Going back to Day 14. Readers...I need you!

Today's comment challenge task is to catch up on a task (or tasks?) you've missed. One task really appealed to me: turn your blog over to your readers and let them post through comments. Sounded so easy....until I tried to think of the question I wanted to use to spark the comments. 

The first question that came to my mind was asked on this blog. 

Another question I thought about was asked on this blog. 

My question relates to yesterday's news regarding the issue of Internet Safety. Here's a kwout from CNN.

Indictment puts Internet pranksters on notice - CNN.com via kwout

What do you think of this landmark case? Do you think that they will be able to get a conviction? Do you think the fact that the mother was indicted will make other people think twice before using the Internet to harass and bully others? Do you believe, as some say, that what Lori Drew did was within her first amendment right to freedom of speech and cannot be considered a crime? What are your thoughts? I am very interested to hear from you.

We're All Trying to Figure it Out

I have still been thinking a lot about student blogging, this very "risky" activity. I hope that came across with the intended sarcasm. A few blog posts I've read recently have really helped further my thinking. Dean Shareski wrote a post on January 4th titled Why Privacy is a Moot Point.  To paraphrase, he basically says that our obsession with privacy online is overblown, that we have placed unrealistic fears onto anything that is published online. Truly, in this day and age, what is private? How many people have access to your personal information no matter how much you try to safeguard it? At some point we have to stop worrying and live in the world that exists.

As a teacher I think about these issues frequently. I always try to err on the side of caution while still allowing the kids as much freedom of expression and creativity as possible. As you can see I have a photo of myself on my blog. I read and enjoy many blogs that are filled with personal photos. I don't know the bloggers, but I love getting a glimpse into their lives. One of my favorite blogs, Nienie Dialogues, is a photo collage of the blogger's family, including tons of photos of her four, beautiful children. I think she's been blogging like this for years with no adverse effects.

Obviously there's a difference between what we do at home and what we can allow our students to do at school. As I've written, I feel strongly that the only way to teach these issues is through the process of actually using the technologies with students. Our world is changing, and we, as well as our students, need to learn what that means and how we will adapt.

 

What has been interesting to read about is how much everyone is trying to figure these things out for themselves. Al Upton, who had signed parent permission for his bloggers, posted their pictures online. I didn't think this was a big deal at all, although in the interests of being overly cautious, I have told my students that they may not post personal photos. There have been many comments on both sides of the issue.

I recently started an afterschool blogging group. I have been so encouraged and excited by the students' enthusiasm for blogging. Now, the desire to blog is spreading. This past week, three more students, who are not in my afterschool class, started blogs. One student started hers at home on her own. The other two requested my help at school, and I helped them. Of course, I am worried that there will be backlash. I wrote an email to all three of their parents sharing my guidelines for student blogging, but because they are doing this mostly at home, I am not as involved. I had a big discussion with the entire class about how their online behavior will determine whether students in our school get to continue blogging and exploring other web2.0 technologies or not. I told them a little about Al Upton's students and how people are closely watching what happens with students who are allowed to blog. I trust them to do their best. They are learning. I am learning. Learning is what it's all about, right?

As usual, someone else really summed it up perfectly for me: This is from the comments section on Al Upton's blog. I think it really makes the point:

I'm Gonna Say it Again...

The other night I had this dream: I was swimming along the shallow edge of a bay with my children, ages 4 and 7. Suddenly my 4 year old son purposely swam away from me and into the deep water. I panicked and swam after him, trying to grab onto him and swim to the surface.

It doesn't take an expert in dream interpretation to figure out the obvious symbolism. It is natural for parents to want to protect their children from danger. But, in this example, my son's best protection would not have been for me to attempt to drag him to the surface, thus pulling both of us under; it would have been to have taught him to be a strong swimmer.

As we are all well aware, the Internet poses all kinds of possible dangers. As we sit at our computers connecting with the wide world, we may be physically safe. But it's called the world wide web for a reason. It's all there; the good, the bad, the ugly.We can type in a wrong letter or two and end up at a site we'd rather not see. We can think we are connecting with friendly folks, tell them a bit too much information, and find out that they aren't quite so friendly. The risks are real.  However, the benefits are beyond compare. Most of us can't imagine a world without the Internet. Like everything else in life, we have to take the good with the bad. 

I know I am repeating myself here. I've said it before. I'll probably say it again. We have to TEACH students how to use the technology wisely and safely. Banning and filtering may seem to provide an easy solution, but what are we telling our students?

•We don't trust you to act responsibly.

•We don't think this is worth teaching you.

•We don't care that this is how and what you want to learn.

Besides which, bans and filters don't address the all of the possible problems. 

I have faced a lot of hurdles at my job revolving around issues of Internet safety. I work at a small, private, religious school. I am in my second year at the school, and we are, slowly, but surely, entering the 21st century. We are even beginning to blog with students outside of the ultra-safe Think.com. If I could share my strategy, it is this: I try to arm myself with information, both research and anecdotal evidence. I align myself with those of like mind. In some instances I believe it is better to ask forgiveness than permission. 

I acknowledge that there will always be people who may not understand what I am doing or may not agree with me. I know that I am taking a risk by blogging about my professional activities. I have to be true to myself, however, and true to my students.

I couldn't write a post like this at this time without referring to the situation with Al Upton and the mini-legends. Al Upton is a teacher in South Australia and the mini-legends were his student bloggers. I was writing to one of his students as a blogging mentor and quite enjoying our communication. I was hoping to have some of his student bloggers communicate with my student bloggers. Just the other day, the mini-legends were shut down by some administrator due to parent concerns. It is all a bit hazy. The students even had signed permission slips for blogging. As of earlier tonight, there were around 120 comments from around the world in support of Al and his students. You can read about it here.

In my experience, the biggest issues I face come from ignorance. It is my job to continually educate the parents and in that way advocate for the students. 21st century educators have a great knack for pooling our resources and supporting one another, and through that, we will prevail. 

One good wiki I have found with resources for blogging in education is http://www.supportblogging.com

Growing Up Online/ Teen Angels

I just finished watching the FRONTLINE documentary Growing Up Online. I highly recommend it. It highlights the importance of the online universe to today's teenagers. It seems ridiculous to think we can teach students without tapping into this world. 

A few of the featured stories really upset me. One was the story of a 13 year-old who committed suicide after being cyber-bullied and discussing methods of suicide with an online friend. One thing that stunned me was an online survey he took "for fun" that gave a personality assessment and then provided your ideal way of killing yourself.

The other story that bothered me very deeply was the anorexic girl who felt she could only be her real self on the Internet. Her parents and real life friends had no idea that she was suffering from an eating disorder. She used the Internet for connecting with other "anas" (their cool term for girls with eating disorders) and for information on bingeing, purging and starving.

Suicide and eating disorders have always been a disturbing part of adolescence, even since the pre-Internet days of my own adolescence. What is so much worse is that the Internet makes these behaviors seem normal by allowing connection with others who are experiencing or exploring the same behavior.

So, what are we, as teachers, parents and other caring adults, to do?

One thing I have done is to start a Teen Angels chapter at our school. Teen Angels is a program started by Parry Aftab of Wired Safety. We are in the process of completing the training, which is quite extensive and includes research projects and visits from local law enforcement. In February, our Teen Angels will be giving presentations to younger students at our school and to parents at an evening PTA meeting. I like Teen Angels because I think that students are more likely to pay attention to a peer than to an adult when it comes to something like online safety. 

Our school does use a filter for the Internet. I know this is one of the great debates of the edu-blogosphere, a subject for another post, but I will say that I am not against filters in schools. I just think that they fail to really address the problem. I like what Parry Aftab says, that we need to teach kids to use the filter between their ears. Truly, the Internet gives rise to the need for a whole new skill-set in this realm.