Teaching About The Cyber World In Schools

This seems to be becoming a bit of a popular topic, where I have made a comment or two here and there about.  I think our schools are having a hard enough time teaching and keeping kids interested in the basics, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.  Then add to that Social Studies and Sciences, and schools are running out of daylight.  I know that is a small exaggeration I admit, but many schools are struggling with funding and the like to even keep basic Vocational or Music Departments and Arts teachings going on.  When it comes to computers, I see schools do teach things about popular software packages and the computer itself physically.  I have seen 6th graders being taught about some things on the Net, but am unaware if they are being taught about “Al Gore having Invented the Internet”.  OK I had to toss that in there.  I will say though, that tossing in Social Networking and Online Netiquette (How to act Online) classes could possibly be a class all on its own for 9 weeks.  Teaching proper Online Netiquette could be of benefit, I am not saying kids could not benefit from this, but I just don’t see where schools could fit it in.

The benefits of teaching Online Netiquette are highly beneficial, I am not arguing that.  Teaching children to guard their personal data, please do.  My only question is, should it be part of a school’s curriculum?
Here in lies the question…Do you hamper a school’s ability to teach our children, by throwing so much at them to try and cram into the children’s head?  Children are learning much faster on their own, when it comes to going Online or texting with their cell phones.  They don’t want to be bored with what Google is or what the big box on the floor is.  They want to fly period.  We add Social Networking and ID Protection to the curriculum and you are going to bore many of the kids.  Personally kids are on the Net more for socializing than probably anything else.  Where and When do kids socialize the most online?  Mostly from home, whether it is their own laptop or the home’s (Centrally Located) computer or their Internet capable cell phone.

It is important for kids to utilize all these devices responsibly.  That is not in question.  I just think that this is something that the parents should be teaching to their children.  I know we are all so busy, but these are our children and their safety we are talking about.  Oh yes safety has come into the conversation.  How can we expect our teachers to raise our children though?  Safety in real life or Cyber Life requires that the education start at home.  I really can’t put that any clearer, in my opinion.  Teachers certainly have an interest in our children’s education, they are the educators.  How can we expect them to raise so many children though?  We, as parents, make most of the decisions for our children.  We also are supposed to teach them right from wrong, in my opinion, in Real Life and why not Cyber Life?  We provide them with the technology to get online.  Do we not teach them because we are intimidated by the technology we provide them?  How do we know the food is good that we feed them?  We try it first.  You are not expected to be an expert, just familiarize yourself with it.

Back to the topic, I suppose.  I think that having speakers come into the schools and give presentations and talks about Internet Safety i.e. Internet Predators, Cyberbullying and Sexting every so often is just as beneficial to the students, without burdening a School District with trying to figure out yet another lesson to shove into an already tight curriculum.  I am certainly not defending School Districts that are not doing the job of educating our children, but we need to keep in mind that the money does not grow on trees for these districts.

Thee are groups that will come in for free.  I would imagine most State Attorneys General offices have free speaking programs about online safety and Netiqutte, as Pennsylvania does.  I have spoken for the past three years at middles schools.  The targeted grades are 6th, 7th and 8th.  It is moving closer to 5th, but I think that would require some finesse at that low of a grade level.  By 8th grade the kids feel they know everything about the Internet and the technologies used to navigate it, so they are a bit harder to get through to.  I was seated in the back of an auditorium during an AG’s presentation on Online Safety and the older kids were in the back and I bet 20 to 30% were not even paying attention.

At the end of the day, I believe it is up to the parents to educate their children about Online Safety just as we would educate them on Stranger Danger in the real world.  The school does not teach our children to not run out onto the road without looking We, as parents,  Do.