Ethical implications of ET
Ethical implications of ETs often revolve around their impact on humans. A leading concern in this regard revolves around privacy. According to Stahl, Timmermans, and Flick (2017), ET either exacerbates or creates novel privacy issues due to the large amounts of data they create and gather. Another concern is the extent to which ET affects personal autonomy. Stahl et al. (2017) fear that people can ultimately delegate tasks and decision-making to ET designed to monitor and control thoughts, actions, behaviors, and other traditionally human functions. Also, ethicists are concerned that ET can make persuasive and coercive systems pervasive, thus promoting manipulation of people into performing involuntary behavior.
Legal implications of ET
Many of the legal implications of ET are arguably intertwined with the ethical concerns identified thus far. Notably, ETs evoke criticism over their ability to jeopardize the constitutionally guaranteed right to privacy and data protection. Yeung (2019) explains that ET relies on robust data-driven profiling systems that collect and process digital information at a highly granular level, which conflates a person’s entitlement to private and family life. Another legal issue lies in information security threats, such as data leakage, which often attracts lawsuits that can see an organization pay millions in damages to the affected individuals.
Uses of ET in specific educational fields
Adaptive learning technologies are gaining prominence as essential learning enhancers. These tech tools measure student progress using machine-driven data and dynamically adjust to a course level or type that suits the individual’s skills or abilities. Moreover, they promote automated and instructor intervention to accelerate learner performance. According to Briggs (2017), SNAPP software at the University of Wollongong, Australia, helps instructors monitor dynamics of group discussion, such as level of engagement and whether some participants are dominating the group Artificial Intelligence (AI) is another ET that is gaining traction in educators. For instance, the University of Michigan, USA, creates assistive technology for physically and cognitively impaired learners.
Reference List
Briggs, S. (2017) 6 emerging educational technologies and how they are being used across the globe, Web.
Stahl, CB, Timmermans, J and Flick, C. (2017) ‘Ethics of emerging information and communication technologies: on the implementation of responsible research and innovation’, Science and Public Policy, 44(3), pp. 369-381. Web.
Yeung, K. (2019) A study of the implications of advanced digital technologies (including AI systems) for the concept of responsibility within a human rights framework. MSI-AUT (2018), 5. Web.