It was brought to my attention, yesterday, that I may have been unfair in my characterization of EdTech Magazine in a recent post about cybersafety. In Fear & Death! Fear & Death! I took the EdTech magazine to task for it’s cover photo, the shortened title of their cover story, and the often misused Justice Department report.
I continue to feel the way that I did then, though I probably did not adequately express the respect that I continue to have for that publication. It’s stories are of the highest quality, timely, and relevant to teachers and administrators alike. That particular article, Thwarting Cyber Predators, was, aside from the fear tactics, was actually quite a good and helpful article, and I recommend its reading, especially among IT folks.
My intent was not to single out that particular publication, which I suppose I did. They were certainly not the only publication nor the first to appeal to our fear instinct. But as I wrote to the person who brought this to my attention, I believe that the very best thing that we can do to protect our children is to maintain their trust and willingness to confide. If they believe that we will overreact, out of fear, to questionable occurrences in cyberspace, then they may be less likely to confide in us, and thar be dragons in those woods.
Why are you apologizing? You have nothing to apologize for. Why are you singling out that particular publication as something people should read? I’m sure other publications have high-quality stories – and don’t pander to the fear factor.
This is a very odd post.
Hmmm! Where am I pandering to the fear factor?
I’m apologizing because I may have unfairly characterized a very good magazine — one among many — based on a single action.
:-/