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If we were really serious about educational technology

thers thankfully take advantage of its services as a portal to share their knowledge and educate viewers. While few of the scientific offerings formally follow the scientific method or test an explicitly stated hypothesis, even those videos veering more towards demonstrating various principles, theories, and laws still offer visitors a chance to learn something about how the world around them operates. By this point, it should go without saying that many of the following videos contain procedures that may be dangerous to perform at home or without the proper equipment and/or training.

Sexting is just the silent canary in the coal mine. It's the sign, not the cause, of the dangerously cavalier attitudes toward sex and sexuality that have been building up in teen culture for years now. The only surefire cure is a full-blown evacuation -- a complete retreat from the mainstream movies, videos, video games and songs of the day that sexualize kids before they've even reached puberty (or, in some cases, potty training).

The less we work with students on being critically literate online, and the more we avoid social media and networking as an authentic part of the classroom experience, the more danger our students will be in.

As web companies strive to tailor their services (including news and search results) to our personal tastes, there's a dangerous unintended consequence: We get trapped in a "filter bubble" and don't get exposed to information that could challenge or broaden our worldview.

we need to help our students be more cyber smart and learn about why bullying is something to be taken seriously. It is never too early to educate our kids about the dangers of cyberspace.

Aristotle concluded more than 2,300 years ago that "the young are heated by Nature as drunken men by wine."

"We're so used to seeing adolescence as a problem. But the more we learn about what really makes this period unique, the more adolescence starts to seem like a highly functional, even adaptive period. It's exactly what you'd need to do the things you have to do then."

Teens take more risks not because they don't understand the dangers but because they weigh risk versus reward differently: In situations where risk can get them something they want, they value the reward more heavily than adults do.

they are understanding a complex text and making sense of it within the context of their own lives.   No parent wants more, no teacher does, than for kids to be able to not just "read" Shakespeare but to understand why his work still speaks urgently to the present, why it is worth taking the time to read all that odd English from another time

We are not responsible as educators unless we are teaching not just with technology but through it, about it, because of it.   We need to make kids understand its power, its potential, its dangers, its use.  That isn't just an investment worth making but one that it would be irresponsible to avoid.

consumers of mass media can come to believe that the world is more dangerous than it actually is through constant exposure to violent imagery or commentary

That “off” switch is becoming more important in the social media age, experts say. Seeking out information to ascertain one’s personal safety is a biological imperative, but so is a tendency to overdo things. Much of the solution will depend on people becoming aware of their own satiation points, Hodson says.

concern over stranger danger is interesting given that the actual risk (as opposed to perceived) of a child being harm by a stranger they meet online is very low.

understand actual risks as measured by data from organizations like the Crimes Against Children Research Department, the Centers for Disease Control, the Justice Department and others who keep up-to-date records on risks and harms.

great to see that parents are in-touch with their kids’ use of technology