Leading with Technology

According to Standard 3 of the Alabama Educator Code of Ethics, it states that an educator must abide with local, state, and federal mandates. When completing the SchoolSims simulation Social Media: Integrity in Community, I couldn’t help but see this scenario as a very real possibility for school administrators. According to Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times, “It is apparent that the majority of our students, stakeholders, teachers, and administrators are engaged in online spaces and have ample means to access the internet. Within this space, they are creating, communicating, collaborating, and discussing. This is occurring on and across a variety of sites and through the use of both mainstream and emerging tools” (Sheninger, 2019). 
While I completed the simulation, I looked at it with a dual lens, one of an administrator and one as a student’s parent. As the administrator during this simulation, you are tasked with making tough choices concerning information about an underage drinking party. This information was found on the lost phone of a student during a school sanctioned football game. As I moved through the simulation, I began to realize that not all students’ parents see this situation in the same light and that there are consequences to all actions in a predicament such as this. Many parents were upset that I chose a harsher punishment for the students involved, but I believe that I made the right decisions concerning the severity of the situation.

Within the simulation, I was tasked with different challenges which arose because of the incident. I believe that I chose the correct course of action because, as an educator, you are a mandated reporter of abuse and neglect. While evidence of an underage drinking party may seem a little far fetched, it is still considered negligence and the parents should be held responsible for their actions. I also considered the ramifications from the viewpoint of, “what if that were my child?” I understand that we are all young once and do make errors in judgement; however, in this simulation, the error could have cost someone their life. As the simulation progressed, I tried to keep in mind the students’ best interests in all decisions. Even if their thinking was short sighted, I tried to look ahead and think about what would be the best course of action for all involved. 


This simulation helped me to understand that decisions involving technology and students’ welfare are not always clear cut, but we must rely on our ethics, intuition, and understanding to help make the best decisions.


Resources: 

School Sims . (n.d.). Social Media: Integrity in Community. School Sims. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://admin.schoolsims.com/simulations/detail/259fc86a9e36d91d93b9311a6b5f6be/YkRJK1RBQmF6WDRQbnVIczhFKy9aMEorNWJobWhxWGNYM1h5WTlyRlV5NytBY1JmRlljcUNtM2ZBeGw1WjhRYw==  

Shelby County Schools. (n.d.). Alabama educator code of ethics (adopted by State Board of Education). Alabama Educator Code of Ethics. Retrieved April 26, 2023, from https://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/hr/doclibrary/Emp_CoE.pdf 

Sheninger, E. C. (2019). Technology and Society. In Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times. essay, A joint publication of Corwin ICLE. 

Comments

  1. Jessie TisdaleApril 26, 2023 at 9:20 AM

    Jennifer,
    As both a parent and an educator I also looked at this scenario from multiple perspectives. I feel like I can even remember what it’s like to be a high school student as well. There were many similar parties when I was in high school only the technology piece was much different. I found the situation in this scenario a challenge. While the parent and teacher side of me knew it was best to report things, the ethical side of my brain was concerned that I would be crossing a line. Ultimately, like you, I believe that the safety of students far outweighs any other concerns. That being said, there is a growing concern for privacy in this new digital era. In an article for Ethics and Information Technology, Weissman discusses concern over what he terms “”peer-to-peer” (P2P) surveillance.” He describes this P2P as the ability for digital devices to be “utilized to post other people’s privately spoken words, sensitive images of them, and accounts of their personal actions—without their consent” (2018, p. 29). With so much to take into consideration these days, administrators are frequently in a difficult position. There is almost never a time when they can make all parties happy; however, administrators know what they are signing up for when they take the job. Sheninger says “everything is changing—society, the educational landscape, and learners—and it is time for educational leaders to embody a modern, progressive form of leadership” (2019, p. 24). The job of an administrator has never been an easy one, but I think the prevalence of technology has made it even harder. The party in the simulation is nothing new, kids have been having parties with underage drinking for years. Adding devices to the mix, however, is a more recent concern. In your post you say, “decisions involving technology and students’ welfare are not always clear cut.” I agree with you! We just have to do the best we can and hope we made the best choice; if there was one!


    Resources
    Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
    Weissman, J. (2018). P2P surveillance in the global village. Ethics and Information Technology, 21(1), 29-47.

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