Oh, for crying out loud.
Australian educator Al Upton has been ordered by the government to shut down his class blog. Apparently a parent - despite previously giving permission for their little darling to participate in an innovative, authentic learning activity with other students and teachers from around the globe - got upset that said little darling's picture was not removed faster than it was technically possible. Said clueless parent threatened legal action and contacted the Aussie Feds.
Look, I have kids, and I understand a parent's concerns. And if you read this blog you'll understand that I am hardly a libertine. But the risks to kids from online predators have been grossly overstated. And besides, these kids are in Australia! Are the little darlings really at risk from people who live on the OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET?!?! Hull-lo?
Let's just put the kids in a barrel and feed them through the bunghole. Then they'll really be safe.
Addendum:
Nancy White has a typically wiser and more thoughful response over at Full Circle. I'm still a bit too cranky to be wise and thoughtful at the moment.
Friday, March 14, 2008
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1 comment:
This is regrettable, though totally believable. Folks who reveal their personal lives are now getting knocked out of their jobs, and soon I'd wager, their whole careers.
What's lead to this? Fear. I wager some is the fear of predators, but more likely it's the fear that children might be exposed to something that the parents can't control. Well, they should open their eyes. Those same kids are forced to hear about wars, imprisonments, and politics at school. Those kids are forced to compete, yes compete with other students. Are parents afraid of that too?
Gah, I'd rather risk my son being exposed to radical ideas than no ideas at all.
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