This session includes a discussion of moral issues surrounding teaching with technology, especially with social media. Here are some of the issues that we’ll discuss:
1. What are the moral goals of education, and are they attainable when using technology?
2. What are the moral challenges of teaching and learning with technology?
3. What are (or should be) the moral obligations of teachers and learners when teaching or learning with technology?

Abstract

Title: Moral Considerations when Teaching and Learning with Technology

Purpose of Session
The purpose of this session is not to advocate for moral education, per se, but rather to encourage discussion about the moral implications of the endeavor of education and more especially of teaching and learning with technology. These considerations become possibly more important to consider as technologies, including social media, change the way that students and instructors interact and as people become life-long learners involved in personal learning networks. From multiple perspectives we will discuss a) moral goals of education, b) what if any are the moral challenges of teaching and learning with technology, and c) what are the moral imperatives of teaching and learning.

Objectives of the Session
The objective of the session is for participants to discuss the moral related issues surrounding the use of technology in education. To encourage discussion, the presenter will provide some possible frameworks related to each of the major questions proposed. Then he will ask pointed questions to help participants share their views and experiences related to each subtopic.

Information and Practical Application
Many educational theorists, philosophers, and scholars have stated that education is a moral endeavor—and consequently, the moral implications and effects on students are unavoidable (Johnson, et al., 2010; Balmert & Ezzell, 2002; Berkowitz, 2002; Berkowitz & Fekula, 1999; Carr, 2005; Lewis, 1965). If this is truly the case, then it follows that there are also moral implications for the practice of teachers, designers, and administrators. To tease out these moral implications, the presentation will primarily focus on three questions.

The first question we will address is, what are the moral goals of education, and are they attainable when using technology? To encourage discussion we will look at frameworks of Performance and Moral Character from Davidson, Lickona, and Khmelkov (2008, also see Lickona & Davidson 2005), Voices of Conscience- Craft, Membership, Sacrifice, Memory and Imagination from Green (1999), Agency and Love from R. T. Osguthorpe (2009), as well as ideas from other theorists (e.g., Berkowitz & Fekula, 1999; Peterson & Seligman, 2004; R. D. Osguthorpe, 2009, etc.) to discuss if their ideas are applicable to technology mediated education.

For the second question, what are the moral challenges of teaching and learning with technology? We will explore challenges faced with the use of technology, such as copyright and fair use, plagiarism and other forms of cheating (Gismondi, 2006), privacy (including FERPA issues), predatory behavior, anonymity, pornography, distractions, disengagement from the real world, among others. Participants will be able to share ideas on how we might handle these challenges to avoid or minimize their occurrence and effects.

Finally, assuming education truly is a moral endeavor as some advocate, we will discuss the third question, what are (or should be) the moral obligations of teachers and learners when teaching or learning with technology? I will present ideas from many of the authors cited above such as, R. D. Osguthorpe, 2009, R. T. Osguthorpe (2009), Berkowitz & Fekula (1999), Johnson, et al. (2010), and others (such as Lewis, 1965, 1996, etc.).

Participants will hopefully come away from the session with questions of their owns about the moral implications of their work with educational technology, whether they are learners, teachers, designers, administrators, etc. They should also come away with ideas and resources for pursuing answers to those questions on the moral implications of their practice.

References
Balmert, M.E., & Ezzell, M.H. (2002). Leading learning by assuring distance instructional technology is an ethical enterprise. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Adult Higher Education Alliance, Pittsburgh, PA.

Berkowitz, M.W. (2002). The science of character education. In W. Damon (Ed.), Bringing in a new era in character education (pp. 43–63). Stanford, CA: Hoover Press.

Berkowitz, M.W., & Fekula, M.J. (1999). Educating for character. About Campus, 4(5), 17–22.

Davidson, M., Lickona, T., & Khmelkov, V. (2008). Smart & good schools: A new paradigm for high school character education. In L.P. Nucci (Ed.), Handbook of moral and character education. New York: Routledge.

Gismondi, A. (2006). The downside of the Internet: Cheating and technology in higher education. Journal of College and Character 7(5). Retrieved March 10, 2010 from http://journals.naspa.org/jcc/vol7/iss5/5/

Johnson, M. J., Osguthorpe, R. D., & Williams, D. D. (2010). The phenomenon of character development in a distance education course. Journal of College and Character 11(1). Retrieved March 10, 2010 from http://journals.naspa.org/jcc/vol11/iss1/7/

Lewis, C.S. (1965). The abolition of man or reflections on education with special reference to the teaching of English in the upper forms of schools. New York: MacMillan Publishing.

Lewis, C.S. (1996). The screwtape letters (Revised ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Lickona, T., & Davidson, M. (2005). Smart & good high schools: Integrating excellence and ethics for success in school, work, and beyond. Cortland, NY: Center for the 4th and 5th Rs (Respect & Responsibility), Washington, D.C.: Character Education Partnership.

Osguthorpe, R.D. (2009). On the possible forms a relationship might take between the moral character of a teacher and the moral development of a student. Teachers College Record, 111(1). Retrieved April 4, 2008, from http://www.tcrecord.org

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M.E.P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Presenter

Michael Johnson
Sr. Instructional Designer
Brigham Young University

http://michaelcjohnson.posterous.com

Michael C. Johnson holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology from Utah State University and a PhD in Instructional Psychology and Technology from Brigham Young University. He previously worked as a middle school Spanish teacher and as an instructional designer in the financial industry creating and delivering training for call center employees. He is currently an instructional designer at BYU’s Center for Teaching and Learning.