Communication ethics
Making ethical decisions on how communications technology should be used
This activity allows students to look at a series of simple scenarios with a comment on the ‘rightness’ or ‘wrongness’ of the use of the technology. This lesson acts as an introduction to ethical decision-making, as learners are asked to try to explain why the use of the technology in certain situations can either be right or wrong.
This is one of a set of resources developed to aid the teaching of the secondary national curriculum, particularly KS3, supporting the teaching in science and design & technology (D&T).
Activity: Making ethical decisions on how communications technology should be
Students will work together within groups to have discussions that are led by the ‘scenarios’ section on our Ethical Decisions handout. Within their groups they'll explore each of the four scenarios involving the potential misuse of communication technology, ranging from text message bullying to phone hacking. Students will then rate each scenario on a scale of 'rightness' or 'wrongness'. After this they’ll read the second part of the handout, ‘More information about the scenarios”, then re-evaluate their judgments.
Download our activity overview for a detailed lesson plan for teaching students about communications technology and ethics.
The engineering context
Engineers often need to make ethical decisions about the development and application of modern communication technologies. For instance, software engineers working on social media platforms must consider potential misuse and abuse such as cyberbullying. Hardware engineers creating smart devices such as smart speakers or doorbells must think about or privacy invasion. Telecommunications engineers who design mobile networks must balance the benefits of connectivity with potential threats like security breaches.
Suggested learning outcomes
In this activity students will learn about different ethical views and the development and use of communications technology. By exploring different perspectives, they’ll gain an appreciation for how different ethical viewpoints can still be valid.
Download our activity sheet and other teaching resources
The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs.
Download our classroom lesson plan and presentation below.
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