I have been reading through some of Paul’s letters in the New Testament with some

friends as a part of a Thursday morning Bible study. I have noticed a pattern over the last few

weeks of Paul using the idea of “walking.” In Ephesians he calls believers to “walk in a manner

worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (English Standard Version Bible, 2016,

Ephesians 4:1). Later in the same book, Paul calls us to “walk in love” (English Standard Version

Bible, 2016, Ephesians 5:2), to “walk as children of the light” (English Standard Version Bible,

2016, Ephesians 5:8), and to “look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise”

(English Standard Version Bible, 2016, Ephesians 5:15). And then in Colossians he says

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him (English Standard Version

Bible, 2016, Colossians 2:6). To me, this idea of “walking” carries with it the idea that as a

believer, Christ and His work should impact our daily lives. As we go about our daily lives at

home or at work, the work that Christ has done for us and the redemption and sanctification that

we have and continue to experience, should impact all choices and decisions that we make.

I think that the idea of ethics as it relates to technology in a learning environment is still a

developing idea at this point. One key item to consider is how to protect student data, especially

the data of students who are minors. We do not know the impact that technology will have in the

coming years or how data might be used. While technology in and of itself is not evil, many can

use technology to harm our students. We want to make sure that to the best of our ability, while

we are training students in the development of 21st century skills, we are also preparing them to

live safely in the 21st century and beyond.

One of the evolving technologies I have the most concern about is virtual reality. My

concerns are two-fold. One, while students need to be able to “hold their own” in an increasingly

digital world, I do not want that to be at the expense of their ability to collaborate and
communicate with others. I worry that in some cases students would become so involved in a

digital, alternative reality that they lose sight of their present reality. The use of technology is not

the goal. The goal is to use technology well. We need to make sure that we are teaching students

how technology can support them in their communication and collaboration endeavors, not

replace them. Second, I worry about the disparities in access to technology. As technology

increases, the goal is to reach more people. But there is a valid concern that it will just drive an

even bigger wedge between the “haves” and the “have nots.” As digital citizens it will be our

responsibility to ensure that as emerging technologies are utilized by more aspects of society we

make sure it does not cause harm but instead, serves all people groups without harming others.
References

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/