Mar 012008
I don’t know how many times I have made almost exactly this point in my Media Literacy sessions, but it is great to hear it from NY Times’ Columnist David Pogue.
“Sure, there are dangers. But they’re hugely overhyped by the media. The tales of pedophiles luring children out of their homes are like plane crashes: they happen extremely rarely, but when they do, they make headlines everywhere. The Internet is just another facet of socialization for the new generation; as always, common sense and a level head are the best safeguards.”
Big media sells news, usually sensationalized stories that do not represent realities of the context. Read the rest of the article here.
See also “I’m telling you for the last time“.
Related posts:
David just keynoted our state edtech conference yesterday. Before he went on, one of our state organizations showed a video on predators. David did not back away from it at all and reiterated what he wrote in the article. There were a few squirmers in the audience at that point.
I believe we need to teach kids how to use the internet and when things pop up unexpectedly then we deal with them. My youngest son also had an experience with some graphic pictures when he was doing a project. We talked about it and life went on. I had viewed the Frontline program, Growing up on Line and even recommended it to our director. My boys watched it with me and from the viewing came great conversations. I agree with the author that “common sense and a level head are the best safeguards”.