Perhaps every generation that experiences a major, powerful change faces this same dilemma. Powerful tools can be dangerous, even when they are extremely useful. Gunpowder. Lasers. Cell phones with cameras.

Cell phones, being fraught with danger? I’m not talking about brain tumors from overuse, either. The recent New York Times article, Teenagers Misbehaving, for All Online to Watch – New York Times has me thinking.

The article details that children are misbehaving for the camera phone–the images are then uploaded onto the web. They are hoping for notoriety. Is this notoriety causing students to act in new and more dangerous ways? It’s worrisome. I appreciated Chris Lehman’s thoughtful post about this article, especially:

We have no choice but to teach students to own the stories they tell about themselves and to consider thoughtfully and powerfully the way in which they allow their online persona to be created — much like we would talk to them about the way they portray themselves offline. We cannot pretend these things aren’t happening, and we cannot pretend that the curriculum of schools cannot teach kids about all of this.

The Dark Side of Web 2.0 and Kids – Practical Theory

He’s right, we have no choice. And we can’t pretend these things aren’t happening. I appreciate the imperative nature of Chris’ statements, since I know there are parents and teachers out there who will be hoping to put the issue off for later. We have a duty to our students and children, a duty not to sidestep the issue and let our young people explore these new tools unaccompanied by older guides who care about them–even if, sometimes, the older people have less web2.0 presence than the younger!

It is difficult to have discussions about behavior when it is behavior you don’t expect or anticipate. That’s one reason why we parents and teachers need to explore these new tools, too. And why it is good to be sure our children have a balanced introduction to these web2.0 things.

Balance. We don’t want to encourage misbehavior by glamorizing or inspiring it, but we have to talk about the possibilities and responsibilities. It is not good to broach some important topics too late OR too soon (educators and parents must work out when to introduce some often hot-button topics, such as gun safety, stranger danger, and online safety and behavior). We won’t be able to anticipate all of the possibilities. We have some naive parents, teachers, and kids in the mix, with some students out there in the web20 world before we expect them to be.

My Quaker and librarian background doesn’t look lightly on censorship. We can’t hope to respond just by restricting cell phones and filtering the internet at school (that’s only putting the responsibility for teaching web wisdom off onto others). Our students are using these tools at home, on the bus, in the cafe or public library–even those students without home access get some exposure.

I think we older people need to prepare to be good guides by exploring the powerful, useful practices web20 will allow. As Will Richardson says, we need to get out there and use these tools ourselves. In addition, we need to keep up to date and knowledgeable about what our young people are doing. One powerful way: begin a conversation with them. Explore alongside them. Ask them to show you what they know and do online.

I have an example that shows how clever some of our children are, and how hard it is to see all the possible wrinkles before they do. It’s also an example of how important it is to have the conversation, and anticipate good responses with them. Some 9 to 11 year old students were talking about the very popular Club Penguin site with me. I mentioned some of the features of the site that help protect kids and help parents feel good about letting their children play there. I asserted that some people would always try and see what they could get away with, and that no site will be perfect. One 11 year old offered a tale of being invited to a “bad word” party at someone’s igloo. She went, not thinking it would be anything really bad (yes, we talked about avoiding the urge to check out this kind of thing, later). The igloo owner had avoided the chat filters by arranging his furniture into a bad word! She was quite shocked, and responded appropriately by reporting the igloo owner. I was glad that she shared her experience with her classmates. We had a good conversation.

It was about a week later when I noticed my son seeking attention on that same website. He had sent a chat message out to everyone at a popular gathering spot. He asked the other penguins nearby, “Who wants to hear a ghost story?” Phew. That kind of notoriety I can deal with.

I have been experimenting with my new avatars at Club Penguin and on Second Life, learning how to navigate in these virtual worlds. (I’ll have more to blog about them, soon.) I have to do this exploration at home, not because of any restriction the school imposes on me, but because of our school’s wonderful, scenic, rural location. The school’s internet access comes via satellite. There are no plans for anything else. No cable. No DSL. Certainly no T1 line. We’re just too far out. Satellite’s inherent lag time does not allow for users to interact with others over it on-line in real-time. Satellite isn’t good enough for virtual reality, for Club Penguin, or Second Life. I am lucky to live in a town 15 miles away, where my street recently acquired dsl service.

I’m seeing the possibilities of our new, “flat world.” But just as the web 1.0 and 2.0 flattened the world, web 3.0 (3-d?) could disjunct it – many of my students are experiencing geographic or economic isolation.

Not only do I see the need for our rural students to have a better internet connection than they have available just to participate in these online developments, some of these web3-D experiences demand a very powerful computer, too.

Strangely, it happens that all of the girls in 3rd grade only have phone modem access at home. All of the boys in the third grade not only have access, they all have Club Penguin accounts. The boys are talking about “chatting” and “logging on to particular servers” and “taking virtual tours” and “buddy lists,” and the girls are just—quiet.

Some of our students are living in a different world (out by the cowfields).

How do I give them a genuine experience and the skills and savvy they are missing out on? They have all enjoyed pencil and paper role plays for safe online chatting with a game I made up (avoid, evade, confront, etc.), although only the boys will be applying those skills anytime soon. And really, no 3rd grade girls’ parents are probably anxious for their children to start chatting on-line! But, eventually …

When these girls do finally get access, they will feel less comfortable than their male peers, their classmates will be worlds ahead of them. They will not know how to manipulate their avatars, about how to choose buddies, how to log on to particular servers, etc. Play is an effective way to acquire and remember those technical skills (remember how the Windows Minesweeper and solitaire games that came with the pc got you to practice using a mouse?). I know that I felt the need to learn to use my keyboard in a whole new way in Second Life…using keys as controls for movements, triggers for camera angles, and such. Because I’ve never practiced using the keyboard that way before this point, I’ll probably always play those games with a certain clumsiness.

So, when I read a recent post by Scott Mcleod

“I think we also need a BHAG: a big, hairy, audacious goal. … I’ve been thinking a lot about this and I can’t come up with anything better than this:

1. ubiqitous nationwide high-speed wireless Internet access, and

2. a wireless-capable laptop for every student and educator.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone with really big money reads his blog? Do you think I should send a copy along to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with an invitation to put a T1 line through to a small, not-for-profit school in rural PA?

I wonder if the Foundation has a kiosk, or island, in Second Life where I can make contact?