I hear this issue all the time. Is it really the technologies, and the accessibility to these technologies that are the problem, or is it a lack of supervision and guidance from educators and adults that are comfortable with what these technologies can provide that is the real issue? We have similar issues in our district. In fact, an art lab at our high school was fully decked out with brand new iMacs and students snuck in and had video chats, and shot pictures of themselves in provocative and even nude poses, however they were "smart" in that they never showed their faces. Since the students could not be identified, the iMac's web cam was taped up and then eventually disabled. I argue that these students will now just find another outlet to explore either within the high school again, or at somebody's house.
The issue to me isn't that the access to these technologies are there, but rather there was not an educator there to supervise and make sure students were using the technologies to make good choices in their interactions and education. I have to have this same conversation every year at our parent Internet Safety talks in which many of our community parents believe that as long as the web site search starts on a school page, they are filtered at home. I have to always explain that our filters only work within our buildings, and when they are at home they are on their filter, if one exists.
I was at a conference once in which the issue of Internet safety in our schools was brought up and the speaker used this as a metaphor. When we were kids, we would leave our houses and walk down to the neighborhood playground or park. Some of us used the equipment as they were meant to be played with, and others used this area to get into mischief. Now, parents do not trust their children to leave the house by themselves, as the world is too dangerous. They feel that they are much more safe sitting in their room, right within the house. However, that room is equipped with cable TV and a computer or mobile device hooked up to the Internet. As soon as a child decides to enter a chat room, or other forum, they have entered the same park we used to go to in which each user can see this area as something different. The problem with this new picture is that this park could include a million people world wide and it isn't as obvious to distinguish between character and friend or foe as it was in the physical park we used to play in. Is this area really safer unsupervised by their parents then actually leaving the house without adult supervision and walking down to the community park? I would have to disagree.
Unless teachers and parents have ample amount of time, the desire, and guidance to try out all of these technologies, they will never catch up or surpass their children, or students, in technology expertise. That is not really the issue though. Supervision and balance is the key. It's great that students are willing to experiment and try new things, however, the one thing they may lack that adults and teachers can provide, despite their technology abilities or savvy, is how to make good ethical choices when using these technologies. Just because an adult does not fully understand how a webcam, video conferencing software, or chat room operates, does not mean that they could not sit down with their child and provide some guidance on how to act ethically online. In this model, both people become teachers and learners. The child shares their knowledge of the technology tool, while the adult shares ethical reasoning and making good choices. Together they both will learn, and the relationship and trust between the two will become stronger.
(Photo courtesy of jenliddy.wordpress.com)
It's also important to provide balance. Adults need to carve out some time in their day to share experiences with their children or students. Take the time to see what children are interested in and do online, and provide common family areas in the house where the computer can be located and not behind closed doors. Then take some time to interact offline. Whether it be a family game night, with an old fashioned board game, or a stroll in a physical park, or sharing a meal in a restaurant. Kids need good role models, and their observations and actions generally reflect what they have witnessed both online and off. Sometimes, however, they have to realize that the online world, although filled with virtual meeting places and fake identities, does not mean that human interactions between one another should be any different then that of the real world. After all, a person's true character comes out when they are alone behind closed doors. Some students feel that when they are online in their bedrooms they are in this place, even though the Internet has actually opened up it's doors to the world.
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