May 2008 — Features
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What Are We Protecting Them From?
Many K-12 technology experts say the best solution longterm is shifting the emphasis from policing the way students use the internet to educating them about using it more safely. In Virginia, for instance, a law passed last year prescribes an internet safety curriculum in every public school. Now every Virginia schoolchild must be taught about the dangers of interacting on the web, starting in kindergarten.
In 2007, Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) took this thinking to the national stage, proposing HR 3871, the E-Keep the Internet Decent and Safe (e-KIDS) Act, which would mandate that schools educate minors about appropriate online behavior. Other laws under consideration in Congress right now would provide up to $5 million a year to fund i-Safe, a nonprofit foundation in Carlsbad, CA, whose mission is to educate and empower youth to make their internet experiences safe and responsible.
Don Knezek, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education in Washington, DC, says his group is putting together professional development courses to help teachers develop techniques for educating their students about responsible internet use. As part of the program, teachers will be encouraged to spend time in online communities to get a sense of how social networking sites work, and what kind of "buddies" students are liable to meet there. "Abstinence from technology is a losing battle," Knezek says. "To not teach technology use responsibly is neglecting the charge of universal education."
Over time, these kinds of efforts could yield huge dividends- they have worked elsewhere. Julie Walker, executive director of the American Association of School Librarians in Chicago, recently traveled to Finland, where educators have taught students about responsible internet use for years. Walker says most Finnish schools don't even have filters-at least not the kind any technologist would need to worry about.
"Over there, thanks to solid teaching, the filters are in the students' heads," she says. "Students come into school with a sense of responsibility for their learning and a sense of why they're there. Ultimately, that's where we need to be too."
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Matt Villano is a freelance writer based in Healdsburg, CA.
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