There is a key difference between the
moral issues with using technology and the legal issues with using the
technology. Speaking morally we are talking about what SHOULD or SHOULD NOT be
done with the technology. While looking at the legal issues with technology we
are discussing what MUST be done or MUST NOT be done with technology. Below we
will look at some of the laws that have been put in place to protect us when
using technology. We will also look at how these laws affect our ethics with
technology and what some of those main components of our ethics are in terms of
technology.
Legally we have to abide by the
following laws when it comes to technology specifically in the classroom:
CPPA – Child Pornography Prevention Act
(1996) – This law states that when any program that is created with young
people as the target must not contain ANY digital pornography. In 2000
non-obscene images of teens were allowed to be used once again (Lamb, 2010) .
COPA – Children’s Online Protection Act
(1998) – One of the main components of this law was that children under 13
could not have social media accounts. This was later overturned and ruled
unconstitutional. Many sites still require that any person signing up must be
over 13 years old but it is no longer a law (Lamb, 2010) .
CIPA – Children’s Internet Protection
Act (2000) – This is one of the major laws that schools have to follow. This
law states that there must be protection measures in place before students under
the age of 17 are allowed to access computers. If these protection measures are
in place then the school can get discounted services (Lamb, 2010) .
BDIA – Broadband Data Improvement Act (2008) – Any state
that receives federal funding for services must be teaching minors how to
appropriately behave when online (Lamb, 2010) .
These laws have been put in place to assist schools
in providing students with safe environments to learn. With the ever changing
technology there will be a constant need to change the laws. There is
conversations happening now about some of these laws and how they may need to change
based on the capabilities of the technology. BDIA is a huge part of what we are
talking about in terms of digital citizenship. Students not only need to know
what they are allowed to view online but also need to be taught what the
expected or ethically behavior is when accessing the technology in the
classroom. This is where it gets away from what the state and federal
government say can be put online as well as accessed and more towards what the
students should or should not be putting online or accessing.
It is important that all schools or classrooms that
are using technology have an acceptable use policy. This policy states what
should and should not be done while accessing the technology in the classroom. This
acceptable use policy should be written with the assistance and cooperation of
teachers, administration and students (Faust, 2008) . With all parties
involved in the conversation there will be more buy in by all parties. The
teachers need to be modeling appropriate behavior as well. This means that
teachers are discussing with students where the materials being used for a
class are coming from as well as how as teachers the resources were assessed.
Teachers also need to talk about what type of information should be posted
online and what should not. It is important that students understand that
personal information should not be posted online for anyone. It is also
important that students understand their digital footprint and that deleting something
from a wall or post does not delete it permanently. The acceptable use policy
becomes crucial when discussing what should and should not be posted.
Faust, M. (2008, January 15). Teaching Ethical and
Legal use of Technology in the Classroom. Retrieved from Slide Share:
http://www.slideshare.net/Mrs.Faust/teaching-ethical-and-legal-use-of-technology-in-the-classroom
Lamb, A. (2010, November). Social Technology &
Digital Citizenship. Retrieved from Eduscapes:
http://www.eduscapes.com/sessions/socialtech/
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