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Schools teach ‘cyber ethics’

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Bill Ryan⁄The Gazette Middletown High School freshmen (from left) Danielle Smith, Kathryn Papuchis and Susan Summers work on a project Monday in the school’s media center. The rise of computer use in schools has led to new policies on ethical behavior.

Better known as ‘‘cyber ethics,” the issue has driven debate due to greater access to the Internet and the wealth of information available to users. That wealth, however, comes with the responsibility of acting appropriately and avoiding online behavior such as ignoring copyright laws or illegally downloading music or games.

On Tuesday, Jenny Blank of the Business Software Alliance spoke at Hood College about the importance of teaching cyber ethics. The alliance works to promote a safe and legal digital world and provides programs to promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce.

Blank said a recent poll by her organization shows that illegal downloading of music, games, software and other materials are down 17 percent from two years ago among youth. While noting concern of getting in trouble with parents and the law, the majority of the 1,644 youths polled cited downloading a virus or ‘‘spyware” as the top worries.

‘‘The bottom line is that we are going in the right direction,” said Blank, the alliance’s director of enforcement. ‘‘But, we are seeing that ‘good behavior’ online declines as the child gets older.

Better ‘digital citizens’

While the alliance works to educate students on the proper use of computers, these lessons are also being stressed under No Child Left Behind legislation.

Cyber ethics links www.playitcybersafe.com — For kids, parents and teachers. www.cybertreehouse.com —For younger children. www.definetheline.com — For high school and college students.

Under the federal mandate, districts must work to make students more technologically literate by eighth grade. Like other counties across the state, Frederick County is in the process of developing technology literacy standards for students and revamping library media curricula.

‘‘Technology will never stand still ...so students, upon graduation, will be in constant contact with technology,” said Jona French, supervisor of media services and instructional technology for county schools.

All secondary students sign a document each school year explaining the appropriate use of computers, which is reinforced in a lesson by media specialists or technology coordinators.

At Middletown High School, media specialist Mary Jo Richmond said students sign forms about ethical use of computers. ‘‘... It is easy for them to just sign and not read,” Richmond said.

Students doing research for an English paper in the school’s library on Monday agreed. Freshman Kathryn Papuchis, 14, said getting the same form each year, students just sign it and pass it in. The verbal lesson each year, beginning in elementary school, she said, has left an impression.

Classmate Susan Summers said students know there will be punishment if they do something wrong online. ‘‘It’s a big deal,” Susan said. ‘‘If you take music or something else, you take away from an author or musician ...who worked hard to make it and you just got it for free.”

Teachers learning, too

In Frederick County, the public school system also regulates the appropriate use of technology for staff. French said guidelines for staff are clear — computers are to be used for ‘‘appropriate academic, research and employment-related activities.”

The regulations also make clear that staff members are to abide by copyright laws, whether online or published. Media specialists at each school review regulations each year.

‘‘The problem is that there is a gray area with technology,” French said. ‘‘It changes so frequently, that it is hard to keep guidelines current ...so we are trying to update copyright regulations through rewrites.”