Scenario #8: Mr. Scott, principle of Rural High School, is walking through the library and sees a student working on a computer. Looking down, he sees that the student is on a music site that requires a credit card to purchase music. Mr. Scott informs the student that the district's acceptable use policy does not allow buying items online using school computers. Should these actions be allowed in school? Why or why not?
This particular student is not using technology appropriately because the student most likely knows that they should not be on the site that requires them to purchase music. The student was in the library so they were probably on a school computer, which in that case every student knows the rules and regulations when they are on a computer within the school, these policies are mentioned to them multiple times before they use the computers and while they are on them. Even when the students are on the computers they have specific websites that they are able to use, even for music. This could be seen as the main reason that the use of technology was inappropriate.
As we use technology is this type of setting there have to be rules and policies in place so that students are not misusing the technology and are using it in an appropriate in order to enhance their learning. There several rules when it comes to being a good digital citizen, if you click HERE there are a set of 9 rules that can apply to both the home and school setting when using technology. One of the rules mentions how a digital citizen upholds basic human rights in all digital forums, this particular rule mentions that students should not be able to publish freely without "government approval" which in the school setting I do believe is something that should be upheld. Students should only be able to post things online while they are at school that are within school policy and appropriate. A second rule mentions that students should protect all personal information in case of harm. This applies to this particular scenario because the student was seen on a website that needs a credit card to purchase the music, and if the student is entering this type of private information while they are school they could potentially being accessing different websites that require this type of information and this could cause repercussions for the student in a negative way.
There are multiple different ways that technology is being used in the classrooms and schools today and they are being used to help advance one's academic learning. Click HERE to see a list of trends that are happening in classrooms today and how they are helping students learn. I do think that if the student was using an appropriate website that was seen as appropriate by the school, then it would not have been an issue. I think that the main issue was that the student was on a website that they should have been using as home under the supervision of their parents. So the student could have used a different website to listen to music or they could have just been doing their work without the need for music.
Overall I think that this was a good example because it shows that some students are using the technology within the school in an inappropriate way and if this continues it could cause a negative consequence not only for that one student, but for many others as well.
- Amanda :)
Hey Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI think you make some great points about this scenario, it is inappropriate for students to be misusing the technology available to them at school, especially during class time (rather than at recess or on a break). Some of the new trends you posted a link to are interesting to me too, especially device mesh, although this isn't a surprising trend (since everything seems to be connected these days) it seems that it would be an increasingly difficult thing to stop kids from doing during school time, especially with such easy access. Great post!
Lindsay
I like your point about inputting personal information into school computers and how that could potentially lead to harm. I think students forget how easy it is for those who are tech savvy to retrieve personal information about others on public networks like the ones used or schools. Great post overall!
ReplyDeleteScarlet
Hi Amanda, for your scenario i believe the digital issue is school policy. Anything that requires credit card information should not be in a school setting therefore i believe the responsibility is on the student not to be on that site, but also on the school. The schools should have firewalls and things to block students from accessing sites such as this one. Parents send their children to school to learn, and while on the computers parents are not expecting schools to allow their children to purchase things online. The responsibility falls both on the student and the school
ReplyDeleteLove the post Amanda, a lot of good analyses. I was curious if you thought purchasing music (or any product for that matter) at school would be appropriate if it was done on a personal device? I understand that there are many variables, but is there any situation that you think this kind of activity would be appropriate?
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda:
ReplyDeleteI took a bit of a different approach on this scenario. I believe that this example shows how students are using the internet in new ways, and the school should take note of that. The security issue on the internet needs to be a priority, and if students are putting their personal information on the internet, they need to be taught how to do it safely.
Hi Amanda, I agree that this is wrong and a total misuse of technology. I believe that the student is at fault here as the use of the credit card should not be allowed to be used in school computers. The web is very transparent and because of that credit card theft is growing. I believe the school should not allow students to use their computers for credit card purchases for their own protection. The school should properly educate their students on this policy so it would not happen again.
ReplyDelete