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RECENT GRADUATES >Khalid Kebbati
 
Khalid Kebbati
PhD 2001. Major Professor: Diane McGrath.‎
Khalid has just returned to the U.S. after teaching at a university in ‎the United Arab Emirates, where he served as Director of the Center ‎for Teaching and Learning Technologies. Now, he works as a Principal at a private school in Houston, TX. His email is khalidkeb@hotmail.com
Dissertation Title:
DEALING WITH ETHICAL ISSUES IN TECHNOLOGY USE IN A HIGH SCHOOL ‎CLASSROOM

Abstract:
The introduction of computer technology into the classroom brought many challenges to teachers, students, administrators, and parents. With the belief that computers can help learners to achieve better, curricula are being shaped to include technology use in the classroom in as many disciplines as possible. Teachers are encouraged to raise to the challenge and adopt computers in their day-to-day activities. Firs, students experienced using computers in drill and practice activities only, but the fast developing computer technology brought into the classroom a world of information easily accessible in a way never imagined before and opened new ways on how to use this technology.

Learning to use computers in the classroom is certainly a new challenge to teachers and students, but the use of computer technology in an ethical manner represents definitely a much difficult task to carry. Issues of illegal copying of software, breaking into someone else's personal files, damaging other's work, violating copyright laws, and other unethical practices are all new dimensions of computer user's misbehavior. Teachers are being faced with these issues on regular basis as well as problems such as equal access to both sexes, free speech and access to undesirable material.

The purpose of this case study was to discover the experiences, behaviors, and problems of a teacher and students as they identified and attempted to deal with ethical issues involving the use of computer technologies. The study attempts to answer questions such as: "What ethics-in-technology issues arise that the teacher deals with?" "How are the issues dealt with by the teacher?" "How are the teacher's strategies responded to by the students?" "Does the teacher feel the need for other supports as he tries to deal with technology ethical issues?" Some of the issues discussed involve the unethical use of the Internet by a student to defame another student, plagiarism, accessing someone else's files, hacking, and other related problems.