Scenario-based evaluation of an ethical framework for the use of digital media in learning and teaching

nterest in educational podcasting, audio feedback and media-enhanced learning, in its various forms, has grown due to the increased access academic staff and students have to new technologies. The benefits have been widely reported in the educational development and disciplinary literature on learning technology, mobile learning, digital age learning, and assessment and feedback. However, such literature focuses more on what can be done, rather than if it should be done. Hargreaves (2008) signals the need to balance ethical risk in the creative curriculum with actions that maximise beneficence, especially within the context of a sector that espouses to develop critical skills in learners. In a world of constantly developing technology, it is not always easy to appraise the implications of a pedagogic innovation. As practitioners concerned with academic development, our aim is to facilitate academics to reflect on their practice from a variety of perspectives, and we felt that an easy–to-use ethical framework could assist academics to identify potential ethical problems. The Media-Enhanced Learning Special Interest Group (MELSIG) is a UK network of academics, developers and learning technologists. They identified the need to consider the ethical risk associated with using digital media in response to examples described in recent literature, and ideas generated by its community. It was as a result of discussions at MELSIG that this collaborative work began. The three members of MELSIG were joined by a colleague with an interest in ethics but who was relatively inexperienced with new technologies. When this work began we looked primarily at digital media, but it is considered that such a framework can be used to appraise the use of other new technologies in learning and teaching. This paper will begin by giving a brief explanation of ethics, as a discipline, and the approach to ethics which underpins this framework. We will then discuss the results from a scenario-based evaluation of the framework, undertaken by the four authors. Following this evaluation, the framework is now being evaluated by a wider community of practitioners, on real examples, and continues to develop as it is exposed to wider use. However, it is considered that the initial scenario-based evaluation raised some interim findings that will be of interest to a wider audience

Barriers to protection: gender-related persecution and asylum in South Africa

Abstract In 1998, South Africa became the first country to explicitly state within its refugee law that genderrelated persecution is a binding basis for asylum, further distinguishing South Africa as a state with outstanding legal commitments to gender equality. Creating further visibility within the law, however, is only one step in the process. How the law is implemented determines its real worth and effectiveness. This study assesses the manner in which asylum decisions are made, particularly in cases of gendered harm, questioning readily accepted and essentialised notions of women and gender. It looks at how the South African asylum system defines legitimate refugees, and the interplay of fluid interpretations of gender, culture, violence and the political within these constructions. Through interviews with officials and asylum seekers, the study identifies trends in the refugee system, and interrogates the reliance on narrow understandings of the political and personal, as well as the nature of conflict and culture

The importance of broadband for socio-economic development: a perspective from rural Australia

Advanced connectivity offers rural communities prospects for socio-economic development. Despite Australia’s national broadband infrastructure plans, inferior availability and quality of rural Internet connections remain persistent issues. This article examines the impact of limited connectivity on rural socio-economic opportunities, drawing from the views of twelve citizens from the Boorowa local government area in New South Wales. The available fixed wireless and satellite connections in Boorowa are slow and unreliable, and remote regions in the municipality are still without any Internet access. Participants identified four key areas in their everyday lives that are impacted by insufficient connectivity: business development, education, emergency communication, and health. Rural citizens often already face challenges in these areas, and infrastructure advancements in urban spaces can exacerbate rural-urban disparities. Participants’ comments demonstrated apprehension that failure to improve connectivity would result in adverse long-term consequences for the municipality. This article suggests that current broadband policy frameworks require strategic adaptations to account for the socio-economic and geographic contexts of rural communities. In order to narrow Australia’s rural-urban digital divide, infrastructure developments should be prioritised in the most underserved regions

SENCO induction pack: Supporting you at the start of your journey

This induction pack has been designed by SENCOs for SENCOs as a useful reference tool that can be used from day one of undertaking this important role. It can be a valuable asset to both new and experienced professionals alike and we would recommend it to all SENCOs. We understand that the role is context-specific and so, instead of trying to prescribe a single approach, this induction pack sets out the key operational considerations so that SENCOs can make more informed decisions. This SENCO Induction Pack has been developed by Leading Learning for SEND Community Interest Company as part of a suite of resources developed by the Whole School SEND Consortium3, hosted by nasen4, to embed good SEND provision in schools. This project was funded by the Department for Education. As such, the induction pack includes references to a broad range of organisations, resources and documents from across the SEND community. This is in keeping with one of the wider principles of Whole School SEND, which is to maximise the use of existing resources to save schools time and money.Department for Educatio

The Value of Information Technology-Enabled Diabetes Management

Reviews different technologies used in diabetes disease management, as well as the costs, benefits, and quality implications of technology-enabled diabetes management programs in the United States

Copy This Class (The Art of the Remix)

Curatorial note from Digital Pedagogy in the Humanities: Julie Levin Russo’s undergraduate film studies course takes remix as its central topic. Through the assigned reading, media, and experiences each week, students are introduced to remix from a historical perspective and a philosophical one. Russo’s course plays through an array of contexts that highlight the variety and complexity of remix as object and as a set of practices (e.g., appropriation, authorship, sampling, “playbor”—a combination of play and labor). Collaborative student remix projects comprise a significant portion of the semester, making evident the core value of participation and peer engagement in remix culture. Finally, in a knowing wink to our own habits of syllabus composition, Russo cites the syllabi and assignments that she has remixed to create this course

Battle : cambio desde adentro (2014)

"Curriculum de la guia de observacion.""Este documental es sobre el educador Eliot Battle y el papel fundamental que jugo en la desegregacion de las escuelas, barrios residenciales y en la comunidad en general de Columbia, Missouri. Battle promovio estos cambios a traves de la via pacifica, pese a que tuvo que enfrentarse en muchas ocasiones a la resistencia a sus ideas, tanto en las comunidades negras y blancas. Se caracterizo por su comportamiento calmado y su trabajo dedicado dentro de las instituciones y sistemas locales, en los que tendio puentes de entendimiento y tolerancia entre ambas razas, lo cual conllevo a impulsar cambios para que Columbia fuera mejor."New 7/14/Web only

Battle : change from within, curriculum viewing guide - schools (2012)

"Schools.""Curriculum viewing guide.""This documentary is about educator Eliot Battle and the pivotal role he played in desegregating schools, housing and the Columbia community. As Battle facilitated changes with quiet resolve, he faced resistance from both the black and white communities. His calm demeanor and dedicated work within existing institutions and systems allowed him to bridge the gap between the two races and change Columbia for the better.

Battle : change from within, curriculum viewing guide - community (2012)

"Community.""Curriculum viewing guide.""This documentary is about educator Eliot Battle and the pivotal role he played in desegregating schools, housing and the Columbia community. As Battle facilitated changes with quiet resolve, he faced resistance from both the black and white communities. His calm demeanor and dedicated work within existing institutions and systems allowed him to bridge the gap between the two races and change Columbia for the better.