Ethical Issues of Educational Technology Applied by the Uncritical Mass

Abstract

The article defines the ethics of educational technology in terms of its benefits for teacher and student, and whether other motives determine its use. The various drawbacks of current online methods and developments in the distance education field are examined in view of its emphasis on the efficiency of its course delivery technologies. The double-edged nature of all communications media is discussed, and the importance of evaluation studies is suggested to ensure that new media are not adopted unless they represent clear improvement over existing options. The age-old nature of these issues is illustrated by an analysis of the grievances of the Luddites, who opposed practices in the British textiles industry 200 years ago.