give you an

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understanding of both sides of why technology is good and why it could be harmful and how
social, ethical, legal and human issues will influence the concerns of technology. One other topic
that was mentioned in this article was the ethical standpoint and a good reading that sums up
what is considered unethical is our very own Ashford University Academic dishonesty Policy.
To learn more please look into the following links.

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References:

Bitter, G. G., & Legacy, J. M. (n.d.). Chapter 5: Social, ethical, legal, and human issues. In Using
technology in the classroom (7th ed.). Retrieved
fromhttp://wps.ablongman.com/ab_bitter_usingtech_7/71/18205/4660533.cw/index.html

Advantages and disadvantages of iPad use in the classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2014
from
http://ed635ipadproject.wikispaces.com/Advantages+and+Disadvantages+of+iPad+Use
+in+the+Classroo

Harrison, J. (2012, February 28). Pros and cons of social media in education. TOPYX. Retrieved
From http://interactyx.com/social-learning-blog/pros-and-cons-of-social-media-ineducation/

Jung, B. (n.d.). The importance of integrating technology into the classroom. Science. Retrieved
from http://science.opposingviews.com/importance-integrating-technology-classroom
1569.html1569.html
Ballano, S., Uribe, A. C., & Munt-Ramos, R. (2014). Young users and the digital divide:
readers, participants or creators on Internet?.Comunicacin Y Sociedad, 27(4), 147-155.
doi:10.15581/003.27.4.147-155

http://www.connectionsacademy.com/blog/posts/2010-03-16/Keeping-Kids-Safe-on-SocialNetworks.aspx
http://www.districtadministration.com/article/online-resources-help-teach-cybersafety
http://classroom.ashford.edu/re/DotNextLaunch.asp?
courseid=11160498&userid=20672968&sessionid

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