Technology and digital tools have advanced rapidly in recent times and possess enormous power to challenge, benefit and engage young learners. Enthusiasm for embracing the digital world is in fact at its highest and young students are coming to school eagerly receptive to learn and incorporate these new technologies! As facilitators of student learning we need to effectively model the safe, responsible and ethical use of ITC from a young age, ensuring that the risks commonly associated with ITC can be addressed in a safe and supportive schooling environment. Focus Area 4.5 of the National Professional Teaching Standards for Graduates and The Australian Curriculum ICT General Capability, further state the importance of safe, responsible and ethical usage of ICT for both teaching and learning. The protocols and practices of responsible and ethical use of ICT should not be the focus of all lessons but a capability recognized by all students when utilizing different types of technology.

Recent technological advances allow students to gather information from a multitude of internet sources, which provide readily available information within mere seconds. The issues revolved around this abundance of information can generally be categorized into two distinctive groups including personal and ethical and legal implications.

 

Personal implications

Personal implications, includes inappropriate exposure to certain materials, including that of an explicit or pornographic nature and/or exposure to inappropriate material for a particular age bracket. Personal risk additionally includes factors such as the risk of stranger danger and inappropriate contact from the outside world via the release of personal information through social media, certain websites, wikis and blogs.

From a practical level students must learn how to protect their personal computers from various viruses of scams and need to be made aware of their digital footprint that is left via sharing personal information through electronic means.

Students must additionally realize that cyber bullying and harassment can occur as a result of ICT. In today’s society the ability to text, email and share information rapidly can pose as a significant negative issue, particularly in the schooling environment where children may have easy access to social media or mobile devices. This issue is one of severe prominence in today’s society and holistic strategies must be put in place in order to combat and deal with the issue at hand.

Helpful resources

 

Cyber smart, (2013) is the Australian Government’s Cyber Safety program which provides practical advice, resources and activities to assist children, parents and teachers alike to educate and thoroughly enjoy the online world.

 

Available at http://www.cybersmart.gov.au

Stay Smart online, (2013) is another government initiated website, targeted at a wider audience, providing relevant and practical information regarding the smart and safe use of the internet.

Available at http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au

 
 

Ethical and Legal implications

Ethical and Legal implications regard particular issues which breach the ethical and legal rights of others work and/or property. This can be avoided by simply including personal password protection and remembering to log out of computer systems after use, to ensure maximal user discretion. It additionally includes serious breaches such as copyright and the legal implication of what can follow if information is not cited in a correct manner. Copyright laws should be constantly reinforced to students, starting from a young age, allowing the acknowledgment of others work to become second nature.

Helpful resources 

Creative Commons, (2013) is a nonprofit organization which provides and enables the sharing of knowledge and creativity via free and legal tools. Its copyright licenses allow the public to share and utilize others creative works.

Available at http://creativecommons.org/about

 

Smart Copying, (2008) is a website which provides educational information regarding copyright throughout Australian Schools. It contains national guidelines, factsheets and FAQ’s. It also contains fantastic information regarding the creations of ITC’S and what the law states about this.

 

Available at http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/

 

In conclusion, we as educators ultimately hold huge influence over students daily lives and habitual responses to certain situations. Therefore as educational practitioners we need to be positive role models who constantly practice safe, responsible and ethical use of ITC in the classroom.  Through the implementation of our knowledge from personal, ethical and legal viewpoints, students can maintain and develop understanding and safely utilize the ever growing and evolving world of ICT and technology with confidence.

 

Reference List

Australian Government 2013, Cyber Smart, viewed 1^st September. Retrieved from http://www.cybersmart.gov.au

 

Australian Government 2013, Stay smart online, viewed 2^nd September. Retrieved from http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au

 

Creative Commons Attribution 2013, Creative Commons Australia, viewed 3^rd September. Retrieved from http://creativecommons.org/about

Smartcopying 2008, The official guide to copyright issues for Australian schools and TAFE, viewed 2^nd September. Retrieved from http://www.smartcopying.edu.au