This summer I’ve been teaching a class and almost every week we’ve had some sort of discussion or update on DOPA. Today, the first thing we talked about was the House’s passage of the Bill yesterday.

At one point in the conversation one student lamented the fact that she hadn’t heard anything about DOPA anywhere except in and through the class.

That was actually something I’d been thinking about before class started this morning. I listened to the news on the radio before class, I listened to a couple of technology podcasts, I looked at The New York Times on the web. None of them focused in any way on DOPA and yesterday’s vote. This pointed out to me how much work we need to do. Yes, we need to call, email, or fax our Senators. But, we also need to help people in the communities in which we work understand the real implications of DOPA for teens and for libraries and schools.

Going out and “preaching the word” can be difficult. However, this is an instance when we need to get the word out. People like a quick and easy fix but there is nothing in this fix that supports teen developmental needs and teen ability to learn how to use technology smartly and safely. So, I hope, that along with letting your Senators know what you think you’ll also let your community members – including teens – know what you think and why.