Spindles

"If something bad can happen to even one child it shouldn’t be done" – paraphrased comment from meeting of a variety of DECS and AEU (Australian Education Union) representatives, Al Upton, and his Principal


In order to protect their beloved daughter, the King and Queen in "Sleeping Beauty" took the extraordinary step of banning spindles from their kingdom. Never having seen or handled such a tool, the young woman had no idea of either its utility or danger.

"The years went by, the little Princess grew and became the most beautiful girl in the whole kingdom. Her mother was always very careful to keep her away from spindles, but the Princess, on her sixteenth birthday, as she wandered through the castle, came into a room where an old servant was spinning.

"What are you doing?" she asked the servant.

"I'm spinning. Haven't you seen a spindle before?"

"No. Let me see it!" The servant handed the girl the spindle ... and she pricked herself with it and. with a sigh, dropped to the floor." - Charles Perault, La Belle au Bois dormant (The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood)

Sleep, ignorance, inexperience are no substitute for vigilance, knowledge, guided practice. Graham Wegner wonders about the nature of risks:

If one child could slip and possibly fall with injurious consequences, then there is risk. But the benefits of the playground far outweigh the negatives - the learning, the gaining of skills, the creation of games and the friendship of playing with your mates. And we are careful with the playground environment - no sharp edges, designs that cater for a variety of skill levels, soft fall on the ground, rules for safe play, teacher supervision - so that the risks are managed and lead to beneficial learning of physical skills.

Why would we treat the risks regarding, say, the use of blogs in the classroom any differently? Why do risks associated with technology seem to be so threatening that shutting down and banning is seen as the appropriate way to deal with it? And are those responsible for recommending or enforcing these methods really in touch with real or perceived risks?

Although both Al Upton and his Australian colleague, Sue Waters, stress that "They [Upton and his principal] are after constructive helpful comments and thoughts; and a balanced discussion of the issues," comments from the meeting seem to indicate that the miniLegends blog would have to be stripped of all interactive components to pass muster.

"Their key concerns are to make sure everyone is protected against all risks." Is such a thing possible?

The hedge of thorns that protected the sleeping princess will not spring up to shelter our students. The spindles in their world may not be as dangerous as the measures taken to ban them.

If schools are not allowed to teach children Internet safety and digital citizenship, how and when will they learn?

"Sharp Thorns" by katmere
"Familie mit Frau am Spinnrad" by Hermann Sondermann
"The Sleeping Beauty" by Sir Edward Burne-Jones

Listen

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” -Shel Silverstein


While the adults continue their discussion about the Australian Order for Closure of Al Upton's miniLegends blog and the forced resignation of Jabiz Raisdana, the Intrepid Teacher, students have begun adding their voices to the conversation.

From Jabiz' Students in Qatar:

We will all miss you in our own special ways. Even if we don’t cry on the outside we will be crying on the inside.
I will continue posting on my blog regularly. You won’t be able to read my posts, but they will be inspired by you. -Natasha

You’ve opened my mind to a whole new world and perspective I never looked at. You were the only teacher to knew and understand me well. In my head, I felt all of what happened was unfair, but I knew it was for the good of….umm…something I don’t really understand at the moment.
Humanities was a class I really looked forward to in the beginning of the day. Global Issues Club was something I became very passionate in. Everything you taught was something new and interesting to learn.
Most of all, Thank You for teaching me and believe that we could do anything if we put our minds into it.
I believe that you deserve a second chance..We all do.. In my heart..you will always be the inspiring, kind, caring and fun teacher you are… -Nabila

You made Language Arts class more fun, and more interesting. We didnt sit there and read text books, or memorize vocabulary… you taught us about life. And how to educating ourselves is the most important thing. I want you to know that you have taught me alot. And even though you are not teaching at our school anymore, i will always think of you as my teacher, no matter who they replace you with. -Kelly

Out of all of my language arts classes ever, I truly and sincerely think I learned the most from yours. You didn’t teach us about grammar and puncuation. You taught us something more important, how to learn, and how to be a better person. -Randa

When I first saw you I thought that you were some loony computer guy that was inspired about how cool programs are on the computer, but now I look at you as a man who didn’t care about grades but on how we could succeed throughout life, a man who encourages growing awareness on all the world, someone who knows that everyone is ignorant including himself but tries his very best to find out more, a person that strives for cooperation, not competition, and last but not least a man that knows exactly who he wants to influence people. -Will

From Al's Students in Australia:

When I found out that our blogs were closing down, I felt confused, sad and angry. I felt really sad because I felt that all Al had taught us had gone to waste. We had a vote on a name for our new forum. The new name for our forum is Article 13. It means Rights for the Child. I felt better with my blog in many ways.
>Writing and reciving comments.
>Cammunicating with other people.
and lots of other reasons. -By mini22

Hi Al when I heard that the blog was closed I was sad because the blog was like everything in my life . But now it is closed so we just have to do samething that is like the blog . The blog was great and fun I loved my blog it was like my home . And I like are fourm name. -mini2

when I found out my blog was shutdown
I was so so sad.
I did not feel safe at all .
I really wont to have my blog back.
I love geting new friends on my blog.
I Love the work i did. I love geting dots on my map. -mini27

I felt very sad and unhappy and it was horbl and was it’s save and sabe .and it’s is fun and it is not fun with out my blog and it is horbl when you need the thing you need. -mini3

Mr. Crosby's class, Sparks, Nevada, offered some cyber safety tips to the miniLegends:

Al: When my 5th graders heard about what was going on with your class they really wanted to help. Most of my students are second language learners … originally spoke Spanish or Vietnamese so blogging is a great opportunity for them to work on their English. I hope they kept their comments on a positive encouraging note and that in some way their words help with your situation. -Brian Crosby

I heard they blocked your blogs, that is too bad!!!! That has happened to us for like eight hours. But the reason they did it is because they are doing it to keep us safe and keep bad people away from our information. We can learn many things from blogging like getting better at your post because you find the mistakes, learn how to write stories, find mistakes and learn where people are blogging from. I have improved in writing my stories, reading comments and editing my writing. Be safe by not putting your information like not putting your last names, where you live, don’t put parents name, don’t put phone numbers and don’t put what school you go to OKAY!!!!!We hope you guys get your blogs back so we can blog. -Karla

I know that your class and ours can’t blog no more but we could try to vote for blogging I know that your kids are disappointed but you just got to tell then to not put there last name in there story or they will be endanger. They are not supposed to tell in there story want time there friend get out of school or how they say with or want is there phone number is or there friend last name. Like one of the kids put the first and last name of someone in the class and that can tell some bad guy some information and if they see him they can tell him thing that are not true then the bad guy or woman can kidnap them and that’s why I think they block blogging. -Victor

I think that your blogs getting blocked is not cool but I think your blogs got blocked because people worried that somebody was going to find out stuff about you. I think that your blog should have not gotten blocked because it helps you in alot of subjects like reading, writing and punctuation. -Everth

I’am a 5th grader in the USA I have something to tell you so here I go. People want your kids to be safe on the internet. People want your kids not to give away any information. I think your kids should have a right to blog because they will learn how to read, write,spell and what ever you wanting right in front of them and you are taking that chance away from them.
PS. As third graders I hope you get your blogs back because you might never get another chance like this. -Jazmin

You can hear the passion and commitment in the voices of these pre-teens, as they honor a teacher who "didn’t care about grades but on how we could succeed throughout life" and discuss their newfound ability to connect and communicate with other people while still having fun.

One young mini cuts to the heart of the matter when he/she comments "when I found out my blog was shutdown I was so so sad. I did not feel safe at all .I really wont to have my blog back."

Safety was supposed to be the crux of the matter, the overriding concern that compelled parents to demand that steps be taken to ensure the welfare of their children.

The American students have obviously been carefully taught "not to put there last name in there story or they will be endanger." Yet their responses contain the town and state where they live, their first names, grade level, and teacher's name. Does this increase their online vulnerability? If, as many studies suggest, the real danger is not from adult cyber stalkers but rather from cyber bullies, does this, or any, type of identity screening offer adequate protection? What do children need to learn to remain safe while becoming competent, confident Internet users?

Mini3 says "it is not fun with out my blog and it is horbl when you need the thing you need." Jazmin notes "As third graders I hope you get your blogs back because you might never get another chance like this."

Adults are depriving these students of the chance to learn and grow. We can't shelter them from every danger, but we can help them to acquire the knowledge they need to protect themselves. Schools and parents should become partners in cyber safety education. Otherwise, we leave our children confused and vulnerable, unprepared to function in the world that they already inhabit.



"Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time." -Chinese Proverb


"Oct_06_085" by heymarchetti

A Heavy Armor

"Suspicion is a heavy armor and with its weight it impedes more than it protects." -Robert Burns

In response to parental concerns about online predators, Australian teacher Al Upton has been given an Order of Closure by the Risk and Management/Special Investigations Unit from the South Australian Education Department. Mr. Upton's 8- and 9-year-old students will no longer be able to continue their hugely successful miniLegends blogging project, which has run for five years without incident.

Many educational bloggers have already responded to this action. Fellow Australian, Sue Waters, says that Upton would prefer that we

use this opportunity to inform/educate parents and Education Departments of the value of blogging for learners and to discuss the true realities of cyberstalking /bullying.

Anne Mirtschin listed 20 reasons why students should blog. SkyDaddy is too angry to reply in that vein at the moment, but he refers readers to a thoughtful post by Nancy White concerning the benefits of student Internet use.

A few days ago, Wesley Fryer summarized research done by the University of New Hampshire’s Crimes Against Children Research Center. He concludes

The message of these studies and this article is similar to mine in workshops and presentations I share on Internet Safety and online social networking: There ARE risks associated with online communication, but in many cases the media has overblown them and we need to take a more balanced, realistic approach as educators, parents and community leaders.

Many school-aged children spend unsupervised time on home computers. Conscientious parents are alarmed by stories of online predators and cyber bullying but don't have the skills or knowledge to instruct their children in digital safety. The classroom is the logical place for students to receive safety instruction and participate in guided practice.


Our children and teen-agers must have fluency in communication and collaboration to be successful in the world they inhabit. Rather than encase them in armor, we should arm them with knowledge.

*Update: Sue Waters has collected Blogger and Twitter reactions to the Order of Closure here.


"There is only one good - knowledge; and only one evil - ignorance." –Socrates


"Metropolitan Museum of Art (10)" by maggie loves hopey