School districts in my area are slowly (but surely!!) opening up websites for students to access from school. The intentions censorships may be good however they end up stifling children with what they can and cannot do.
Just as seen in Scott McLeod’s Tedx Talk (Click Here), we are seeing more and more children and teenage entrepreneurs who are launching businesses and other organizations due to their access to technology. McLeod talks about how children are doing this in their time outside of school as extracurriculars.
But what about the children without the means? It’s almost safe to say that the children McLeod identified are from families of means – families with easy access to computers, internet and other technologies. With the developed world’s shift in technological dependence, school districts must be able to allow all their children access to these sources in order to help them succeed.
While I keep mentioning children and entrepreneurship, children and making money…that is not the case at all! I think technology should be available for students because it opens doors that may not be available otherwise. The internet is an open field, full of resources, that lets people (children included) explore their interests and connect with the world, where most likely someone else has the same interests.
I feel as a teacher my role is to help guide children through their discoveries and explorations. Is the Internet 100% safe? Absolutely not. Is it 100% dangerous? Absolutely not. Children need to learn what is safe and what is usable and what to do when they are online. They will not learn these without guidance and that is what educators can do.
Scott McLeod asked adults, educators, to let children “be amazing” and I think this is definitely in the realm of the possible.
Learning with Miss M! 
Mona,
I couldn’t agree more. I think technology does allow children to explore and connect with others that have their same interest. It is not just about making money but that can also be a plus if it works :). I think it is scary for teachers to feel like they are giving up control. But we can’t be in control of everything and I think allowing this to happen in the classroom is a must. I also think we need to realize that we cannot keep our children safe from everything. We need allow to make mistakes and learn from them. We can teach them all about safety on the internet but we cannot promise that they will always be 100 percent safe. It is a scary world we live in now but we cannot let fear overcome us.
LikeLike
Mona,
I love how you tempered your enthusiasm for the possible with the need to teach our youth how to be safe when using technology. I think the one aspect of unlimited access that needs to be addressed is the possible dangers it poses. However, in life, as well as in technology, there will always be dangers, but that should not stop us from allowing ourselves and our children access to the possibilities.
LikeLike