Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Ethics and Computer Science
The CS Lab Ethics Discussions
Each day during the first few minutes of class, students in the Computer
Systems Laboratory at TJHSST are asked to respond to some ethical situation
related to technology and/or computer use. The teachers present the
"topic of the day", and then students share opinions and discuss ideas
in an open
classroom forum. After views have been aired, students are then asked to write
down their opinions on a "quiz" paper for a grade. The actual point value
is quite small in comparison to total points earned for the quarter, only
two points per day out of many hundreds of points each marking period.
Usually, the teachers try to find real-life situations in the daily news
that morning, but other resources are often used including web locations
frequented by the students such as
Slashdot, as well as magazine articles, television, and radio
commentary. Students are also encouraged to
bring in examples from their own experiences in order to share with
the class.
The teachers use this teaching technique for a number of educational
objectives.
- To have students think about ethical issues related to technology
- To help reinforce acceptable use and behavior policies
- To help generate discussion and debate in a computer class
- To encourage writing across the curriculum
- To take attendance
Some of the Discussion Topics
Additional Web References on Computer Ethics