We Have One Question To Ask

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My new book about digital citizenship is well underway and should be done in about a month. What follows precedes Chapter One and appears alone in the center of the page as a way of setting the tone of the book.

We have one primary question to answer in terms of planning education for our children. How we answer this question will determine a great deal about how we approach educating our kids now and well into the future. The question is simply this: Do we consider students to have one life or two?

The “two lives” perspective contends that our students should live traditional educational lives at school, much like their parents did, and live their digital lives outside of school. It says that the technology that kids use is too expensive, problematic or distracting to integrate into teaching and learning. It says that issues concerning the personal, social and environmental impacts of living a digital, technological lifestyle have no place in a school curriculum. It says that kids will have to make the connections between life as they experience it and the world beyond school on their own.

The “one life” perspective says that if schools don’t make it their primary mission to help kids understand not only how to use technology, but also when and why, then we have no right to expect them to grow up to be the citizens we want them to be and that the world needs them to be. It says that if we don’t help our digital kids balance personal empowerment with a sense of community responsibility, then future generations will inherit a world that does not represent anyone’s dream of what is best for humanity. It says that if we don’t understand that schools are exactly the place for kids to learn how to use technology not only effectively and creatively but also wisely, then god help us all.