Home > Web Explorations Index > Children and the Internet
February 2002 by Letha Dawson Scanzoni
Web Explorations – Children and the Internet
- Resources for Christian Living
- Topic of the Month: Children and the Internet
- Current Issues
Introduction
Some Opening Thoughts about the World Wide Web
Before I begin this month’s column, I’d just like to remind everyone that clicking on the links below (the underlined words in a contrasting color) will take you to Web pages outside this EEWC site. Therefore, it’s important to keep in mind that EEWC cannot be responsible for the content on these external websites. Similarly, the inclusion of a particular link does not mean that all (or any part) of that site is necessarily endorsed by EEWC. They are just some sites that I think you’ll find of interest. What I hope we’ll be doing together each month is nothing more nor less than what the column title indicates–exploring the Web together. When you’re finished visiting one of the external sites, you can return to the EEWC website by clicking on the back button on the toolbar at the top of the page.
The World Wide Web is a system of linking information together and transferring it over a network of interconnected computers called the Internet. For me, being able to access so much information via my personal computer is like having acres and acres of overflowing libraries right here in my home. I pull one “book” off the shelf and it leads me to another and another until the wee hours of the morning.
My library analogy is only one of many ways to think about the organization of the Web and what it offers. Other people use different analogies. Some Jewish writers, for example have pointed out that the World Wide Web is modeled around the same way of connecting information that has been used in the Talmud over the centuries. See Hal Rosen’s: “Surfing the Talmud.”
You can actually see an example of how the organization of the Talmud has much in common with the World Wide Web. Check out this page from the Babylonian Talmud. Slide your computer mouse around over the picture of the Talmud page, and various new links will show up as tiny descriptive graphics.
(Tip: You can always know something is linked by sliding your mouse over the mousepad and watching the cursor on the screen. Any time that you see the arrow change to a hand, you know you’ve come to a link. If it’s a link you’re interested in, just click on it and it will take you immediately to another site. I mention this because sometimes materials on some websites have underlining in the text that is not linked; the underlining is simply for emphasis and is used like italics. And some sites have linked graphics that await your clicking as a way to enter the website. You can tell this by seeing if the arrow changes to a hand as you move over a picture or symbol. Such linked graphics are like a door inviting you to come in.)
Before we leave the topic of analogies to describe the Web, be sure to look up Scott L. Thumma’s “Walking the Cyberspace Labyrinth.” Thumma is a faculty associate and researcher at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford Seminary. He assures readers he doesn’t mean to come across as sacrilegious in suggesting that “the exploration of the riches of the Internet can be understood, at least at times, in the ancient terms of “spiritual journey,’ ‘quest,’ and even pilgrimage” and can be much like the spiritual exercise of walking the labyrinth. (Many who have attended EEWC conferences are familiar with the labyrinth through its availability at our last several biennial conferences. For a brief, clear, and simple explanation of the labyrinth, you can click on the site of theLabyrinth Guild of the First Unitarian Church of San José.)
One more item while we’re on the subject of the Internet and the World Wide Web: Read Joan Chittister’s insightful and moving article about why the launching of a computer virus is a 21st century sin.
(Joan Chittister has been featured in EEWC Update, and EEWC members are among the host of people who have been moved and challenged by her spiritual and social justice insights, especially those of us who had the privilege of hearing her at our EEWC Conference 2000 in Chicago.)
Resources for Christian Living and Learning
Last month, we looked together at Bible study and hymnal resources. This month, we’ll explore some sites referring to prayer and meditation.
In one online article, Phyllis Tickle, a religion writer and contributing editor to Publisher’s Weekly, explains what she means by saying “Life Is Prayer.”
And Lynda McDaniel explains prayer as “Hanging Out with God.”
Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, tells us why he decided for the first time to fast for religious reasons in his article, “An Evangelical Fasts during Ramadan.”
If you have a free Flash Player installed on your computer, you might want to view and listen to a beautiful reading of the 23rd Psalm, complete with graphics and music. Just click on the appropriate arrow according to your browser speed. A study guide to aid you in your reflection on the Psalm is also available on the site.
The World Prayers Project offers prayers from many faiths around the world.. It describes its purpose as “gathering the great prayers from all spiritual traditions around the world into a unified nonprofit archive, for the purpose of inspiration, study, and cross-cultural appreciation.” When you access the site, move your mouse around and click on any one of the places where the cursor changes to a hand. Prayers are divided into four categories, listed in the four corners of the site, and will appear one at a time randomly in whatever category you click on: Adorations, Celebrations, Invocations, and Meditations. There is also a special section of prayers related to the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center and Pentagon tragedies.
Speaking of prayers from many faith traditions, some people of faith have expressed mixed feelings about participating in interfaith services. Dr. Catherine Cookson, Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, VA points out two extremes that can be fallen into and offers some excellent “Guidelines for Interfaith Prayer Leaders.”
And finally, if you’d like to help children to learn to pray, you might want to view the Circle of Grace site that answers some frequently asked questions about children and prayer. You might also want to check out the menu on the left side of that site and click on “Prayers.” It will take you to examples of prayers for different times of the day and on various topics, such as diversity, the poor and homeless, peace and justice, giving thanks, and more.
Special Topic - Children and the Internet
And speaking of children, we’ve now come to the topic of the month. If there are children in your life (your own; or nephews, nieces, grandchildren, or children of friends; or if you teach children or just care about them in general), you probably want them to find the good things on the Web and be protected from anything that would be harmful. Here are some guidelines to help you explore the Web with children, and at the same time, have some enriching experiences yourself! (Even if you don’t have children in your life, don’t turn away from this month’s topic because you think it might not have anything for you. Give it a try. You might be surprised!)
First, ILO for Kids is a way to help children become concerned about social and economic justice. This website from the International Labor Organization helps children (and adults) learn about child labor. Kids love this site. Clicking on “What is child labor” shows what is and is not considered child labor. (In other words, the site doesn’t provide an excuse for children to avoid helping with household chores!) And there’s a quiz to help children see when work becomes exploitative child labor. They can also see what items are made with child labor and how much children are paid. One of the most powerful parts of the site has children fill in blanks about every hour of their own typical 24-hour-day (including sleep time) and contrast it with the typical day of a child laborer in various countries. There is also a link to information on what children can do to help other children around the world, and an opportunity to submit poems and poetry for publication on the site. Be sure to check out and share this site with the children in your life.
Katy Abel’s article, “All God’s Children: Learning about Spirituality,” provides useful information for parents and teachers, including a list of stages of spiritual development showing how children understand religious concepts at different ages.
You can find Bible stories for children on the Children’s Bible site from the International Bible Society of South Asia.
You can also find some Bible-related materials on the Guideposts for Kids website from Guideposts magazine. The site’s contents are not entirely religious but contain all sorts of crafts, stories, and general fun things to do and learn about.
One problem we as Christian feminists encounter in looking for Bible-based materials for children on the Web is the problem of gender inclusive language. It is, of course, a problem that goes beyond Bible-based materials, although it is becoming less of a problem as more and more authors and publishers have become aware of it. In that regard, you might want to read the ERIC Digest article, “Gender Issues In Children’s Literature“
It’s one thing to speak of people in gender inclusive terms, but what do we say about God? Chuck Fager, a Quaker father of four, tackled the topic with a short story to show children we can’t box God in. Nor can we hold on to any one idea of God too tightly as though that’s all there is to know about God, because just when we think we’ve got everything about God all figured out, God slips out of our finite grasp to show there’s infinitely more to learn and understand. In that sense, according to Fager in his story for children, “God Is Like A Wet Bar Of Soap.”
If you’re concerned about safety on the Internet and want to help children learn about Web safety, check out the materials on Safe Surfing .
You’ll also find materials you can trust by checking out 700 +Great Sites for kids and adults who care about them. These sites have been chosen by The American Library Association.
Children can learn all about Web searches with Kids Click , a kid-friendly guide organized step by step.
And here’s a website for fathers of girls. Dads and Daughters is by and for men who want their daughters to all they can possibly be and who are resolved to do all they can to empower them, including working for societal changes so that the world becomes a better place for girls and women.
And last , don’t forget Time for Kids in every sense of that phrase! Specifically, though, the website by that name is a creation of Time magazine and is designed to help children keep informed on current issues. It’s colorful, informative, and inviting. And it makes learning fun!
Current Issues
Kids, of course, aren’t the only ones who need to keep informed about current issues. Everybody does. And as Christian feminists, it’s important to look at current issues from a faith perspective. Here are some sites to help us do that.
My first recommendation is A Globe of Witnesses, the online supplement to The Witness Magazine, which was mentioned in last month’s column. Here current issues are regularly discussed in the context of faith and in ways that will challenge, nurture, inspire, and move you.
Also, be sure to click on Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, a PBS television program that also provides an online edition with good archives.
From the UK comes another site emphasizing news related to religion and ethics. Its name, BBC Religion and Ethics, is similar to that of the last site mentioned, but the content is different.
The Media Room from Zondervan provides a large compilation of religious news links. You could keep busy for many hours (days?) checking all of these out!
Yahoo Religion News also provides daily coverage of events in which religion plays a role.
And last, you might want to check out Worldwide Faith News, which is self-described as “a data base of full text official news releases and other documents, including policy statements, from the news offices of national and world faith groups.”
That’s all for this month. See you again in March for more explorations in the cyberworld!
Your Web Explorations tour guide,
Letha Dawson Scanzoni
© 2002 Evangelical and Ecumenical Women’s Caucus