Oh the Places We Will Go...

One of the things that I've enjoyed most about this blog is that it has led to me meeting a variety of interesting people in education from all over the country and the world. At the bottom of the page there is a "Clustr Map" that counts visits to the page, as well as identifies from where those visits originate. It has been fascinating for me to see first hand how this digital medium can make the world smaller, as people from all over have somehow happened upon my ramblings here.

Ultimately, this is a great benefit to this form of communication, and a strong reason to encourage our students to explore content creation on the web with reasonable limits and precautions. The opportunity to gain perspectives from other young people across the globe is kind of a "pen pal" on steroids.

When I was an elementary age student, one of my teachers established a written correspondence plan with a teacher and her students in Mexico. Each student in our class got a single pen pal, and we communicated and learned about each others' country and life. By way of the Internet, today's students can establish contacts with multiple people across the globe in seconds, and maintain those relationships. Through this practice, there is a real opportunity for people to learn more about each other. Through that understanding, today's young people have a real opportunity to build a better, more understanding world community for the future.

Like most exciting opportunities, digital communication comes with responsibilities, and it is incumbent upon parents and educators to impress upon our students guidelines and safety procedures to ensure the development of appropriate web relationships. With the right guidelines in place, we can't even imagine "the places they will go...".