Contents:

 Computer Use

Copyright & Fair Use

Internet/Intranet/e-mail

Privacy

Professional Development

Social Consequences
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Computer Ethics for Educators
 
Computer Use
It is expected that educators, while performing professional duties, shall behave responsibly, ethically, and politely even in the absence of reminders or enforcement. 
1.1  Educators shall respect the intellectual property rights of others.
Rationale:

Educators shall assume all software is copyrighted.  People who use software that is protected by U.S. copyright laws bear the responsibility to protect this software from being copied.


1.2  Educators shall use resources only for the purpose for which they were assigned.

Rationale:

It is the responsibility of the educator to safeguard their resources such as computer login names, data switch addresses, telephone numbers, network addresses, passwords, accounting data, systems programs, and other data required for access to computing and communications services, and to use them for the specific purpose for which they were allocated.


1.3  Educators shall treat resources assigned to them as property of the school. 

Rationale:

Educators shall take care to protect the integrity of the passwords, login names, files, programs, network addresses, and telephone numbers assigned to them for academic work.  Most computer security intrusions are due to the lack of proper security for these.

These resources are NOT the private property of the educator, nor are they transferable.  However, educators should treat resources assigned to other users as private property.  Do not attempt to discover another user's passwords.

Information that educators have not been invited to use is not theirs to access. 


1.4  Educators shall understand that electronic communications such as e-mail are not private property. 

Rationale:

Since they are delivered on computer facilities owned by the school, they are school property.  System administrators may view it in order to track a problem. 


1.5  Educators shall respect the computing needs of others. 

Rationale:

Educators will not monopolize computer resources and thereby deny other users.  This could include, but is not limited to using more than one terminal or workstation or using them for personal use while others are waiting. 
Printing personal pictures, banners, or posters on school printers is likewise inappropriate.

Educators should avoid intentionally sabotaging the network with invasive software such as viruses, worms, Trojan horses, etc.  Users must also take care not to use infected disks or infected files on the network.  Practice safe computing!

Educators should not load software on network directories unless explicitly permitted.

Educators should not tamper with any terminal, microcomputer, printer, or other computer equipment. 

Computing and communications utilities are not toys to be used to harass other users.  Do not use these facilities to send abusive remarks (even in jest), to degrade others, to make threatening or obscene remarks, or to generate derogatory, obscene, or vulgar output.

Computing resources are valuable resources and no user has the right to deny or degrade any service or interfere in any way with another valid user.


References:
van Swaay, Guiding Principles, Jan. 15, 1997
http://www.cis.ksu.edu/Department/ethics.html

Cross, Ethical Issues in Technology for Educators, Oct, 30, 1999
http://www.uakron.edu/edtech/tsld001.htm

 
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