Ethics in Social Media and Technology
For my social issue on politics and pedagogy, I have decided to do the social issue of ethics in social media and technology within early childhood settings. The reason why I believe that this is a social issue is because technology and social media can affect any one in the community. Jobs can be affected as employers can obtain information on current or prospective employees, communication with parents may be altered due to social media, and ethical considerations may be compromised due to the nature of sharing information.
Ethics, as defined by Dictionary.com (n.d.), is "that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions"(para. 1).
Technology has been around for many years and can even pre date back to when cave men created fire with rocks. As technology has evolved, a common form of technology is information technology. Computers were created in Britain in the 1940s and were the size of a whole room filled with cords. ("Computers", 2012).Computers in early childhood settings can be beneficial as they allow children to have access to the world and will encourage them to become functional learners in society.
Although Hauglan (2000), does not "recommend that children under 3 years old use computers" as "computers simply do not match their learning style. Children
younger than 3 learn through their bodies: their eyes, ears, mouths, hands, and legs" (p.2.).
Technology is constantly changing and, by giving children the access and knowledge to use it will help to prepare them for further life experiences. Ethical considerations must be taken into account when children are working with computers. The saftey in regards to children looking online is a huge issue as there are people who take advantage of the situatuation.The problem of children accidentally stumbling upon information that is not suitable for the classroom should also be monitored as this can pose a huge ethical debate on what the teachers are teaching the children.
References:
Computer. (2012). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:53, February 28, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer&oldid=550716570
Ethics | Define Ethics at Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Dictionary.com - Free Online English Dictionary. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethics
Hauglan, S. (2000) ED438926 2000-03-00 Computers and young children. ERIC Digest. Retrived from: http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED438926.pdf
