Dive Brief:

• Dianne Pappafotopoulos, district instructional technology specialist at Dover Sherborn Public Schools in Massachusetts, believes it is time for a paradigm shift in the way schools teach technology education, adding in lessons on ethics and the potential downsides of tech advancements to teach critical thinking.
• For eSchool News, Pappafotopoulos writes kids have to learn how technology affects and will affect society, questioning cybersecurity precautions and ethical questions around using robots and artificial intelligence to take over the work of humans.
• Pappafotopoulos recommends districts create required courses on the topic, invite technology professionals to be guest speakers and use project-based learning to get students talking to each other and engaging with a more global audience on key issues.

Dive Insight:

As districts bring more internet-enabled technology into their schools, there has been a recognition that students need training — not only on the technology itself but how to use it responsibly. Districts with 1:1 device programs ask students and parents to read and sign usage agreements, and device purchases often start with questions about web filter capabilities so students can be shielded from the worst or most distracting parts of the internet.

What Pappafotopoulos is saying is that is not enough. Technology ethics isn’t a natural part of any traditional class, but as robotics and digital technology take an ever-larger role in the way society is organized, perhaps it should be. Schools are focusing on building critical thinking skills in students across other disciplines. It makes sense to extend that to the pros and cons of technological advancements and their impact on our world.