Standard+VI+Reflection

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Standard VI Reflection Social, ethical, legal and human issues are addressed in standard six. This is a very important but difficult standard to implement at times. What makes this difficult is that these issues need to be a part of every decision a technology leader must make and available technologies change constantly. When these changing technologies are added to the classroom it becomes an even more complex issue. Often times there may be resistance to implement new technologies due to the increased concerns that arise with student’s use of the technology. Williamson and Redish (2009) state that “In these cases, technology facilitators must forge new ground” (p.123). As facilitators and leaders we cannot be afraid to keep our students up to date on technology because we do not want to deal with the issues that may arise.

The issues involved in this standard for our students are equitable use, privacy, online safety, and copyright infringement. In attempting to make sure that all students have equitable use of our new campus iPad mobile cart, I collaborated with the campus technology specialist to create a tracking document to record which teachers are using the cart, how often, the number of students they have, dates used etc. This tracking document was put into her computer so that it would be easily accessible and we could monitor the use of the iPads on campus.

Another activity that I conducted to assist me with mastery of this standard was to create a reference, or cheat sheet, for our campus regarding copyright laws for educational use of digital media such as music, videos, and images. It is important for educators to remember this information so that they model for the students proper use. Solomon and Schrum (2007) affirm that many teenagers are confused about copyright because the adults that guide them are equally confused (p.145). I felt that it was important to have a reference for the teachers to utilize due to the increase of technology that was going to be used on the campus by staff as well as students. We are very fortunate on our campus that we have a one-to-one computing ratio and almost every teacher requires the use of the student computers in the classroom. It is important that the students know how to properly use and cite sources.

At the beginning of each school year we have internet safety week where during study hall time teachers go over safe practices regarding use of the Internet, show students video clips regarding Internet safety and conduct activities to help reinforce the learning. These concepts are also re-taught throughout the year by teachers on campus as the students use their laptops in the classroom. With the incidences of Cyberbullying increasing and the risks of being contacted by an online predator, it is important that students stay safe on the Internet. Joseph (2007) confirms that “Keeping kids safe must be an ongoing effort through awareness, education, and supervision” (p.17).This is an area where technology leaders must be diligent in staying current on acceptable use policies, Internet safety education and the effectiveness of the CIPA required filter on the school Internet connection.

Joseph, L.C. (2007). Keeping safe in cyberspace. //MultiMedia & Internet@Schools, 14//(1), 17-20.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools//. Eugene, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.

Williamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). //Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do//. Eugene, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.