Joseph O'Brien writes, 'We need a clear citizens' vision of the way the Net ought to grow, a firm idea of the kind of media environment we would like to see in the future.' O'Brien talks of the need to create a sociological language, rules etc for on-line environments, otherwise how do we prepare young people to be suitably socialised for a society that will for a large part be experienced on-line. On-line communities are social entities. O'Brien questions how schooling is preparing the young for a future that includes on-line societies. 'Legal theorists, for example, are engaged in a vigorous discussion about how to define the Internet and participation in an online environment, while we in social studies have not even stopped to consider, from a holistic sense, the possibility that an online environment is significantly different from an offline one.' O'Brien suggests using a program like Second Life, that is like a 'laboratory of democracy' using avatars to critically evaluate on-line societies. 'Given the civic mission of schools, in general, and the importance of citizenship education to social studies, in particular, we may accept the premise that the Internet is a distinct place. If so, then our society is obliged to dedicate Internet space to serve the public interest to prepare the next generation for citizenship in an online environment.' (O'Brien,2008, p.143).
O'Brien, J. (2008). Are we preparing young people for 21st -century citizenship with 20th-
century thinking? A case for a virtual laboratory of democracy. Contemporary Issues in
Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial], 8(2), 125-157.
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