This week's reading from Coatney focused on being a leader for intellectual freedom within schools. Issues were addressed such as self-censorship in selection, challenges to library materials, and educating students and teachers regarding intellectual freedom.
I personally tend to get less jazzed up about intellectual freedoms than many librarians. I think that there is a level of appropriateness that needs to be maintained within schools and that those boundaries are really fuzzy. I'd like to think that I would be able to handle challenges to materials gracefully and to work around blocked sites on school computers without complaining. It's one of the challenges that you accept by working in schools, and I think that the opposite of this challenge could be just as problematic. Providing internet access to minors without any parameters isn't just dangerous but I also think that it can subject kids to things that they aren't developmentally ready to be exposed to. That can be really uncomfortable and embarrassing for children and even teens.
At the same time, I really liked Rachel (from Burns Park)'s approach: let kids use a more open search tool, but first teach kids how to respond to content that offends them. Promote positive coping skills instead of sheltering them completely. I think that there is a balance between providing appropriate parameters for internet use in schools and also teaching mechanisms for dealing with the inevitable questionable materials.
I tend to agree with you. I find that listening to parents about their concerns generally allies their concerns.
ReplyDeleteI see what you're saying - that there is some responsibility to take in protecting kids from inappropriate web content. It makes sense. However, I look at it like the give-a-man-a-fish-or-a-fishing-pole scenario. We can't protect them forever and at some point, they will interact with it - isn't it better that those first interactions happen with the assistance of a trained professional?
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should not shelter students completely from online content, but give them, as you say, positive coping skills. After all, students will come into contact with similar situations online in real life, and it is better to teach them how to respond appropriately within the safety of a school setting first.
ReplyDeleteI liked Rachel's approach, too. It tells kids, look, this stuff's out there, it's not good, here's how we can deal with it.
ReplyDeleteYour point about it being a developmental issue is important--obviously, students are going to run into all sorts of uncomfortable things eventually in life--but why prematurely place this burden on them? As they mature, slowly introduce students to more "adult" content.
ReplyDeleteYes Rachel's pre-lesson talk about dealing with the weird stuff that may be out there seemed very appropriate for the age level. Would younger kids have understood that conversation?
ReplyDeleteI'll jump on the positive coping skills bandwagon. And it's amazing how young they can deal well with conversations about positive coping skills. In preparation for an outdoor nature area field trip, some first graders had been prepped by their teacher. I was informed (by a first grader) that when you see animal scat in the wild, you should say "that's interesting" not "ewww." The rest of the class solemnly nodded their heads in agreement.
ReplyDeleteooh, ooh, I want to join in. In response to Sam, most kids don't have the luxury of being shepherded by a professional, they need to make do. I like the idea of making it simple and I also like being honest. Like Marty said, there's bad stuff out there, you're in charge of protecting yourself.
ReplyDeleteI think if we try and shelter people form the real world, even if they're first graders, they might never learn. It goes to our discussion of appropriate vocabulary, call a spade a spade from the beginning and there's no confusion.