Journal+Reflection+Module+3

Journal Reflection Module 3

====**Reflect on what you plan to do to address the equity and ethics issues when applying technologies. You may share with us about what you have been doing by addressing these aspects and what you will change after learning in this module.**====

For Module 3, the focus was equity, ethics, and how they are related in the use of technology. Ethics are the moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior. Equity is defined as the quality of being fair and impartial. Both of ethics and equity play a major role when using technology. Educators must be aware of the possible infractions associated with each one when implementing technology into their lessons. Fairness in technology use is important for not only the educators, but also the students. There are three digital divides that exist with technology in classrooms when it comes to equity, as I learned after reading Chapter 2 of //Handbook of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK)//. The first digital divide focuses on students' access to technology, hardware, software, and the Internet. The second digital divide is access to achievement-enhancing technology mediated instruction. Lastly, the third digital divide centers on the idea of access to culture-sensitive technological pedagogy. Within the chapter, there were ways to bridge these different divides and allow for the most beneficial scenario for students and educators when using technology.
 * __//Description//__:**

As for ethics, I read Chapter 6 of //ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards// and learned the different laws that involve technology implementation. The laws included in the chapter focused on copyrights, legal, privacy and security, and policies, procedures, and advocacy. By looking at a case study in which many of these laws were violated, I was able to understand their importance in technology education, as well as reflect upon my own use of technology in the classroom.

//__**Impact**:__// From this module, I was impacted by the different digital divides that exist with technology users, mainly the access to different forms of technology. I have noticed in the past that when I give my students an assignment that has an extended deadline that incorporates technology, some of my students will come into school the next day with the assignment completed. Many of my students do not have access to computers, software, Internet, or other devices once they leave the school. In order to bridge the first digital divide, it is important that I devise plans of action to make sure that all of my students have a fair chance of using technology.

Another impact that was made on my during this module was the copyright laws and acceptable use policies. The case study that I reviewed had many infractions that were associated with these two ideas. I often see students simply "copying and pasting" images or text from Internet or software programs when completing assignments. This is an easy way of adding the "wow" factor to any project or assignment. However, this is a form of copyright law violation if students are not citing where they found their information. Copyright laws need to be taken seriously and should be addressed in order to maintain an ethical and legal technology classroom.

//__**Intent:**__// As an educator, I am to be setting a good example for my students. Therefore, it is my responsibility to educate myself on the issues of equity and ethics in a classroom filled with technology. It is my intent to make sure I am following the guidelines and policies that were outlined in Chapter 6 of //ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards,// such as citing information, multimedia, and graphics, keeping the records of my students secure and private, and monitoring my students' Internet use to keep them from violating an acceptable use policy. As a Language Arts teacher, I can also work towards being a good example by educating my students on the proper way to cite information. This will be most useful when students are asked to perform research or complete assignments in not only my class, but other subject areas as well.

I would also like to help to bridge the digital divides that exist in technology-based education. Working with adminstrators to determine availability of technology before or after school is one way I can close the first digital divide. At the beginning of the year, I also will be sure to give my students an informational survey to fill out that assesses their knowledge and experience with technology, as well as states if they have access to technology outside of school. By surveying the students, I am working towards closing the second digital divide. Lastly, I would like to create a balance of individual and group technology projects to make sure all learning styles and preferences are being addressed.