Line in the Sand

I really enjoyed the professor’s consideration of ethics in her upcoming book. As someone who creates content for the internet one thing we are always exploring is how to design for people with disabilities. When displaying “text within images and videos” it is important to think about having an alternate way to display this content so that it is accessible for everyone. I think incorporating design that considers the more extreme ends of individual’s capabilities will create a learning environment for everyone. Which is the way it should be done in the first place. I can’t stand when ADA compliances are an afterthought. I make sure that a script or closed captioning is included when presenting content as a video. Providing multiple ways for individuals to consume content is better for accessibility anyways.    

The processor’s other article we looked at this week, Technology Transience and learning data, Shifting Notions of Privacy in Inline Learning takes a serious look at the Institution’s role in providing for instructors and students, privacy issues, and including students in the conversation about privacy. As we think about emerging technologies and the evolution of technology we must remember, “the state of discovery or flux in an educational context could happen for a decade or longer.” (Dennen 2015) Now it becomes important to draft policies that bend with the evolving characteristics of technology. Social web platforms and educational institutions should be constantly thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the classroom and how that effects everyone involved.

Really, I think the privacy issue was summed up best in, Identity, context collapse, and Facebook use in higher education: putting presence and privacy at odds by Dennen & Burner. They looked at Universities attitudes towards using Facebook in the classroom. While social media has its advantages and disadvantages, the one thing that is clear is that the teacher student relationship is changing. Summed up by one student: “It blurs the lines between things personal and professional. Although not all students care, some have a clear preference for keeping their school– or at least their classroom– identities separate from their other more social and personal identities.” (Dennen 2017)