I just watched the PBS Frontline special Growing Up Online. PBS has made the full version of the program available online, along with extended clips, discussion boards, and chat room (live on Wednesday 01/22 at 11 a.m. ET).
While
I am quite familiar with the issues and technologies highlighted in the
piece, I was pleasantly surprised by the balanced vibe of the program.
The fear of helicopter parents faced with a cavernous digital divide is
addressed, but so is the fact that much of the hysteria is overblown.
It is little wonder that this tightly controlled generation has taken
to the Internet as an open social outlet. What is not lost within the
piece is that the Internet is our new reality and that it is better for
adults to understand the online world and appreciate the abilities of
their children to negotiate it, rather than attempt to ignore or block
its existence. As several kids in the piece noted, if they are blocked
from access they will simply go elsewhere to connect to their online
lives.
- Jennifer Maddrell’s blog
- 284 reads
Growing Up Online
school district’s such as the Ohio one that is mandating all teachers
either not set up MySpace or Facebook accounts or shut down any they
have. It is better for teachers (and parents) to have open
communication with their students and teens and discuss living and
learning in their reality.