A Study on the Methodology of Information Ethics Education in Youth

In modern society the amount of daily information has been continuously and rapidly increasing with various new and improved mechanisms for finding, collecting and producing information. A problem with this trend is that it does not necessarily mean the improvement in information quality. A more serious problem is the unethical use of communications. It is expected in communication, to have positive attitudes such as basic ethics, information ethics, communication etiquette, and the proper use of cyber language. We believe these positive attitudes can be achieved through school education programs. The current school program, however, seems inadequate and inefficient in providing these important elements of education to teenagers. Particularly in middle or high school for grades 7 to 12, it is crucial to develop and organize class materials for information ethics in order for the students to be aware of potential communication problems over the Internet. The effect of this education program will be not only to encourage the youth to have positive attitudes but also prevent them from having negative attitudes in daily Internet use. In this study, we first review the current curriculum for the information ethics education, with respect to the contents and methodologies. We then analyze potential social or economic problems caused by the lack of communication ethics. As a result, we propose practical and effective education plans for information ethics education, based on current school conditions.