We have had a long discussion in class last week, which has marked the subject in my mind. I think I am aware of the situation, however, the so-called convenience drives me away from taking a serious look at the problem.
Marshall (1999) stated that new technologies change our world view, our social interaction patterns and our relationship to one another. I myself benefit from new technologies from the communication aspect to family and friend from home which is 9,000 miles away. With the distance and time difference, letters or phone calls would have been a disaster. Thanks to emails, online chat with webcam and blogging, I have been able to keep my family and friends up to date about what’s happening here in Ames. However, I’m also in a way opening my personal life to whoever is on line, which is the chance I have to take as Marshall (1999) stated technological advances enhance our capabilities as human being, however, technological advances also increase the risk of social conflict if guidelines for appropriate usage are not agreed upon. I’m aware of the risk, however, it’s pro-choice from my side after an evaluation of the pros and cons. I don’t consider my privacy invaded because I have control over the content I post and over who has accessibility to the content to some extent.
However, it’s not always the case. I would like to share my personal experience regarding ISU’s paperless communication policy, which has been discussed in class last week from the ethical and moral perspectives. At first look, I think it’s very friendly and convenient. I get to do all the paperwork on line, wherever I am, without having to worry about sending papers back and forth or delays of the deadline. It is a total benefit from technological advances, to be honest. And in fact paperless is a wonderful concept from the environmental protection aspect. However, convenience is not all I am getting from ISU communication system. I have also been receiving quite a number of commercial emails, which I don’t have a huge problem with since it’s a sharing of mailing list on campus. However, I feel like my privacy was invaded when I started to receive requests for participating in certain surveys targeting specific groups of audience, like international students or female within certain age group, through emails and even phone calls. This is no longer just a mass mailing of emails but in stead, I was under a specific screening of personal information without my consent, which is definitely considered an invasion of privacy by my standard. As a graduate student, I understand the importance and necessity to assist academic research, however, the above mentioned act of the university has brought me up thinking about the issue between ethical responsibility and moral obligation. With technological advances, ISU were able to put everyone on electronic file for easier data management. However, allowing other parties other than the administration office to have access to students’ personal information and screen them for specific purposes certainly invades students right of privacy, which definitely raised the conflict between ethical responsibility and moral obligation for the university as the owner and gatekeeper of the information. Is it a violation to ethical responsibility or moral obligation for the university to share students’ personal information for other than administration purpose? Furthermore, does the same question apply to researchers who approach target audience with the information?
Students provide all information, personal and private, required when enrolled at ISU because they trust that the university will protect their right of privacy. However, the university shares the information with people beyond administration purpose. To begin with, I, as an ISU student, think the university has invaded its responsibility of confidentiality. Even though the university can argue that it’s their responsibility that they share the information to promote and assist academic research, the university would be held responsible for violating their moral obligation to all students, if not ethical responsibility, by sharing students’ personal information without students’ consents. From the academic perspective, that’s what other universities have been doing and it is true that no law was broken and it is still within the ethical range. However, I have to say that the moral obligation from the university should come into play to protect students’ right of privacy.
From the researchers’ perspective, it depends on how they get the information and how far they take the information in order to achieve their research goals. If they follow ISU’s instructions of application completely and get the information, I think it is well within their ethical responsibility. However, making phone calls to urge the students to participate in surveys is taking it too far, which is considered a violation of the moral obligation.
In sum, there does exist a conflict between ethical responsibility and moral obligation when it comes to what and how the university share students’ personal information and how the researchers use the information for academic research purpose. I think the same concern can be applied to different situations where there can be a conflict between ethical responsibility and moral obligation existed due to technological advances. Credit card companies use card holders’ consumptions for specific marketing purposes? The websites take customers’ viewing and purchasing habits to make purchase suggestions? The company agrees to provide employee’s email correspondences as evidence for a divorce litigation?
Ogbrun (1966) coined the term “cultural gap” to capture a phenomenon occurring that material culture advances more rapidly than non-material culture, where technology is viewed as the former and ethical guidelines to technology utilization the latter. It is a critical ethical issue because failure to develop broad social consensus on appropriate applications of modern technology and guidelines to technological utilization may lead to breakdowns in social solidarity and the rise of social conflict (Marshall 1999).
Marshall, K. P. (1999). Has Technology Introduced New Ethical Problems? Journal of Business Ethics, 19, pp81-90.
Ogburn, W.F. (1966). Social Change with Regard to Cultural and Original Nature, ed. (New York).
Monday, November 17, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Blogger Note
Mixing and matching theories of education and learning theories of instructional technology is not an easy job because there is no clear cut. The principles of each theory are somehow interrelated to some extent. Therefore, learning theories of instructional technology are used as the base for comparison with theories of education in this note.
Systems theory, paralleled with Bartalanffy (1968), is the study of organization and structure of the entire organisms, in other words, studying the wholes and wholeness. The principle of the theory emphasizes that components of events should be identified and their impact should be measured and attempts to clearly state a procedure for describing how real world events interacted. Going from systems approach, principles are translated into teaching where instruction should be prescriptive rather than explanatory, which complies with it complied with principles in Perennialism and Essentialism theories where disciplines and orders are stressed because knowledge is transferred best through systematic and disciplined instructions. Systems approach instruction also focuses on natural order and nationality of world, which conforms the fact that subjects develop students’ rationality in Perennialism theory. System approach believes that technique should be used by education technologist, which lines up with the concept in Reconstructionism theory that technology should be used to facilitate social changes and education needed to reduce gaps in technological advancements and values.
Communications theory, adapted from systems theory, attempts to explain communication, the process of message delivery and emphasizes that components influence communication, in which the Shannon-Weaver model of communication comes in place. The linear model clearly explains the process, where teaching and learning occur in the sender-receiver framework using communication media to create interaction and feedback and communication can only occur in the area of overlap between sender’s and receiver’s experiences, which complies with the principle in Progressivism theory that direct experience is the best way for learning. During the communication process, the sender (teacher) is the one who initiates the communication where the receiver (student) must decode the message into idea through sensory and technological channels, which creates the interaction/feedback between the two entities that permits control over process and chance to correct the message. The teacher role here matches the teacher role in Essentialism theory where teachers are held accountable for education, however, the student role is no longer a pure receiver, which matches the description in the Progressivism theory that instructions should focus on students as learners rather than the content.
Behaviorism is a study about how instructional activity changes students’ behaviors in obvious and measurable ways based on clearly stated objectives. In other words, learning is the acquisition of new behaviors through conditioning. There are two types of conditioning, the classical conditioning (Pavlov) where the behavior becomes a reflex response to stimulus and the operant conditioning (Skinner) where there is reinforcement of the behavior by a reward or a punishment, of which the former increases the likelihood of the behavior recurring while the latter decreases the likelihood of the behavior recurring. The objective of instructions is to generate observable and quantifiable learners actions and hope they achieve mastery learning, which matches Essentialism theory principle that the purpose of instructions should be achieved through regular assignments and testing.
Constructivism, rooted in cognitive theory, views learning as a process in which the learners actively construct and build new ideas and concepts based on current and past knowledge. In other words, learning involved constructing one’s own knowledge from one’s background experiences. Students are also encouraged to explore freely within a given framework taking control in an active and engaged role where teachers acts as facilitators providing authentic environment with authentic assessment. The concept of teacher-student roles is totally the opposite to it is in Perennialism and Essentialism where teachers are held accountable to learning and students were viewed as passive role taking orders. However, it conforms the principle in Progressivism that children should be the focus in the learning process and teachers should play the role to guide the learning. Moreover, the principle that instructions should promote student’s free exploration and let learners build their new ideas and concepts matches the fact curriculum should correspond with students’ interests to stimulate new ideas and inspirations. Furthermore, the idea of brining in real life to instructions in Constructivism theory complies with the fact that cooperation between school and home is encouraged in Progressivism theory
Onto the subject about instructional technologies that fit each theory of education, please see Table 1 for summary. For Perennialism theory, school is the place to cultivate human intellect and a good education involves understanding truth, which is found in great works of civilization. Therefore, books of western civilization should be the main use for the curriculum. As to Essentialism theory, Essentialists believe that there is a common core of knowledge to be transmitted to students in a systematic way, of which school should teach intellectual and moral standards, however, curriculum also focuses on academic subjects as well as on basic skills, arts and science to prepare students to function as members of a civilized society. Therefore, books can be used for instructions. Moreover, visual aids, such as videos, dvds, or even field trips should come into picture to cultivate students’ minds in arts and science. Choices for instructional technologies become interesting and versatile in Progressivism theory because Progressivists believe education should focus on students as learners who should be free to develop naturally and whose interests should be the core of the curriculum. That is to say, students will learn by direct experiences. Therefore, all kinds of tools should be included for instruction, books, hands-on task-based assignments, interactive videos, computers, on line games such as Second Life, where students learn through direct experiences and teachers are playing the guiding role in the learning process. In Reconstructionism theory, education focuses on a curriculum that highlights social reforms where students are prepared for creating a new social order so that global catastrophe can be avoided. In order for students to survive in the new society, education should aim for students to be in controlling of their own destiny with the help of technology. There are various instructional technologies that fit the objectives, computer, internet, online strategic games and second life where students will be able to have a close examination on current social issues and develop internationalism by making connections to people from around the world. What really facilitates the new social changes is the virtual reality technology where new changes can be simulated and experienced, which will definitely prepare students to survive in the new society.
Table 1 Instructional technologies fit the theory
Perennialism Books
Essentialism Books, field trips, visual aids(video, dvds)
Progressivism Books, hands-on task-based assignments, interactive videos, computer,
online games, second life
Reconstructionism Computers, internet, online game, second life, virtual reality technology
Systems theory, paralleled with Bartalanffy (1968), is the study of organization and structure of the entire organisms, in other words, studying the wholes and wholeness. The principle of the theory emphasizes that components of events should be identified and their impact should be measured and attempts to clearly state a procedure for describing how real world events interacted. Going from systems approach, principles are translated into teaching where instruction should be prescriptive rather than explanatory, which complies with it complied with principles in Perennialism and Essentialism theories where disciplines and orders are stressed because knowledge is transferred best through systematic and disciplined instructions. Systems approach instruction also focuses on natural order and nationality of world, which conforms the fact that subjects develop students’ rationality in Perennialism theory. System approach believes that technique should be used by education technologist, which lines up with the concept in Reconstructionism theory that technology should be used to facilitate social changes and education needed to reduce gaps in technological advancements and values.
Communications theory, adapted from systems theory, attempts to explain communication, the process of message delivery and emphasizes that components influence communication, in which the Shannon-Weaver model of communication comes in place. The linear model clearly explains the process, where teaching and learning occur in the sender-receiver framework using communication media to create interaction and feedback and communication can only occur in the area of overlap between sender’s and receiver’s experiences, which complies with the principle in Progressivism theory that direct experience is the best way for learning. During the communication process, the sender (teacher) is the one who initiates the communication where the receiver (student) must decode the message into idea through sensory and technological channels, which creates the interaction/feedback between the two entities that permits control over process and chance to correct the message. The teacher role here matches the teacher role in Essentialism theory where teachers are held accountable for education, however, the student role is no longer a pure receiver, which matches the description in the Progressivism theory that instructions should focus on students as learners rather than the content.
Behaviorism is a study about how instructional activity changes students’ behaviors in obvious and measurable ways based on clearly stated objectives. In other words, learning is the acquisition of new behaviors through conditioning. There are two types of conditioning, the classical conditioning (Pavlov) where the behavior becomes a reflex response to stimulus and the operant conditioning (Skinner) where there is reinforcement of the behavior by a reward or a punishment, of which the former increases the likelihood of the behavior recurring while the latter decreases the likelihood of the behavior recurring. The objective of instructions is to generate observable and quantifiable learners actions and hope they achieve mastery learning, which matches Essentialism theory principle that the purpose of instructions should be achieved through regular assignments and testing.
Constructivism, rooted in cognitive theory, views learning as a process in which the learners actively construct and build new ideas and concepts based on current and past knowledge. In other words, learning involved constructing one’s own knowledge from one’s background experiences. Students are also encouraged to explore freely within a given framework taking control in an active and engaged role where teachers acts as facilitators providing authentic environment with authentic assessment. The concept of teacher-student roles is totally the opposite to it is in Perennialism and Essentialism where teachers are held accountable to learning and students were viewed as passive role taking orders. However, it conforms the principle in Progressivism that children should be the focus in the learning process and teachers should play the role to guide the learning. Moreover, the principle that instructions should promote student’s free exploration and let learners build their new ideas and concepts matches the fact curriculum should correspond with students’ interests to stimulate new ideas and inspirations. Furthermore, the idea of brining in real life to instructions in Constructivism theory complies with the fact that cooperation between school and home is encouraged in Progressivism theory
Onto the subject about instructional technologies that fit each theory of education, please see Table 1 for summary. For Perennialism theory, school is the place to cultivate human intellect and a good education involves understanding truth, which is found in great works of civilization. Therefore, books of western civilization should be the main use for the curriculum. As to Essentialism theory, Essentialists believe that there is a common core of knowledge to be transmitted to students in a systematic way, of which school should teach intellectual and moral standards, however, curriculum also focuses on academic subjects as well as on basic skills, arts and science to prepare students to function as members of a civilized society. Therefore, books can be used for instructions. Moreover, visual aids, such as videos, dvds, or even field trips should come into picture to cultivate students’ minds in arts and science. Choices for instructional technologies become interesting and versatile in Progressivism theory because Progressivists believe education should focus on students as learners who should be free to develop naturally and whose interests should be the core of the curriculum. That is to say, students will learn by direct experiences. Therefore, all kinds of tools should be included for instruction, books, hands-on task-based assignments, interactive videos, computers, on line games such as Second Life, where students learn through direct experiences and teachers are playing the guiding role in the learning process. In Reconstructionism theory, education focuses on a curriculum that highlights social reforms where students are prepared for creating a new social order so that global catastrophe can be avoided. In order for students to survive in the new society, education should aim for students to be in controlling of their own destiny with the help of technology. There are various instructional technologies that fit the objectives, computer, internet, online strategic games and second life where students will be able to have a close examination on current social issues and develop internationalism by making connections to people from around the world. What really facilitates the new social changes is the virtual reality technology where new changes can be simulated and experienced, which will definitely prepare students to survive in the new society.
Table 1 Instructional technologies fit the theory
Perennialism Books
Essentialism Books, field trips, visual aids(video, dvds)
Progressivism Books, hands-on task-based assignments, interactive videos, computer,
online games, second life
Reconstructionism Computers, internet, online game, second life, virtual reality technology
Monday, September 8, 2008
Shu Ju vs Diana
It's one funny story.
My Chinese name is Shu Ju, but right now I go by Diana.
It all started the first day in the English class when I was given the name. I still remember it vivdly when my teacher explained to me the importance of the name. That was the year when the name made it to the British Royal family and became world famous. It's normal that a person goes by an English name when they started studying English and carry that into work, especially if working in a foreign company. All my friends, classmates and colleagues know me as Diana and I have been fine with it for quite a long time until I went to UT Austin for my graduate study. It was my first experience living in a western country and somehow I felt it important to insist on my heritage, like going by my Chinese name. As you know, I had gone through a painful process teaching people to say my name correct. Neither is it fun explaining the five different tones for each character not is trying to pronounce the raising tones for both characters that my name is composed of. However, no one was too frustrated to give up. Therefore, my new identify in US has been established and Shu Ju is recognized in the two years I spent in Austin.
An interesting incident happened when I went back home after I finished my study. It is in fact very much a paradox. One day a friend from Austin called me at home trying to confirm my office phone number. He said he couldn't get through to me when he tried the number and was told that there was not such a person. I confirmed that he had the correct number and wasn't sure why he couldn't get through to me? Wondering for a few seconds and then it hit. I knew what happened and had a good laugh. My friend called the office asking for Shu Ju with his funny pronunciation and tone where I was recognized as Diana. That's the main reason why he didn't get through. Imagine this, my English speaking friends go by my Chinese name while friends, family and colleagues, mostly speaking Chinese, go by my English name. That is one funny situation, isn't it? In order for this not to happen again, one critical decision was made and two worlds synchronized into one. No more discrepancy and life becomes easy. The answer is simple, Diana it is!
My Chinese name is Shu Ju, but right now I go by Diana.
It all started the first day in the English class when I was given the name. I still remember it vivdly when my teacher explained to me the importance of the name. That was the year when the name made it to the British Royal family and became world famous. It's normal that a person goes by an English name when they started studying English and carry that into work, especially if working in a foreign company. All my friends, classmates and colleagues know me as Diana and I have been fine with it for quite a long time until I went to UT Austin for my graduate study. It was my first experience living in a western country and somehow I felt it important to insist on my heritage, like going by my Chinese name. As you know, I had gone through a painful process teaching people to say my name correct. Neither is it fun explaining the five different tones for each character not is trying to pronounce the raising tones for both characters that my name is composed of. However, no one was too frustrated to give up. Therefore, my new identify in US has been established and Shu Ju is recognized in the two years I spent in Austin.
An interesting incident happened when I went back home after I finished my study. It is in fact very much a paradox. One day a friend from Austin called me at home trying to confirm my office phone number. He said he couldn't get through to me when he tried the number and was told that there was not such a person. I confirmed that he had the correct number and wasn't sure why he couldn't get through to me? Wondering for a few seconds and then it hit. I knew what happened and had a good laugh. My friend called the office asking for Shu Ju with his funny pronunciation and tone where I was recognized as Diana. That's the main reason why he didn't get through. Imagine this, my English speaking friends go by my Chinese name while friends, family and colleagues, mostly speaking Chinese, go by my English name. That is one funny situation, isn't it? In order for this not to happen again, one critical decision was made and two worlds synchronized into one. No more discrepancy and life becomes easy. The answer is simple, Diana it is!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
