Code of Ethics

Currently I do not teach a planned out lesson on the ethics of using computer software. Every year we talk about copyright issues in general with regards to videos and printed work. It is obviously time to start talking about computer and software ethics. Here is a lesson that I put together for my sixth graders for next year. It is important to introduce and solidify to children the basic copyright laws and computer and software ethics.

Objectives: Students will understand the terms associated with computer and software ethics: software, piracy, copyright, single and multiple-user license. Students will create and design a poster, flyer, or PowerPoint defining some guidelines for computer and software ethics.

Standards/NETS: Digital Citizenship

a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.

d. exhibit leadership for citizenship

Materials: Laptop for each student or every two students. Notebooks for taking notes, poster paper, pencil, and colored markers.

AS: Hey guys, I got this great video game from my brother and I wondered if you all wanted a copy? A kid named Josh made a lot of copies and gave my brother one. Just don’t tell anyone you got it from me. (teacher, dressed like a student, walks in holding the game packaging)

Procedures:

· Class, explain what your thoughts are about what I just did? Students respond.

· Where did I get the game? Where did my brother get the game?

· Who do you think purchased the game originally? How much do you think the game cost?

· What is the purpose of someone creating this game and then putting it on the market?

· Would anyone like to create a video game and sell it to others?

· What kind of benefits would you get from selling your game?

· Does your game have a copyright? (explain what copyright means)

· Copyright: A set of exclusive rights given to the author or creator of an original work.

· If each game was worth $19.95 and the guy who gave it to my brother made 10 copies, how much money is that? ($199.50)

· Do you realize that the person who created the game just lost a lot of money?

· How would that make you feel if you were the creator of the game?

· What Josh did was stealing. He broke copyright laws and was acting morally and ethically wrong.

· Ethics: a part of your moral philosophy or what is right and wrong

· Explain what should have happened when my brother was offered a copy of a game he did not purchase? What should I have done when my brother handed a copy to me?

· At school we have a lot of computers and each computer has many programs called software. Some of the software we have purchased is Study Island, Word, Fastt Math, Adobe InDesign, and All the Right Type. As a school, we purchase the right to use these programs but we do not actually own the programs. Every program we order can have either a single-user license or a multiple-user license. In a district of our size we most likely will use a multiple-user license so that a larger quantity of computers in the building can have all the software on it. If we purchased a single-user license we would only be able to put the program on a couple of computers.

· Is Study Island a single or multiple-user license?

· If someone at the school chose to copy a single-user license on their own computer that would be called Software Piracy

· Software Piracy: unauthorized and illegal duplication of copyrighted software.

· Just as games are created by someone else, so are programs like Study Island.

· We have to be very careful we never copy programs illegally.

· There are serious fines to schools and companies for illegally copying software. Sometimes the fines can go as high as $300,000.

· Today we are going to look at a website that tells us about how to be a good cybercitizen.

· While we go through the cybercitizen website you will be taking notes on ideas you will use for your poster. The poster you create will be to inform our school about copyright and computer and software ethics. You will be working with a partner to design and illustrate the poster. Keep your poster in mind as we go through this website.

· Students take out laptops and notebooks and log on to

· http://www.cybercrime.gov/rules/kidinternet.htm

· Teacher and students will go through the first paragraph together as well as the “Joey” scenario. Allow students time to discuss their reactions.

· After discussion allow students time to read through a couple more scenarios and discuss with their partner.

Final Project: Students may choose to create and design a hand made poster, computer-designed poster, or PowerPoint.

Summary: Explain what you have learned about software ethics. What would you do if you were presented with a pirated game or software program? Who gets hurt when others go against the copyright laws?