Society Task 1 2025-2026 Western Governors
University
Technology and Ethics: Emerging Trends and
Society D773 – Task 1
College of Elementary Education, Western Governors
University Name of Instructor: Ashley Mays Yahl
May 16,2025
, Scenario 4:
A1- In this scenario, the significant problem is that a high school history teacher is
using an online platform that offers premade lesson plans that are aligned with
his curriculum without notifying the school administration about the platform,
and that students’ data was shared without prior consent. One opposing option
would be for the history teacher to continue using the online platform without
prior authorization or to notify the school administration and avoid unintended
consequences that might be harmful. Although using the platform by the teacher
is a convenient and easy option for him, it is problematic and morally flawed
since it violates
ethical principles. The second option, not notifying the school administration, is
also
problematic since the teacher knows that this is a violation of the administration
regulations and it has legal repercussions.
A2- The teachers’ actions in not notifying the school about the platform affect the
administration because it puts its reputation at risk when the administration is
unable to assess and regulate the quality of outside materials that might be
harmful to students' learning. In this case, the school would face legal risks if
discovered. In this scenario, the individual who
benefited from this action was the teacher because he thought about what was
convenient for him in doing what helped him personally, without being aware of
the harmful consequences that might affect the other individuals who were
involved. Also, it will affect him negatively in putting his job at risk if discovered,
which is against his duty of care to the students, and his
violation of the terms of using the platform without the administration's consent
exposes him to legal risks. Moreover, exposing the students' data would harm the
students, as anyone would have access to their private information, which is
unsafe and unethical since this violates
student privacy laws. None of these options are acceptable from an ethical point
of view, since they harm both the school administration's reputation and student
privacy. (WGU,2020)
B1- Deontology framework