* agcrum's List: domineBookResearch

This little incident came across an educational listserv not long ago. While teaching her students how to find information on the Internet, an elementary teacher found that the Google search engine had been blocked by her district's filter. She expressed her frustration to her class. Quietly, one of her students sidled up to her and whispered, "Try google.ca (the Canadian version of Google). They haven't got that one yet." She did, it worked and class continued.

The Cool Technology Paradox: A technology is no longer cool once adults adopt it. Therefore, no adults will ever use a cool technology.

The media is alive with concerns about measures and methods to control children's and young adults' access to the Internet. (See Seven Things All Adults Should Know About My Space.) Congress, already having mandated filters with the Children's Internet Protection Act, is now attempting to pass DOPA, the Defense against Online Predators Act, which would require schools to block student access to all blogs (most notably MySpace), wikis, chatrooms…well, nearly every resource that might be described as Web 2.0.

the online bookmarking site del.icio.us. In many ways, it’s the poster child for what is commonly called Web 2.0 -- the social web, the read-write web.

Responsible educators recognize that schools must give students the understandings and skills they need to stay safe outside of school, which is where studies show most Internet use by young people occurs. Over-filtered school networks set up a false sense of security; the real world of the Internet is quite different from the Internet at school.

As educators, our primary focus must be on helping young people develop effective filtering and blocking systems that reside in the hardware that sits on their shoulders. Included: The four core components of a successful online safety strategy.

The Children's Internet Protection Act requires that school districts develop an Internet safety plan addressing the unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal identification information regarding minors. School districts need to consider a variety of issues as they attempt to comply with this safety plan requirement. Learn what those issues are and discover how your district can ensure student privacy online.

Without a doubt, the youth online concern that’s most impacting schools is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful material or by engaging in other forms of social aggression using the Internet or other digital technologies.

As we begin a new school year, it appears as though issues related to youth risk online and Internet use management will be high on the “radar” in many schools. Following the lead of Virginia, many states also are beginning to require that students be instructed in Internet safety.

Teens and their parents generally think use of the Internet enhances the social life and academic work of children. However, the Internet has a pivotal role in the lives of American teenagers, and there are aspects of the Internet that cause strain and make children and their parents worry that these technologies are not an unqualified good in teens’ lives.

Beyond legitimate assistance with studies via websites, or email or Instant message communication with teachers, students also take advantage of the Internet to cheat, with 18% of students reporting knowing someone who used the Internet to do so.

Depending on whom you talk to in a school, social networking sites are either the most exciting new Internet platform yet —or the most dangerous and problematical.

Across the country news reporters have published a deluge of articles concerning a web site called MySpace. Why have so many articles been written in concerning this one web site? What is MySpace? What are the concerns? And how can educators help to address the concerns?

Young people clearly have embraced the Internet as a tool for socializing. Unfortunately, though, there are increasing reports of teenagers, and sometimes younger children, using the Internet to engage in cyberbullying—being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful material or engaging in other forms of social cruelty.

Ally, my 13-year-old daughter has discovered Club Penguin, a virtual environment for kids. Using a penguin avatar, she wanders about the virtual South Pole, where she frequently stops to chat with strangers. Incredibly risky, you say?

Sara, an eighth grader, enters her middle school library, which draws the attention of Molly, the school’s media specialist. Lately, the teen has seemed depressed. Now, as Molly watches Sara using a computer in the library, she grows even more concerned. Sara is reading something online that is obviously upsetting her. As Molly approaches, Sara quickly switches screens, then logs off. Grabbing her books, the girl rushes from the library in tears.

In this, the first of a series of columns addressing youth risk online, cyber safety expert Nancy Willard provides an overview of the various aspects of that risk. Future columns will delve more deeply into specific areas of risk and provide insights into how to address them.

In my last column, I discussed specific youth-risk online issues. In this column, I'll address some of the foundational concerns that cut across many of the specific online risks.

Why is it that teens make unsafe or irresponsible choices online? Of course, we know that all teens from time to time make unsafe or irresponsible choices in the real world. This column will explore some of the factors that are implicated in online decision making, which includes those factors that influence real-world decision making -- and a cyber-twist.

Except for the occasional plagiarized passage or unattributed reference in student research papers, most veteran K-12 educators have had little experience dealing with copyright issues in their classrooms. With the advent of the Internet, however, their need to know about copyright law and to understand its implications for such activities as Internet research, downloading programs and documents, creating class Web sites, and installing software on school networks has increased dramatically.