Social responsibility in technological environments

Abstract In the late 1970's and early 1980's several studies predicted the current role of information technology in educational settings. There was a strong belief then that technology would invade classrooms on many fronts and that schools would look towards microtechnology as a means to improve and diversify educational offerings. In fact, many U.S. schools currently not only use technology as an adjunct to instruction but also require their students to have a mastery knowledge of it far beyond the levels of these studies. The innovations that spurred the use and concurrent knowledge explosion in micro-technology have also brought about a need to examine the implications of its use and misuse in social situations. The technology is itself neutral until the user decides its purpose or goal. Technological outcomes, however, have wide ranging societal as well as individual impact. As with other types of technology, information technology has within its spectrum the power to ease the burdens of tedious work, stimulate creativity, and aid in various areas of education. It also carries with it the power to destroy all of these as well. The ways in which society chooses to exercise its control over this technology will determine the amounts and types of freedom that are extended or abrogated because of its existence. Harnessing these new tools requires more than knowledge of programming and hardware. A social responsibility that is developed, maintained, and understood by all members of society, not just the purveyors of the technology, must be part of this generation's education. Social responsibility, in its broadest sense, implies an interrelationship between and among all members of a society. This relationship may change and vary according to circumstances, but at its heart there lies the notion that each member of the society is responsible to help in seeing that society is not destroyed or injured. In an information oriented society this social contract has been expanded to include aid for those who might be disrupted by others not only through physical harassment but also by technological means. The “new” technology offers those of a certain mind a new and powerful tool to corrupt society. The delicate balance between societal protection and information acquisition will be even more difficult to maintain than it is already. How much information does the public need to know about its government? When does the withholding of information in the name of national security become censorship? By what means should information be passed on to the public? The debate surrounding these issues has been joined by several differing philosophical viewpoints. One only need remember the uproars caused when news and information blackouts are imposed. Some approve of this because of the “need” for secrecy in military operations. Others think it an unneeded imposition of censorship. This paper will examine these issues in the light of both the explosion of affordable technology systems and the concurrent information generated by them as well as the school's responsibility in developing student skills to deal with personal and societal dilemmas that have developed as a result of this growth. Discussion will focus on the ways in which both teachers and schools, in general, must deal with this problem as well as alternative instructional strategies.