Technology, Ethics, and Professional Practice
Domain 4 tests technology integration, legal and ethical decision-making, and professional conduct. Questions often hinge on a single legal distinction - fair use versus infringement, FERPA versus COPPA, filtering versus teaching digital citizenship.
Integration and accessibility
Use SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) to judge whether technology transforms learning, and TPACK to check the balance of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge. Makerspaces, coding, and production tools are valuable when tied to a learning goal, not as novelty. Accessibility is a legal and instructional requirement: alt text, captions, screen-reader-compatible formats, WCAG, and Section 508/ADA apply to school websites, documents, and purchased resources.
Copyright and fair use
Fair use has four factors: purpose and character of use, nature of the work, amount used, and effect on the market. "Educational" is not a blanket exemption. Use the classroom exemption narrowly, prefer licensed or public-domain sources, and attribute Creative Commons works under their terms (BY, BY-SA, BY-NC). Database and e-book licenses control simultaneous use, printing, and interlibrary loan.
Privacy and ethics
FERPA protects education records; COPPA requires parental consent for online collection of data from children under 13; CIPA requires schools receiving E-rate funding to filter internet access and adopt an internet safety policy. Follow the district acceptable use policy, keep library records confidential, and model the ALA Code of Ethics. Digital citizenship - passwords, phishing, cyberbullying, digital footprints - must be taught, not just blocked.
Worked example. A teacher wants to show a full Disney movie as a Friday reward. Fair use does not cover entertainment: the purpose is not transformative, the entire work is used, and the showing substitutes for a licensed performance. Options: obtain a public performance license, use a short clip tied to instruction, or choose a licensed streaming service with public performance rights. The reasoning, not the rule of thumb, is what the exam rewards.
Traps that cost marks: assuming "educational" means free; equating filters with digital citizenship; posting student photos or work without consent; adopting an under-13 app without COPPA review; using a Creative Commons image without attribution.