Learning Research: Ethics and Technology

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has affected - in both good ways and bad ways - community life, family life, human relationships, education, careers, freedom, and democracy." (Terrell, 2011)

Ethics and Technology History:
Norbert Weiner - 1954 theory and book, Cybernetics- the structure of the machine or of the organism is an index of the performance that may be expected from it.
Walter Maner - 1970s, Computers generate wholly new ethical problems such as "privacy, computer crime, computer decisions, technological dependence and professional codes of ethics" (Terrell, 2011)
Deborah Johnson - 1985 book, Computer Ethics , computers pose new versions of standard moral problems, but force us to apply existing morals in new realms.This book set the tone for issues such as software ownership, intellectual property, fair distribution, and hacking.
James Moor - 1985 paper, "What is Computer Ethics?" - CE should provide a conceptual framework for a set of policies to guide our actions.

"Since 1985, computer ethics developments have proliferated exponentially with new conferences, (...), new organizations, new journals, textbooks, web conferences, university courses, university degree program, and distinguished professorships" (Terrell, 2011)

Ethics and Technology today:
Computers in the Workplace - Replacing human employment, or turning human workers into passive employees relying on technology, health and safety concerns
Computer Crime - Confidentiality, Data Integrity, Access Control, Security, Hackers
Privacy and Anonymity - Control over personal information, Use of anonymity for undesirable actions.
Intellectual Property - Ownership, Copyright, Patents, Open source movements
Professional Repsonsibility - Adhering to established codes of the industry and workplace.
Globalization - Developing global standards of conduct, Navigating regional laws, Conducting global businesses online, global education, Digital Divide.

Reference:
Bynum, Terrell, "Computer and Information Ethics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.). Retrieved from: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-computer/

Image Credit: http://thetechnologicalcitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/technology-and-human-communication3.jpg

Learning Development: Accessibility

An important aspect of developing learning materials for distance education and training is building accessibility and assitive technology (AT) compatibility into content/ tools. For example, creating web forms that are accessible to people with disabilities requires understanding of the labeling features of HTML markup and how browsers interpret labeling markup for assistive technologies like screen readers. I would like to share with you some of the programming/ tools/ technologies available to fulfill accessibility requirements and needs.

AMP-Accessible Media Producer companies or agencies that create fully-accessible specialized, student-ready formats, such as braille, large print, audio, or digital book
ATAG -Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines
UAAG - User Agent Accessibility Guidelines
W3C- World Wide Web Consortium - an international community where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards.
WCAG - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
WAI-ARIA - Web Accessibility Initiative-Accessible Rich Internet Application

UIC offers a Web Accessibility Checklist to check your website for IITAA - Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act - compliance. George Williams and The Chronicle of Higher education have this post on Creating Accessible Documents using many popular software programs. Another excellent resource is the WAI - Web Accesssibility Initiative develops strategies, guidelines, and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities.

Image Credit: http://www.mentalite.net/mnt/accessibility.jpg