What are the legal considerations of which a teacher must be aware when implementing technologies in the classroom? Explain each consideration and the step(s) you should take in your own classroom to ensure you do not violate the law. When implementing technology in the classroom, instructors must consider acceptable use, ADA compliance, student privacy, copyright law, and software piracy. Acceptable use refers to the use of technology in a manner that protects students from inappropriate information and dangerous situations. Most school districts have an acceptable use policy (AUP) that describes what students may and may not do when using school equipment. Instructors need to review the AUP so they can share the computer code of ethics with their students. Since I teach at a university, and do not teach minors, the code of ethics is the only aspect of acceptable use that applies to me. Also, they use personal laptops which I have no control over. It is still important for me to go over the computer code of ethics, so my students know what information on the internet is appropriate for use in class projects. I train students to be a medical professional, so included in that code of ethics should be a section on how to behave professionally on social sites. If I taught minors, I would have filtering software on the computers, which would prevent my students from accessing unacceptable sites. This software would also let me know who tried to access those sites. Parental control options built into computers is also a good way to prevent students from accessing unacceptable sites. Again, I do not teach minors and my students use their own computers, so parental control options and filtering software would not be used in my class. Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has become important in education, including the use of technology in the classroom. Section 508 of the ADA covers electronic and instructional technology used in the classroom. The ADA makes sure information is presented in a way that is acceptable to all, including those who are hearing impaired, visually impaired, or have any other disability that prevents them from using technology in its normal format. I include a statement in my syllabus that refers to the ADA, and instructs students with any disability that may require alterations in my presentation methods to go to the Office for Disabilities Accommodations (ODA) so I know how to help. I always make sure to state the first day of class to go to the ODA if you have any problems; I can’t help unless you let me know what you need help with and how. Medical laboratory scientists have essential skills that we list in our policy manual, so I do not have to worry about ADA compliance too often. However, I do try to present information a variety of ways. Student privacy is also a huge concern. I do not deal with minors, but I still have to worry about student privacy. Our department has our students sign a form that gives us permission to take photos of them and use those photos on our website and social media pages. I do not have to worry about parent/guardian permission to share in formation. The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act prevents me from sharing student information without the students consent. I cannot release academic information to parents without the students consent. I can only discuss information with the student or fellow instructors in my department. It is not acceptable to talk about students via social media, or with anyone outside of the institution I work for. With all the information available on the internet, copyright law needs to be taken into consideration. When using information from the internet, even if there is no obvious copyright information, it is best to assume that it can’t be used without permission from the creator unless it is clearly stated that it can. It is illegal to claim someone else’s work as yours, or to use someone else’s work for profit. The fair use component of the copyright law does allow temporary use of copyrighted material if it is for non-commercial educational purposes, it is a portion of a published work and a small portion is used, and it is not used for profit. I site all photos, images, and information that I can and state that it is not my own creation if I do not have the source. I make sure students cite all images obtained from the internet. Finally, software piracy, which is copying software for use on multiple computers, should be considered. This does not apply to me. Our department does not have computers for student use, only for each instructor to use. We all teach different subjects, so we have no need to copy software, nor should we. As instructors, we need to make sure we should be aware of all the legal considerations and make sure we comply with all that apply to us. As instructors, our job is to prepare our students for the world. With this in mind, I think we should also teach them about those legal considerations and teach them the importance of following them. Technology continues to evolve, becoming more personally responsive, more collaborative, and more individualized in addressing the needs of the learner. This approach of teaching and learning – whether using personal learning environments, MOOCs, or digital badges – will change how teachers use technology to ensure instruction that addresses the unique needs of the learner. How do you think the personalized learning will alter the way you implement technology-centered personalized learning in your classroom? Give at least three examples. I am a big fan of students collaborating with one another in the learning environment. One can learn a lot from discussing ideas and reviewing information with their peers. I think electronic paper holds many uses in for learning in my classroom. Students can take notes and easily share those notes with their peers, and may be much cheaper than current e-readers. Many textbooks are now in electronic formats, and an inexpensive tool to present the material is needed for college students. Massive open online courses also appeal to me. They are a great way to collaborate and share ideas with medical laboratory science (MLS) students around the world. Not only can they interact and learn from their peers locally, but can learn about how labs are run in other areas of the world. Using a MOOC would teach the importance of staying in touch with MLS peers and how much we can learn from the diversity of the world. Finally, I would love to get my hands on a 3D printer. Many students today are hands on learners. A 3D printer could be used to print out a model of a platelet and all its receptors. I could use the printer to teach collaboration by having my students work on the design together. There are so many new and emerging technologies out there that the learning possibilities are endless. I look forward to where these technologies where take me in the future. This weeks projects included thinglink, which creates interactive images. Thinglink is a great learning tool for hands on and visual learners. I think it would be a great idea to have my students create their own. Below you will find the link to my thinglink. I also had to create a scoop.it page. This is a great tool for sharing resources. Essentially, it is a tool for creating an online magazine or news letter. I think it is great for helping students find accurate and pertinent information, There is so much out there it can be hard to find the good. You may find my Scoop.it link below.
2 Comments
Demetric DyAnn Williams
7/25/2016 07:10:40 am
Hi Anna:
Reply
Mary
7/26/2016 12:51:39 pm
You made many good points in your post this week. Your post made me think about USM's AUP. Which I am sure I have agreed to abide by at some point, but I might want to know what it does and does not allow us to do work computers! On copyright, I like that Powerpoint and the Weebly site give its users access to open-use pictures. I think that is where I might infringe on copyright the most and this gives me tools so that I will not.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorAnna K. Swann, M.S., MLS (ASCP)CM Blog Roll
Xavier Agee
Marsha Belton Alexandra Bosarge Anthony Eya David Galvin Chantanna Gholar Ginger Keen Andrew Lamier Mingyu Li Callie Martin Adrienne McPhaul Tammy Oatis Mary Warden Demetric Williams Jerid Woods ArchivesCategoriesCopyright © 2016 Anna Swann. Last updated March 17, 2017. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Anna Swann is prohibited
|