While reading Born Digital, the introduction struck a chord and said succinctly what I’ve been trying to say for years (emphasis mine),
“There is a huge risk the we, as a society, will fail to harness the good that can come from these opportunities as we seek to head off the worst of the problems. Fear, in many cases, is leading to overreaction, which in turn could give rise to greater problems as young people take detours around the roadblocks we thing we are erecting.”
Too many times, our schools block websites, social networks, and brilliant content rather than emphasize education and appropriate use of these tools. Most of the time, the decision makers don’t even know what it is they are banning. They act out of fear.
When Davenport area schools blocked MySpace (two years ago), there was a surge of new membership for MySpace in that region. Rather than teach students how to use these tools to better themselves, we just ban them? It still goes on today! Glad we didn’t do that with cars (a much more dangerous instrument than a computer).
A 21st Century Learning System must start at the top, but we also must have chain-reaction support — a simultaneous clarion call to action — from teachers, parents, media, lawmakers, and even students.
A program like TechAngels, where students are teaching teachers technology, can go a long way to bridging this divide and better preparing our future.
Scott McLeod is leading such a charge in Iowa, and I’d love to hear from others elsewhere who are doing likewise.
Follow Mike Sansone on Twitter or Facebook or on Google+
Find Your Social Media ROI
I hear it from a lot of business owners: “Where is the ROI with all this Social Media?“ If this is a question you ask yourself, maybe we should work together a bit more. We can work together solo, or via a professional learning community. Find and increase your ROI. There is a “there” there.
