I remember studying the famous navigator/explorers in school. The accounts of the brave but sometimes misdirected sailors impressed me to the point that those accounts have stayed with me. In small vessels and with primitive instruments, these navigators greatly expanded the known world.

I have also lived through the entire history of NASA and the events of modern-day navigators. These brave explorers helped greatly expand the known universe. But these navigators were (and are) highly trained specialists with the most modern of vessels and instrumentation. And, for the first time, space navigation morphed from the physical to the virtual. Modern navigators can map the surface of the outer planets, follow the progress of our first extra-solar system travelers, and listen for communications from alien civilizations- without ever leaving their chairs on terra firma!

I have also heard space called “the final frontier,” but I understand that term is a misnomer. With the advances in technology and the power of virtual navigation, a better term would be “the latest frontier.” As long as humans are on the earth, there will be new frontiers to explore.

Imagine what space exploration would be like if anyone could do it. Enthusiastic entrepreneurs, in crafts large and small, taking off from anywhere in the world to follow their dreams into space. The results would probably be disastrous.

But, in our latest frontier, we have that scenario playing itself out. People of all ages, nationalities, and training in all manner of craft are trying to navigate their way deeper and deeper into this frontier. This latest frontier is the world wide web (aka the internet) and anyone with internet access (whether via computer, cell phone, PDA, or other means) can instantaneously begin their exploration. No certification or training is required.

In an attempt to protect our children (and possibly themselves from bad publicity and lawsuits) many school districts place tremendous restrictions and filters on the use of the internet. The truth of the matter is that our children our going to interact on the internet in many instances without many filters.

As Thomas Friedman says in the audio 3.0 version of The World is Flat, “learning how to sift through it [information on the internet] and separate the noise, the filth, and the lies from the facts, the wisdom, and the real sources of knowledge becomes more important than ever.”

Whether a person is 7 or 70, the internet makes everything seem equally credible to the uninitiated. Friedman continues “the challenge for the next generation of parents and educators will not be the dissemination of information but to change the way people differentiate between information and wisdom.”

Teaching navigation skills for the internet (and for whatever becomes the “latest frontier”) is a tremendous challenge, but also a tremendous responsibility, for us as educators. We know that every day our students are going to leave our schools and venture forth on the world wide web in ways that are not allowed inside our schools. We miss some immense teaching and learning opportunities if we don’t seize the chance to help make them informed and able navigators on this wonderful (and at the same time scary) frontier. The internet can be as dangerous as the uncharted seas and as perilous as outer space.

In our opening general session, Alan November will help expand our thinking as we together consider the challenges and successes of the use of technology. To jump start your thinking, please visit Alan’s website http://novemberlearning.com/index.php?
option=com_content&task=category§ionid=5&id=27&Itemid=93 and see all the information literacy resources. Sections V and VI are particularly revealing to most educators.

We cannot stick our heads in the sand. If we are going to teach navigation skills to our children and students, we cannot be among the uninitiated in relationship to this latest frontier or any to come. We must help our young people develop their own internal filters and not rely on external filters that will not be omnipresent.