Ethical+Issues

=__Issues in Sustaining the Vision__=

By Bryce Hartranft

The following are some topics which will require thought and discussion as education moves forwards because they will affect how and why things are done in the future. In actuality, the list of controversial issues facing education in the future would very long, but for the sake of time, this discussion will be limited to three topics.

Technological Dependence
While technology may be very helpful, often times with new technologies, people assume that they will be better than what came before. Hertz states, however, that it is "... important to remember that sometimes just because we have access to new technologies does not mean that older technologies won't suffice" (2011). She makes the case that sometimes simple pencil and paper are just as good, if not better, than the newest tablet or smart phone. Beyond just the issue of cost, educators must also consider learning curve involved with the technology as well as if it will actually improve the lesson, or just be a novelty and distraction.

Social media is another issue involving technology that will take deep thought to figure out how it should be used best. Should teachers be allowed to be friends with their students on Facebook or MySpace? On one hand it might help with making connections in the community, but at the same time, there is a possibility that the necessary teacher-student relationship may become muddled. How should teachers and school deal with bullying on social media websites? While online bullying has led to some students committing suicide, does a school have the jurisdiction to punish students for something they do while they are not even in school?

Another development in technology that must be considered when using technology in schools is the eventual rise of web 3.0 - the personalization of the web. While it is nice that websites like Google or Amazon track what users search for and offer pertinent suggestions, this proses an ethical dilemma because these companies are, in the end, motivated by profit. If websites are in charge of what search results appear for different users, it is entirely possible that different users could have different results for the same search and that manipulative companies could only show the results that benefit them or their business partners. Below is a video on the issue of "filter bubbles":

media type="youtube" key="B8ofWFx525s" height="315" width="560" align="center" It is vital for educators to examine their dependence on technology and ensure that, in the future, it is bettering the learning experience rather than harming it.

Classification Practices
A popular movement within education today is Response to Intervention (RTI). The National Center on RTI says that RTI "includes a combination of high quality, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction" that will "contribute to more meaningful identification of learning and behavioral problems, improve instructional quality, provide all students with the best opportunities to succeed in school, and assist with the identification of learning disabilities and other disabilities" (2011). Boiling down all that grandiose language, RTI is picking out the students that need more help and giving to them. The ethical issue within this idea is that it resembles tracking in many respects.

The fact is that it is nearly impossible for instructors to know who needs help unless they are tracking student progress and grades. A teacher cannot conclusively know which students fully understand a concept unless some sort of data, such as formative assessment, is recorded and tracked. For example, if an entire class of geometry students grasps the concept of special right triangles in one lesson, but one student does not, is there something wrong with noting that fact and making arrangements for the student to receive extra help? The educational community needs to come to a consensus on tracking student progress - when it is acceptable, when it is not acceptable and how or when it can be used to best help students. Without this agreement, educators will not have a firm vision of how ideas like RTI can help sustain a 2025 class room.

Math/Science Focused Education
As our world becomes increasingly more complex, it is necessary to educate people to take care of our growing technological infrastructure and innovate for the future. President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind and more recently Obama's partnership with private businesses have both placed an emphasis upon math and science education. Obama even said "The hard truth is that for decades we have been losing ground...we all believe that we can't allow division and indifference to imperil our position in the world" (Shear, 2009).

While it is true that America will need more scientists and mathematicians in the future, it is also true that those are not the only necessary professions to run a society. Obama, a politician, should understand more than anyone else the importance of a strong social science background including the role of civic obligation. Cathy Roller, director of research and policy with the International Reading Association says "...social studies are a major player in that arena and are integral to teaching a sense of civic duty and how all of the important things about a democratic society work" (as cited in Zamosky, 2008). Just focusing on math and science does not teach students the basics of how American functions, where the nation has come from and how to be creative in a non-analytical way. The arts are just as important to the future of America as are engineering and chemistry. The founding fathers themselves were polyglots, endeavoring in science, architecture, writing and statecraft all at the same time. These are the type of people that America needs: those that can be good at whatever they set their mind to, learners.

Therefore, rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater and focusing on math and science to the exclusion of the arts and social sciences, American education should devise ways to incorporate all these topics in a rigorous curriculum that encourages students to explore all the creative paths of life.

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