The social issues pressing todays schools with the issues of technology

are vast. The individual social issues concerning relationships and

communicating are a small factor when the topic of the digital divide is taken
into consideration. Many will agree that technology is a large part of the
society we live in today and it is important to train our children of the many
uses it provides. The trick it to make sure all students are able to use
technology in the classroom and not just those in well-funded areas (OHara,
Pritchard 2014). There is also the issue of some children being able to use
computers at home and others that do not have access or maybe only have
access to the public libraries limited number (Ecrop Digital Literacy). The
Federal Government is working hard to ensure all public schools are
equipped with high speed internet and the equipment and wiring is in place
that is needed to sustain the programs. Technology is moving at such a fast
pace and ever changing I feel it will be hard for school systems to stay up to
date and provide access for all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Legal issues are another big concern for educators and administrators
because of the many different copyright and piracy laws. Students are not
allowed to share copyright materials on the school districts internet system
(State University). Many schools have students sign a technology use
agreement to ensure parents and students are aware of how to properly use
the internet. Schools must also be aware of software piracy. The purchase
of a program is intended to be downloaded to one computer and if the
district wants to download it to multiple computers a site license must be
purchased (Yuen, 2007). School leaders need to be mindful of these
emerging legal conditions and understand the importance of professional
development training for educators on technology and the law.(Quinn,
2013).
The implementation of technology in the school systems and homes
has allowed students to have more access to information and each other.
Often this is a positive and education experience but what happens when
ethical lines are crossed. The University of Delaware believes it is just as
important to teach compute ethics as it is to teach drivers Ed. (Mendeles,
2000). Kids and adults alike will type content on the computer they would
not necessarily say to a person face-to-face. In a virtual world behaviors my
not be as easily judged right and wrong (Johnson, 1 999 pg.2) Students
need to be taught how to behave in the cyber world because they often
disconnect it from reality. Cyberbullying has become a large issue in todays
schools and is hard to control. Once a message or image has been sent out
it is very hard to remove it (Cyberbullying.gov). Educators and parents alike
need to talk to students about the importance of using technology in an
ethical manner.
A phenomenon that is being used in some classroom today is called
flipping the classroom. This is a new approach to teaching where the lecture
is delivered online outside the classroom. Teaching the lessons online gives
the teacher more time to spend with those who need extra help and is able
to provide assistance with the homework that is now done in the classroom.
Knewton.com showed English and Math scores rose with the flipped
classroom and the discipline rates dropped. Flipping the classroom seems to
be a continuation of the technology era but despite its success there are
some elements that need consideration. Some students may not have
access to computers outside of school. This problem was mentioned earlier
when discussing social issues. The teachers also need to proper training and
the districts need the proper methods to deliver technology, without these
foundations the flipped model would likely fail (Center for Teaching and
Learning).

Bibliography
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What is the Flipped Classroom? Center for Teaching and Learning.
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Online Ethics Should Begin in Classroom, Educators Say. Pamela Mendeles. New York
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Teaching Students right from wrong in the digital age. Doug Johnson. 1999.
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Social, Legal, and Ethical issues. Ecrop Digital Literacy. June 22, 2014.
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Legal Issues in Educational Technology: Implications for School Leaders.
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Cyberbullying. Stop bullying.gov.
http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/ June 22, 2014
Software Piracy in schools. Steve Yuen. Learning Technologies. November
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Technology in Education. State University.
http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2495/Technology-in-Education-
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What is the Digital Divide's Impact on Learning? Susan OHara, Robert
Pritchard Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall. Updated on May 5, 2014.
http://www.education.com/reference/article/what-digital-divides-
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