Open Letter to Open Networks

I sent this out a few days ago, hoping people would find it useful.  Feel free to use, adapt, talk about, trash, whatever.  It'd be nice to get something like this together and send it en mass, with the collective power of all our PLN's behind us.  That would be pretty hard to ignore.  Please comment if you find necessary.

17 July 2010
Open Letter to Network Policy Power Brokers,

Congratulations!  You have the opportunity to be a change agent.  You have the chance to be at the forefront of all that is new and path-breaking in education.  What is this chance you ask?  You have the chance to link our students to people and knowledge from around the globe.

We believe strongly that filtering is indeed an important aspect to responsible technology leadership.  We recognize the risks open networks pose to schools.  We want our kids to have constructive experiences.  We want our kids to be safe. However we do believe that this safety must be balanced with the wealth of learning that can be fostered through social networks.

We write you this letter as a member of a network, 348 people strong and growing (My own network as of July 17, 2010).  People we connect with have followers too.  We are large and focused on revolutionizing the learning opportunities of our kids.  This network has not only made us better teachers, but it has galvanized a society of other change agents around the globe.  We learn and act in real time, from anywhere.  We learn from people we’ve never met.  We share our own thoughts with a confidence and polish unprecedented in our academic careers.  Anyone can join, usually for free.  The platforms?  Twitter.  Wordpress.  Wikispaces.  Animoto.  Youtube.  Skype.  Facebook.  The list goes on and on.

The problem?  I can’t access these services, and a multitude of other social networking applications, from my school.  More importantly?  Neither can my students.  Most of my students don’t have access to the Internet at home.  They cannot enjoy the same learning network I have built over the past year.  Those that do do not have the support from people they do trust, teachers, to help them understand how to use these tools responsibly.  Imagine if they could utilize these devices and receive the guidance and care we all provide them in other arenas!

We write you to begin a thoughtful conversation about changing filtering policies in our schools.  This is something we can change if we put our minds together.  It will cost us nothing, but the benefits will pay off in droves.

Please consider participating with us on this crucial matter.  We can’t do it without you!

Best wishes from us all,

A society of committed and networked and concerned educators.