When I started reading Thornburgh and Lin's chapter I was very interested in the idea of the Internet as an educational tool and a way to help teach our youth. For me personally I primarily use the Internet to email, use UBLearns and school websites, visit corporate websites, and shop, which may make me sound shallow. However, I do like to be informed but I still have not made the transition to using the Internet to learn what is going on around me. My first instinct is always to go to print media whether it is books or newspapers and then I next go to radio and television. I guess I am in a rut but I don't yet feel fully comfortable with trusting the Internet as a news source or a research source. This is due to the problem of credibility that plagues the Internet.
It can be very difficult if not impossible to distinguish a credible well researched and documented source from one that is based purely on opinion and heresy or maybe pure fiction. There are certain cues that can be used like .org and .edu being more trustworthy than .com, but this can only take you so far. Thornburgh and Lin said "the use of the Internet to enhance and transform education for the nation's youth," but without knowing how to judge the validity and respectability of a source the Internet can not "enhance" the education of children.
Giving somebody a useful and potentially powerful tool is not enough in order to achieve success. Without proper knowledge of how to use it the tool is essentially useless and without power. Educating children of how to use the Internet will help them to find the most effective and well-respected sites on the Internet. Also as an added benefit children will be able to learn how to avoid sites that could potentially be dangerous to them and be educated on those pedophiles who are out there waiting to take advantage of them.
I agree that other techniques need to be used to help protect our youth, but I don't think relying on technology is the answer. The Internet is not the only arena in which children are at risk so children need to be ready and capable of recognizing a threat. To do this parents and guardians need to take an active role and the public school system should also pay an active role. I know that schools are concerned with angering some parents by informing their children on more serious topics, but I think teaching children street smarts and common sense needs to become a priority.
