Social, Ethical and Legal Responsibilities in the Use of Technology Tools and Resources by Teachers

As we increase the use of technology as part of our educational ventures, the more we should be
conscious of the social and ethical responsibilities and be familiar with the legal issues in the use of
technology tools and resources.

➔ SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, It is an ethical practice which makes individual accountable of his/her

actions towards civic duty, and the actions should benefit the society.

➔ ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY, it is individual’s ability to recognize, interpret and act based on

standards and norms acceptable to society.

➔ SOCIAL AND ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITES as individual’s practice and actions based on standards
and norms.

As a digital netizen we should be responsible on how we use technology not only to our
advantage but also on how it affects others. As a responsible netizens, lets put in our mind that
everytime we use technology we must be responsible.

CHRISTOPHER MCGILVERY

➔ recommends one approach that can help teachers demonstrate and guide students in learning
how to use technology ethically.

➔ He offers the acronym TECH SMART as an option for helping students navigate the ethical
waters of their digital world.

Take care of technology equipment.

With malware and viruses running rampant, students must learn to watch what they download, click
and share.

Explore appropriate and safe sites for learning and research.

Many websites contain inaccurate or false information. Teachers can provide a list of approved
websites. Students need to learn how to evaluate websites and assess whether they can trust the
content.

a) Look for author or name of organization.

b) Check author’s credentials
c) Look for type of domain
d) Look for educational and government sites like “.edu”
or “.gov”
e) Look for links that say about the background of the
website and the information of the author.
Copyright law, Fair Use Act and Creative Commons matter.
Students learn how to copy and paste without realizing the copyright implications. Understanding
copyright and related laws will help ensure students follow the rules in using and sharing content.

Help prevent cyberbullying.

The anonymity of the internet and not seeing faces makes it easy to "say" things one would not utter
in person. Teaching students about cyberbullying requires discussing not only its definition but also
how hurtful and damaging it can be. Give examples of cyberbullying and encourage students to
report any cyberbullying incident to teachers, counselors, administrators or their parents.

Self-image is important.
Without seeing faces, people can easily overshare in a digital world. Kids need to learn how future
employers look up candidates' social media accounts to see how they represent themselves in
public.

Make use of netiquette.

Netiquette comprises the rules of an online community. Sloppy writing in online forums, device
distraction while in conversation, and sending of unsolicited emails are a few examples of poor
netiquette. Learners need to understand what makes good and bad netiquette and why.

Always give credit to original source.

Like citing references in term papers, students learn about the importance of using online citations to
respect copyright laws and eschew plagiarism.

Remember to be effective, thoughtful and ethical digital creators.

Teachers can incorporate assignments that use digital tools in the classroom. This allows students
to learn how to use technology responsibly with teacher oversight.

Think.
Teachers can integrate TECH SMART into their lesson plans and encourage students to think about
technology's purpose in all digital interactions.

The rapid pace of technology advancement makes it challenging for people to evaluate the ethical
ramifications of their actions in the digital space. Understanding ethical issues of technology in the
classroom and remembering TECH SMART helps students become ethical citizens in a digital world.

SOCIAL AND ETHICAL PRACTICES IN THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY TOOLS AND RESOURCES:

➔ Use the school’s computers and equipment for educational purposes only. Please be reminded
that these are government funded instructional devices from everyone's taxes.

Di porket nasa ICT ROOM na tayo, pwede na kahit anong gawin sa ating mga computer. Hindi
yung nag fafacebook, youtube ang ginagawa sa loob ng ict room.THE ICT ROOM is for our
educational purposes only, so hindi basta basta makakagamiit sa mga computer sa school pag
hindi school purposes ito.

➔ Ask permission when using school’s resources. Schools are mandated to be custodian of school
properties.

The school are strict when it comes to school resources especially the computers because they make
sure that their resources will last and the school community will be benefited.
➔ Take care of school’s technology equipment. Make sure you are familiar with the technology
equipment before using.

If you are not familiar with the technology equipment ask your teachers fro assistance. Hindi
yung nag eexplore ka sa computer at baka iba magawa mo.

➔ Visit recommended educational portals and platforms only. Refrain from visiting and exploring
websites which promote inappropriate and inaccurate contents.

➔ Respect and value the work of others. “ Copy and paste” is unethical and a subject for legal
sanctions.

Especially in downloading videos, images and graphical designs are available in the internert are
improper unless properly identified and recognized. Learn and review the proper way of
citations and giving credits or recognizing the work of others.

➔ Use legal and appropriate software and programs only. Legal software and programs are those
purchase legally such as SPSS.

Do not be intimidated or be encouraged to use software from illegal source.

LEGAL ISSUES IN THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY TOOLS AND RESOURCES

➔ Unauthorized use of computer, cellular phones and other hardware. Unauthorized use of these
may lead to possible problems related to privacy.

Avoid saving personal information to your computer/ laptop. But you can save your personal
information as long as you have a protection software.

➔ Unauthorized access of computer software and platforms (such as internet browsers, computer
application, online communication or the skype, etc.)

In some cases, these individuals pretend to be someone to hide his/her identity. Parang yung
mga poser sa facebook na gumagamit ng pangalan, images, etc. Becareful on putting personal
data in the public property, for instance kung hiniram mo laptop ng friends mo, huwag mo
kalimutan mag log out sa inyong mga account.

➔ Software Piracy- illegal downloading and copying of software.

This happens when a software is downloaded and duplicated for distribution to friends, relatives
and other individuals. This will lead to the issue of copyright law.

➔ Software Piracy- illegal downloading and copying of software.

➔ Malware distribution, malware is a software that is especially designed to disrupt, damage or

unauthorized access to a computer system. Most common malwares are viruses, trojan horses,
spyware and ransomware.
This malwares are distributed maliciously by individual through messaages or emails which
eventually shared with other computers.