When reviewing the "thoughts" and suggestions on Facebook and other social networking sites as provided by Cornell University and USC, I imagined that most (if not all) of us felt they were a matter of common sense, especially given the myriad discussions we've had this semester. However, when I consider the audience for which these were intended, they don't seem nearly as pedantic. When I ask my 8th grade students about MySpace and other similar sites, I am amazed by the depth of the naivete they possess. They seem to think that the Internet and the social worlds within it don't lie within the "real world." The freedom (whether real or imagined) within these sites warps students' senses of right or wrong, at least from a social standpoint. Don't get me wrong, I still think more kids than not use these sites in perfectly harmless ways, but the number of people misusing them, intentionally or unintentionally, is increasing.
On a tangential note, we had an interesting discussion during our institute day this past Friday. Our faculty meeting began with a discussion regarding grading policies and the apparent decline in work ethic among our student body as a whole. Theories and anecdotes were bandied about for 20 minutes or so before one of the quiet leaders among our staff was compelled to speak. In his roughly ten-minute monologue, he made a very powerful statement regarding MySpace, YouTube, and the like. He said that the ability to post information, host their own sites, and even manipulate information that is not "their own" is creating a "false empowerment and sense of entitlement" within children not yet mature nor responsible enough to recognize and appreciate the consequences of all of their actions.
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4 comments:
Your colleague's remarks are right on - if the worlds of MySpace and Facebook are not real. But the fact is that the power to reach every computer on the internet is comparable to the power that advertisers used to feel - and still do, in a diluted way - when they first realized that they could reach right into all the living rooms in America (and the world?)- of people who have tv sets - and spread their message. We've come a long way. Now anyone has that power - with people who have the internet and social networking sites. The problem with that (power) is the unintended consequences for exhibitionists and others and obvious dangers for children.
As Pete Townsend said, "the kids are alright". I'm actually hugely impressed by how kids - my own included, pick up new technology and engage with it and probe its features. Perhaps I was partially won over by Steven Johnson's book "Everything bad Is Good for You", which is very pro computer games. You might like to take a look.
"They seem to think that the Internet and the social worlds within it don't lie within the "real world." "
They are post-modern kids. Everything, including reality, is a construct.
DMCG
ok -- I just tried to post a comment and blogger ate it!!! Arrgh. So rather than my well reasoned and rational post -- the gist is:
It is disturbing how little students understand the public nature of the internet. Because they post at home in front of their own computers, often in their own rooms, it is easy to forget that there are others who will read it -- often unintended others.
One possible solution is that we as educators need to incorporate these issues into our own classrooms. There is potential there for some great audience analysis and even audience building exercises as well as talking about what, when, and where information is appropriate to publish. Because these are "writing" issues -- the English classroom becomes a great place to deal with them and allows students to write for something other than the "false" audience of the teacher and fellow classmates.
Unfortunately, most children can’t understand all the ramifications that come with frequenting and posting on these websites. That’s why it is our responsibilities as parents, educators, and law enforcers to keep these spaces clean and safe. I also believe it is our responsibility to make sure that children don’t encounter harm from other children and/or adults as a result of their naiveté. Parents, educators, and law enforcers need to make monitoring these sites a priority, so children can be children as they are learning how to develop healthy relationships with their peers.
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