Ethical Considerations When Integrating New Educational Technology into the Classroom

Abstract

With the accelerated popularisation of new educational technology across the globe, classroom teaching is undergoing a profound digital transformation. While technology empowers education, it also gives rise to ethical dilemmas including data privacy risks, educational inequity, the diminished subjectivity of teachers and students and the loss of humanistic values. Most existing studies merely describe relevant problems and lack in-depth analysis of mechanisms for reconciling conflicting values. Based on a systematic literature review, this paper establishes an ethical dilemma framework consisting of four core dimensions and further explores the logic of value conflicts behind these issues. On this basis, the paper puts forward four governance approaches, links each approach to specific ethical principles, and analyses the potential limitations of each method. The research indicates that the ethical governance of educational technology cannot rely solely on technical regulations or policy proposals. Instead, it should be built upon critical evaluation of the tensions between diverse ethical values. This paper aims to provide theoretical references to guide research on educational technology ethics to move from problem identification to value reconciliation.