Integrating technology in learning design offers immense potential to empower learners and enhance their experiences. However, it also brings forth critical ethical considerations that we must address to ensure a safe, inclusive, and equitable learning experiences.
Technology Integration: ethical use of technology to support UDL-informed learning experiences involves addressing privacy concerns, data security, and equitable access to digital tools. How can we ensure that our technological choices uphold these principles?
Privacy and Data Security: protecting student data is paramount when selecting and using digital tools. This includes:
- Privacy: ensuring that using digital tools does not allow privacy infringement and complies with the state-wide privacy regulations, such as Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) in British Columbia and Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) in Canada, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in European Union, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) in the United States of America.
- Security: ensuring the security measures to safeguard the integrity of the institutional digital infrastructure and protect student data from unauthorized access and breaches. This includes approval by the institutional privacy committees, such as the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) Office, to protect students’ personal information.
Ethical Use of Data: Addressing how student data should be used ethically, including transparency about data collection and usage, and obtaining informed consent from students and parents.
Collaborative Learning: ethical considerations in fostering collaborative learning environments include respecting diverse perspectives, promoting a culture of inclusivity, providing equitable learning opportunities, and ensuring the ethical use of digital resources and technology integration.
Practice:
Option 1: Virtual Group Project
Objective: Design a collaborative learning activity where students work together on a virtual group project.
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- Choose a Topic: Select a relevant topic for the group project, such as a research project on a current event or a collaborative multimedia presentation.
- Form Groups: Divide students into small groups, ensuring diversity in skills and perspectives.
- Assign Roles: Assign specific roles to each group member (e.g., researcher, presenter, editor) to promote accountability and collaboration.
- Use Digital Tools: Utilize digital collaboration tools like Google Docs, Trello, or Padlet to facilitate communication and project management. Ensure ethical use of the digital tools for the collaborative activity you proposed.
- Set Milestones: Establish clear milestones and deadlines to keep the project on track.
- Organize Feedback: Implement peer review and instructor feedback mechanisms to guide the project and ensure quality.
- Implement: publish your activity for open access online (in Google class or WordPress).
Share the URL address of the activity with the description of your goals and reflection on the ethical use of the digital tools you proposed. Add your message as a comment to this page.
Option 2: Collaborative Digital Storytelling
Objective: Design a collaborative learning activity where students create a digital story together.
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- Choose a Theme: Select a theme for the digital story, such as a historical event, a social issue, or a fictional narrative.
- Form Teams: Divide students into teams, ensuring a mix of skills and perspectives.
- Plan the Story: Have teams brainstorm and outline their story, assigning roles such as writer, illustrator, and editor.
- Use Digital Tools: Utilize digital storytelling tools like Storybird, Adobe Spark, or Canva to create the story. Have teams publish their digital stories on a shared platform and present them to the class. Ensure ethical use of the digital tools for the collaborative activity you proposed.
- Collaborate: Encourage teams to collaborate through video calls, shared documents, and online brainstorming sessions.
- Organize peer review and instructor feedback to refine the story.
- Implement: publish your activity for open access online (in Google class or WordPress).
Share the URL address of the activity with the description of your goals and reflection on the ethical use of the digital tools you proposed. Add your message as a comment to this page.
Resources:
UBC Privacy Compliance Guidelines | Learning Technology Hub
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