District Administration - September 2012 - (Page 86)

Professional oPinion • nancy Willard Protecting Children in the 21st Century To keep children safe, it is necessary to ensure that they have the values and skills to make good choices. he Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act added a provision to the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requiring that schools that receive E-rate and other technology funds educate minors about appropriate online behavior. This includes showing students how to interact with other individuals on social networking Web sites and in chat rooms, and teaching them about cyberbullying awareness and response. In its regulations, the FCC did not detail specific procedures or curriculum for schools to use in educating students because, in its opinion, these determinations are better made by schools. The FCC also specifically declined to interpret terms such as “social networking” or “cyberbullying.” Further, there is no stated requirement for schools to document that every student has received this safety instruction. Some companies selling Internet safety curriculum are touting that their reporting resource will help schools avoid losing an FCC audit. If the FCC intended to audit schools’ compliance with this new provision by requiring schools to provide such extensive documentation, it would have stated so in the regulations. With CIPA issues, the FCC has always taken the position that it will trust the good faith of the schools that they are in compliance. A middle school educational-technology coordinator told me that she once was teaching a lesson about online predators. The students were told that online strangers were dangerous and deceptive, and that they would try to arrange a meeting with the students to harm them (the word “sex” was not used). In addition, the course materials suggested that if students posted 86 September 2012 T These fear-based messages have the potential of undermining the transition to 21st-century learning environments. their name, address, school name, team name or phone number online, dangerous strangers would track them down and abduct them. A young girl asked, “How will they hurt you?” A fellow student responded, “They will rape you.” “What’s rape?” the girl asked. The teacher was totally unprepared to discuss this. This story illustrates the current challenges. The information presented was not grounded in the data and research on actual online risks. Fear-based messages do not prevent risky behavior, especially when students are advised that normative online behavior is dangerous. Yes, there are risks associated with communicating online with people one does not know in person, and yes, it is important to make safe choices when posting personal information. Students need to know what the actual risks are and how to manage their own behavior to avoid and, if necessary, respond to negative situations. The story also shows that an educational technology coordinator is not typically prepared to provide instruction that relates to sexual exploitation. Health teachers and counselors have the expertise to support this instruction. Lastly, these kinds of fear-based messages have the potential of significantly undermining the necessary transition to 21st-century learning environments. Moving into Action What can and should educators do to ensure the delivery of effective Internet safety instruction? • Establish a multidisciplinary coordinating team. Include educational technology specialists, school librarians, counselors and health teachers. • Ensure professional development. All members of this team, and ultimately the District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2012

District Administration - September/October 2012
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Product Focus
Resistance to High-Stakes Testing Spreads
Postgraduation for Special Needs Students
Rick & Becky DuFour
CIo News
Getting the Best ROI in Technology
Shaping a Digital Decade
Professional Opinion
Professional Opinion
Online Edge
Going Mobile
New Products
New Directions

District Administration - September 2012