Technological advances offer great promise for both teachers and learners, but there are numerous challenges to the implementation of technology in classroom settings.

AgentActsResultsStakeholders

The first factor is to clearly identify the moral agent.

The next factor is the set of alternative courses-of-action available to the agent.

These are the real world acts that will have an effect on the human system under consideration.

Acts have consequences

The third factor is a delineation of the results that are expected to occur if each act is taken.

A stakeholder is any individual, group, organization, or institution that can affect as well as be affected by an agent’s actions.

It is essential to identify the stakeholders who will be affected by the consequences of the acts.

One theory seeks to create a good society by having people do the right things.

The second great tradition is the pursuit of happiness. We must assess the consequences of the agent’s actions and determine how many benefits or costs they inflict on stakeholders.

A third great tradition is the pursuit of virtue. This theory focuses on improving the character or traits of the agent.

Finally, there is the tradition of the pursuit of justice. Justice requires that every stakeholder in the system should enjoy an equal opportunity to develop his or her knowledge, skills and talents, and to reach his or her potentials.

Before you react, you should ask yourself two questions:◦ Which other stakeholders should be part of the

decision making process because of their knowledge, values, and interest?

◦ Who should be part of the process because of their institutional jobs, responsibilities, or resources they control?

Important moral decisions should be made as the result of due process.

The processes should be fair and they should follow established procedures.

Decisions should be carried out in a humane, moral way.

All decisions should preserve the dignity of all stakeholders involved.

AECT: Code of Professional Ethics

The code of professional ethics addresses the commitment to the individual, to society, and to the profession.

The member shall…◦ protect the individual rights of access to materials of

varying points of view.◦ make reasonable efforts to protect the individual from

conditions harmful to health and safety, including harmful conditions caused by technology itself.

◦ seek to avoid content that reinforces or promotes gender, ethnic, racial, or religious stereotypes. Shall seek to encourage the development of programs and media that emphasize the diversity of our society as a multicultural community

◦ refrain from any behavior that would be judged to be discriminatory, harassing, insensitive, or offensive and, thus, is in conflict with valuing and promoting each individual's integrity, rights, and opportunity within a diverse profession and society.

The member shall…◦ honestly represent the institution or organization

with which that person is affiliated, and shall take adequate precautions to distinguish between personal and institutional or organizational views.

◦ not use institutional or Associational privileges for private gain.

◦ accept no gratuities, gifts, or favors that might impair or appear to impair professional judgment, or offer any favor, service, or thing of value to obtain special advantage.

◦ promote positive and minimize negative environmental impacts of educational technologies.

The member shall…◦ accord just and equitable treatment to all

members of the profession in terms of professional rights and responsibilities.

◦ strive continually to improve professional knowledge and skill and to make available to patrons and colleagues the benefit of that person's professional attainments.

◦ inform users of the stipulations and interpretations of the copyright law and other laws affecting the profession and encourage compliance.

◦ conduct research using professionally accepted guidelines and procedures, especially as they apply to protecting participants from harm.

http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/teachact.htm

http://www.copyright.gov/ http://www.aect.org/About/Ethics.asp http://ced.ncsu.edu/techcomps/unets6.html Alden, S., (2001). Computer Learning Foundation

Emphasizes Responsible Use of Technology. [Online]. Available: http://www.computerlearning.org/articles/respmyth.htm

Mason, Richard. (1995). Applying Ethics to Information Technology Issues. [Online]. Available: Ethics.

McCarthy, J., Lerch, D., Gilmore, L., Brunsman, S., (1999). Educator’s Guide to Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Plagiarism. [Online]. Available: http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/wp/copyright/index.html