It seems there are those that know what's really going on, and those who don't. Those who understand what the Internet really is and what's on it should realize that although safety precautions should be taken, it's not an overly dangerous thing. Example:
The National School Boards Association says that studies show the Internet is not a terrible, frightening, scary place. Sure, there are some seedy operations going on, but if you're not looking for them, they usually won't find you. They even say that social networking sites can be beneficial. boing boing quoted this from the main article:
""Safety policies remain important, as does teaching students about online safety and responsible online expression — but student may learn these lesson better while they're actually using social networking tools."
Social networking may be advantageous to students — and there could already be a double standard at work? 37% of districts say at least 90% of their staff are participating in online communities of their own — related to education — and 59% of districts said that at least half were participating. "These findings indicate that educators find value in social networking," the study notes, "and suggest that many already are comfortable and knowledgeable enough to use social networking for educational purposes with their students."
Seems logical to me. In the UK, however, it seems that there are those who don't know what's going on...
This, of course, has not so much to do with what's on the Internet as just the ignorance of what the heck the Internet is and how it works. Teachers in the UK want YouTube banned from campuses, as well as WI-FI connections. Yeah, those WI-FIs cook kids brains and might kill the teachers. I joke, but in essence, that's what the article reports them as saying. YouTube, of course, has all kinds of dangerous videos on it... though you'd expect as much from a site where anyone in the world can post anything they want. How different is it really from kids' cafeteria banter? If you think it's really that different, you should sit in on a cafeteria conversation once and tell me what you think.
But, that's what the UK gets for trying to bring the educational system into somewhere close to this century. I think The Register says it best:
"So there you have it, the UK’s education system is in a state, but all will be OK if teachers don’t have to use computers, networks, or have to deal with any kids. Alternatively, summer holidays could just be extended to 52 weeks per year.