To Block or Not to Block

There's a wonderful debate raging among my peers: To Block or Not to Block. My Space, Facebook, Instant Messengers, Personal Email, Club Penguin, Webkinz...they're all under scrutiny. There are those who feel that as technology educators we should be encouraging their use, allowing free access to the site because of their educational value. There are others that block these sites because they're bandwidth hogs. Still, others block the sites because there are too many inherent problems that occur by allowing access. Problems include bullying, posting of inappropriate materials, school and teacher information on the pages, not to mention time spent in class posting when they should be working on a classroom assignment.

Counterpoint: The classroom assignment should be engaging enough that the kids do not feel compelled to post on My Space instead. I think all of these are black and white arguments for a gray issue. First, I'll admit that our school blocks access to these social networking sites. My reasoning is bandwidth related first, but secondarily, because they are just that: social networking sites. I hear your voices screaming, "But they have educational value." I say, no, they do not have inherent educational value other than what we try to artificially introduce. Yes, presidential candidates are posting to My Space. But they're also posting other places besides social networks. It's the beauty of the internet that there are no exclusives. Anything you can find there, you can find somewhere else.

There are alternative sites that use the technology of social networks (Moodle and Ning) without problems associated. In the workworld, a person will never be asked to complete a work assignment on My Space--that's only a tool. The issue is really do they know how to use Web 2.0 tools? If we're teaching them how to use similar tools, and teaching them about the SOCIAL ISSUES raised in places like My Space then I say we're doing our jobs. We do not have give students free access to these sites any more than we have to let them leave their cell phones on all day.

Yeah, I know that's a whole new can of worms...

Sorry for the rantish tone here. I'm done. For today.
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Be the Zen Master

The Parent Encouragement Program (PEP) has invited me to speak about Internet usage and safety among children. The lecture is titled "Web 2.0: What Our Children Are Doing On the Web in 2007." To prepare, I sent out an email to the parents attending inviting them to send me their questions in advance so I could make sure to address them. Most of the questions I received fell within the bounds of what I already intended to cover: Webkinz, IM, Club Penguin etc. There's a great New York Times article Will Richardson, over at Weblogged, posted on his site about the new phenomenon of our youngest children on social networks.

One of the parents sent an email that made me nod my head in understanding, and with compassion--he hates (a strong word, I know) the role that technology is playing in his child's life. He doesn't want his child to grow up in the Web 2.0 world. He wants his child to read books, understand those books on an intellectual level, to play outside and to NOT WANT A GAMEBOY. I feel for this parent. His face blends in with the faces of so many other educated, wise, yet incredibly fearful parents who have grabbed my arm tightly as they can, cutting off the circulation, begging me to justify why they should let their child online. And I say to that parent: you can stand in front of a giant tidal wave rushing toward your child and try, just try as hard as you can, to save your child by holding him or her down under the crush of the water. Or, you can turn around, scoop her up in your arms and show that little girl how to swim. Maybe you think it's too early for them to learn. It doesn't really matter when there's a tidal wave coming, does it?

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