Chapter One interestingly points out that kids were once doing very dangerous things at a young age! Working in factories, doing "adult" jobs, and being exposed to adult realities like death. I think our natural inclination is to try and protect students, especially younger students, from all of the "tragedies" and possible injuries of the world. However, as educators, it is our duty to help these students navigate these difficult issues in order to learn how to handle the world once they have left school and are on there own. According to Chapter One, many students deal with poverty and other issues which might make school the only place they have an opportunity to interact with different media.
What is interesting, and what the chapter points out, is that while we sometimes make fun of students for instantly flipping their cell phones out at 3:30 when the bell rings, adults do the same thing! We sometimes say that students can't sit for 40 mins and take notes, but some staff meetings also contain teachers who are not happy sitting for an hour or more just listening about a topic. We tend to teach students like we were taught and have not accepted that things have changed.
How do we cope with the fears of Web 2.0? It seems in most cases we are overprotective and overcautious. It seems like instead of trying ways to adapt an idea or attempt to work with a teacher on an idea, the immediate answer is no. However, many of the fears of Web 2.0 have less to do with technology and more to do with the way the world changed. How can we change parents', administrators' and teachers' understanding of the way the world, information, and communication is changing? How can we keep up with these changes? How do we provide our students with the equipment and opportunities needed to ready them for the world? How can we integrate these skills with our curriculum and high stakes testing expectations?
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