Yesterday FrontLine broadcast a special entitled Growing Up Online – to examine ‘just how radically the
internet is transforming the experience of childhood. After watching the trailer I anticipated that it would be a negative, overblown reaction. Athough I only managed to catch the later half I do agree with Will Richardson’s assessment that if offered a fairly balanced perspective. If you missed the program you can watch the complete program online. The site also offers further information including readings, links, interviews and a teacher’s guide.
It was very apparent in the program that parents are struggling to understand the importance of the internet in their children’s lives and how little context they have for doing so. It is very clear that schools and knowledgeable teachers are essential in helping students navigate within the online environment safely, ethically and responsibly. As Will says,
As I much as I think I know about all of this, as I look at my own kids and try to imagine what they are graduating into online, I realize that I know very little. I can’t even imagine what it must be like for parents who really have no context for this discussion, which is another reason why schools have to make this a part of the way we do our business, and why we have to integrate what it means to live in this world throughout the curriculum, K-12, in every subject.
