On July 19, I wrote a blog post entitled, “Be safe and teach them to drive!” A couple of readers added very thoughtful and thought-provoking comments. The discussion about cyber safety and digital citizenship is CRITICAL, and there are many voices to consider as we form a united chorus of educators and parents committed to keeping our children safe, while guiding them to learn the positive demands of being responsible and respectful digital citizens.

Yesterday, a very trusted colleague and respected fellow administrator on the school’s senior admin team sent me the following link: http://blog.genyes.org/index.php/2011/09/08/cybersafety-do-fear-and-exaggeration-increase-risk/

Embedded in the post is a slide deck from Larry Magid, co-director of ConnectSafely.org and founder of SafeKids.com. I found the slide deck to be thoughtfully rendered and thought provoking. While I admit that my philosophy aligns with Mr. Magid’s presentation, I do think that we must consider the points of his message no matter what our online philosophy. Doing so helps us better prepare for the critical challenge of keeping our kids safe while teaching them how to drive in a connected world.