The 21st century teaching has left the 20th century in dust choking. It is hard to believe that I learned enough to get me this far in life. The advantages of computers and social networking have given students a plethora of avenues to search and discover. I see how the work environment and the social networks are changing, and will continue to change. However, I am not positive I believe in all that it can do for us. I am not sure I want my son or daughter meeting their mate on the Internet 1, 000 of miles away and not get to know them in person. As humans we always have to implement safe guards in our lives to protect us, but how do you protect someone from the entire world? I become excited by what is out their, and terrified that something might find me. Having a social network makes me feel vulnerable and not always safe.
With that said, I love the access I have as a educator and the assignments I able to give. The 21st century classroom has so much more to offer. The hard part of it all is making sure the students are on legitimate sites and their information is from a reliable source. They can see the world in a way that I never would have thought possible. Students today can handle so much more information because they are used to multi tasking and changing their listening and viewing mediums. It is amazing stuff, and I will jump on for the ride. However, I know I will not skydive into the unknown.
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Your concern for safety in the "virtual" world is no different than the concern our parents had for us growing up in the "real" world. The best we can hope to do is to teach our children well-- to equip them with the skills they need to sort the good from the bad, no matter where it is.
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