We recently received a copy of Internet Blackout, which is a new comic series from O’Reilly aimed at young adults.
In a nutshell, I think the concept is brilliant. The graphic story addresses the excessive use of computers by teens and
encourages the utilisation of that time and energy into a more productive environment which is known as the Hackerteen Academy.

At the academy, hacker mentors lead the youngsters away from gaming sites and focus on IT challenges, rewarding their progress with rank and recognition. While keeping the kids off the cyber streets, they are simultaneously creating future mentors and potential hackers. I like the focus on moral and ethical aspects which are vital to the IT education of kids who have regular access to cyberspace.

At the same time Hackerteen also addresses the less tech savvy users and educates them about Internet related security risks such as social networking. The comic has links to the live site which makes it more interactive and forges the hybrid online and offline concept. Behind the project is 4linux with a real academy which offers real courses for real Hackerteens. The first class has already graduated. Personally I’d like to know more about the courses and possibilities of integrating them into an existing IT curriculum, I think this could easily compete with the logo turtles and be of more use.

As a parent I like the idea too, I think the next generation of viruses will breed in school yards not at the office and while I’m still struggling to get a firewall working on my sons mobile device, he has less problem getting round my parent proxy at home. This addresses the third and final target audience in my eyes, the less tech savvy parents who need an easy way to learn what the mumbo-jumbo means that the kids bring home.

While the comic is slightly out of the comic price range and the graphics themselves have room for improvement, I still think it’s worth buying for someone in one of the potential target groups. On the whole, projects like Hackerteen promote a healthy Internet culture while introducing modern concepts such as sustainable software and in doing so, help bridge IT and generation divides using the Internet as a common denominator. I think this is a great idea and look forward to the next episode.

Der Beitrag wurde am Montag, den 9. Juni 2008 um 12:50 Uhr veröffentlicht und wurde unter Bücher, Fun, Home, Security abgelegt. Du kannst die Kommentare zu diesen Eintrag durch den RSS 2.0 Feed verfolgen. Du kannst einen Kommentar schreiben, oder einen Trackback auf deiner Seite einrichten.