TARGET: Internet cautions

[Carole Carpenter <chcrpntr@UDEL.EDU>]

I've been brooding over this all weekend since I was accused subtly of
engaging in censorship.  I have been telling my faculty that Internet is
kind of like taking the Library of Congress, throwing it all on the
floor, and saying, "Now find what you want."  Sure improvements are
being made, but right now it is not well organized.  But now another
analogy comes to mind:
Very few people would find fault with taking a school group on a guided
field trip to the Statue of Liberty.  But, conversely, very few people would
approve of taking a group of school children to Times Square and turning
them loose to explore NYC.  Sure, they might stumble into wonderful
cathedrals, museums, and theatres, but the reality is that we have to
worry about the ones who might end up in less savory places.  Is that
censorship or common sense?  Is that "media inspired paranoia" or
responsible educational practice?  The Internet is a product of the
military which was expanded by Universities and is being taken over by
commercial interests.  It was not, is not, and will not be primarily for
children.  This does not mean that we should not use it or prevent the
children from using it.  It does mean that we need to step carefully at
first and counter "technoeuphoria" with a dose of reality, hence, the
bucket of cold water.

     Carole H. Carpenter         chcrpntr@strauss.udel.edu