Twitter may save your life?

The Unquiet Librarian links to an article by Patricia F. Anderson about how Twitter or other technology could have helped in the aftermath of September 11. I never thought about this before. The discussion about whether, or how much, or how to use social networking media and Web 2.0 as learning tools is ongoing. The importance of teaching media literacy is evident, but seemingly slow in coming to many schools. We know students need these tools to succeed in academia and the work force, but do we ever think about it possibly saving their lives? We teach small children how to call 911 and set alarm codes at home. Every teenager has a cell phone, often BECAUSE of safety reasons. In this light, it seems that every child has a right to know how to use these kinds of technology. We must be teaching this in every school. It may not be easy, but LMSs have an obligation to convince nay-sayers that Web 2.0 belongs in schools.