A few months ago I was invited to a conference on IT and Children and I was surprised most of the people who attended it agreed on their fear for their children´s Internet safety. Undoubtedly, this point of view is completely logical and normal given the magnitude of the dangers lurking on the network but it cannot lead us to veto this essential tool not only for the development of children but for society as a whole.
From my point of view, it´s quite worrying that a young person cannot cope with the web since it is a necessary tool for the contemporary world as Dr. Mimi Ito points out. In addition, several studies claim there is a gap between those who have access to the web and those who not.
At this point, I would like to emphasize the importance of introducing and educating our kids in the internet. However, this is not going to be, for instance, like good manners due to the inability of parents to carry out this task not only because many of them don´t know anything about the web but also because of their fear to it, which is, as I have said before, absolutely understandable.
Therefore, it´s essential that our governments become aware of the importance of this tool and its education not only to use it in a responsible way but also teaching skills to make the most of it. It´s a crucial issue to include in future laws of education across the world.
Installing PCs at school is not enough; this is about teaching how to make a responsible use of the web along with certain skills to make the most of it. This is not an easy task as teachers are in the same position as parents and that is why authorities will have to make an extra effort to train them in order to carry out their new task.
We have to encourage our political leaders to take this step and to face the reality we are in which is a globalized and “internetized” world. This is not only about using the web as a complementary support for traditional teaching (Mathematics, History,…) but also to teach how to communicate through the internet, how to use facebook, how to create a website,… These matters may sound quite sophisticate today but we have to try our children to get used to them.
Within the Alliance of Civilizations context, through this breathtaking tool our kids can learn, far better than through any other, about other countries, different cultures and they can even talk with someone who is on the other side of the world. As they learn and experience diversity, they will perceive that it is an opportunity and an advantage because they will be able to live and work wherever they want.
To sum up, we have to facilitate our children a safe and effective access to the wide range of opportunities represented by the internet because this will play an essential role in the degree of development of our countries in the near future.
Enrique Ferrer Poggio is the President of Asociacion Universitaria Carlos III, an "Official Partner Organization of the United Nation´s Alliance of Civilizations MLE Clearinghouse".