“The internet is a reflection of society and that mirror is going to be reflecting what we see. If we do not like what we see in that mirror the problem is not to fix the mirror, we have to fix society.” Danah Boyd quoted computer scientist Vint Cerf in her book, “It's Complicated: the Social Lives of Connected Teens and I see that quote as one of the major messages she sends throughout the book. Boyd says that for the most part, “teens who are struggling in everyday life also engage in problematic encounters online.” Instead of pointing the fingers at the teens we need to, especially as adults, step in and help guide youth who may not know how to act appropriately online.
Another big take away that I had from her book was “just because the internet- and social media- is pervasive in American society does not mean that everyone will have access, will want access, or will experience access in the same way.” While technology is completely transforming the world around us, not everyone is able to fully access that transformation. A third point that stuck out to me was that for those youth that are accessing social media or the simply using technology in everyday life- still need explicit instruction on how to use technology. “Developing wisdom, states Boyd requires active learning...many of the media literacy skills needed to be digitally savvy require a level of engagement that goes far beyond what the average teen picks up hanging out with friends on Facebook and Twitter.” In other words, just because they are digital natives does not mean we can skip over key instructional pieces. My final take away, even though they were many great pieces of information was her discussion on overcoming fear. She says, “When parents create cocoons to protect their children from potential harms, their decision to separate themselves and their children from what’s happening outside their household can have serious consequences for other youth, especially those who lack strong support systems. Communities are not safe when everyone turns inward’ they are only safe when people work collectively to help one another and those around them.”
0 Comments
It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens
Chapters 7-8 Chapter 7: Literacy Are Today’s Youth Digital Natives? Quote: “Developing wisdom requires active learning….many of the media literacy skills needed to be digitally savvy require a level of engagement that goes far beyond what the average teen picks up hanging out with friends on Facebook and Twitter. Question? How do we change the conversation in education to not assume students are natives but instead show they too, need explicit instruction in media literacy. Connection: This goes back to the very first video that we had to watch that discussed resident vs. visitor. Epiphany- Our students today are not digital natives. We cannot assume that just because they see iphones and ipads in their homes or similar products that they are going to know how to run a powerpoint or embed links when sharing to other teachers. We absolutely will fail students if we believe that just because it is all around them that they completely understand how and why to use digital tools. Chapter 8: Searching For a Public of Their Own Quote: “ “Computer Scientist Vint Cerf has said, “The internet is a reflection of our society and that mirror is going to be reflecting what we see. If we do not like what we see in that mirror the problem is not to fix the mirror, we have to fix society.” Question: So...how do we fix society? Connection: After just watching “The Danger of a Single Story” I think one step toward making society better is remembering the internet and our ability to tell our stories and keeping in the forefront of our minds that every story has multiple stories is key. Epiphany- We are not going to fix society- there will always be a struggle and good and evil but we can shift how society reacts to the presumed negativity of teens online. Instead of pointing fingers we need to do a better job as adults at guiding teens and younger children to live both digitally and in real life. Works Cited: Boyd, D. (n.d.). It's complicated: The social lives of networked teens. It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens
Chapters 4-6 Chapter 4: Danger Are Sexual Predators lurking everywhere? Quote: “Fear is not the solution; empathy is. If we want to make the world a safer place, we need people to pay attention to what’s happening in their communities, not just in their households. We need concerned adults and young people to open their eyes on the digital street and reach out to those who are struggling. And we need to address the underlying issues that are at the crux of risky behaviors rather than propagate distracting myths (pg. 127)” Question? Do our middle schools and high schools have a safe place online for teens to reach out? Connection: When I was reading this I thought of that TV show “What Would you Do?” Each situation had someone (an actor or actress) in need but because of various reasons some people helped while others looked the other way. Too many times we do not help because we do not want to get involved. Instead, we absolutely need to get involved! Epiphany- The biggest epiphany was reading “teens who are most at risk online are often struggling everywhere.” As adults we must do a better job at reaching those students that we see publicly struggling. Chapter 5: Bullying Is Social Media Amplifying Meanness and Cruelty? Quote: “ Social media has not radically altered the dynamics of bullying, but it has made these dynamics more visible to more people. We must use this visibility, not to justify increased punishment, but to help youth who are actually crying out for attention (pg. 152).” Question: How do we know when someone is crying out for help or who are just seeking attention? Connection: I can remember back to high school and the notes that we would pass between our friends. Inside the notes would be stories, random thoughts and of course the normal teen girl drama. This all happened on lined sheets of paper with cute gel pens. Now it is happening on social media for all to see. The degree of what is being said is not changing---its just so much more visible. Again, I am SO thankful I did not go through high school with social media!!! Epiphany- I was shocked to read about digital self-harm. “Psychologist Elizabeth Englander found that 9 percent of youth she surveyed reported using the internet to bully themselves.” I had no idea that that was even a term- digital self harm. Bullying isn’t necessarily happening to people they are causing this to happen to themselves originated by themselves. Chapter 6: Inequality Can Social Media Resolve Social Divisions? Quote: “Social media does not radically rework teens’ social networks. As a result, technology does not radically reconfigure inequality. The transformative potential of the internet to restructure social networks in order to reduce structural inequality rests heavily on people’s ability to leverage it to make new connections. Question: How can schools teach students to connect to groups in a professional way instead of just social? Connection: “The internet will not inherently make the world more equal, nor will it automatically usher today’s youth into a tolerant world. Instead, it lays bare existing and entrenched social divisions.” We know all too well the stories of youth connecting with like minded individuals to create harm instead of good. Epiphany- “Just because people have access to the internet does not mean that they have equal access to information. Information literacy is not simply about the structural means of access but also about the experience to know where to look, the skills to interpret what’s available, and the knowledge to put new pieces of information into context.” I choose this as my epiphany not because it was something necessarily new. This was something I had always thought about it-but couldn’t quite put it into words. I couldn’t grab my highlighter fast enough when I was reading through these lines. Works Cited: Boyd, D. (n.d.). It's complicated: The social lives of networked teens.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shares with us “The Danger of a Single Story” in a TedTalk. The danger she says is that “stories matter, many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.” We know as educators that our students carry many stories. It's quite easy to box students in by race, ethnicity or family socio economic level but when we do that we are cheating them and us of so much more. In fact its very easy to box anyone into a single story. With social media if we are not careful it is very tempting to imagine a story from our perspective of what the other person is trying to say.
This instagram project reminded me of that very quickly. As I was posting pictures I was thinking about how my story seemed pretty one sided. Who wouldn’t want to go to the beach, the pool or eat donuts during their summer vacation? My story that I wanted to share is how much fun I have with my children during the summer because once school starts life is so much more structured. However, the other story that you cannot tell from my pictures is what it means to be a mother to me. I was not raised by my mother but instead by my grandmother. Also-my father passed away when I was little. Growing up I had a lot of anger trying to make sense of it all. Thankfully I have moved past much of that anger but my role as a mother is absolutely shaped by what I do not want my own children to experience. There is much more to my pictures than what it appears and I know there is much more to the pictures I see in other feeds as well. We have to remember that because “when we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a type of paradise.” It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens
Chapters 1-3 Chapter 1: Identity: Why do Teens Seem Strange Online Quote: “Teens are struggling to make sense of who they are and how they fit into society in an environment in which contexts are networked and collapsed, audiences are invisible, and anything they say or do can easily be taken out of context” (pg. 53). Question? How do we as adults not take things out of context? How do we bridge what teens are sharing and what adults are seeing and allow both to feel understood? Connection: “Teens don’t see social media as a virtual space in which they must choose to be themselves or create an an alternate ego. They see social media as a place to gather with friends while balancing privacy and safety with humor and image” (pg. 47). I connected with this quote but I am on the opposite end- working way way closer to how teens see social media. I first started out this program with different ego’s in a sense- one for facebook, instagram or twitter. I wasn’t necessarily a different person but I shared very different things. Teens do not see the need for such drastic differences between the different social media platforms. Epiphany- Reading this chapter I continually thought how glad I am that I did not grow up with social media. I appreciate what teens have to go through but they are the first set of individuals to wade through the craziness of smart phones, boundaries and first appearances from our lives portrayed through social media. Chapter 2: Privacy: Why Do Youth Share So Publicly? Quote: “The teens that I met genuinely care about their privacy, but how they understand and enact it may not immediately resonate or appear logical to adults….they want the right to be ignored by the people who they see as being “in their business’, [their desire for privacy does not undermine their eagerness to participate in public. There’s a big difference between being in public and being public” (pgs. 56-57). Question: How do we know as adults what is not suppose to be for us to see if it is put out on social media? Connection: I resonated with many of the teens when they talk about their frustrations of sharing something on facebook or twitter but then someone who necessarily was not the intended audience responses. Sometimes I want to share something that I find incredibly hysterical but I know it may offend a family member by the choice of words so I don’t post it. Then it becomes me of thinking every person I am friends with and if they would approve--which is not at all how I like to use my profiles. Epiphany- I was inspired by many of the teens in these two chapters so far. For not being adults many were thinking about social media in a deeper way than many adults do. We need to trust teens and allow them to have their space- even if it's virtual. Chapter 3: Addiction: What Makes Teens Obsessed with Social Media? Quote: “Their use of social media as their primary site of sociality is most often a byproduct of cultural dynamics that have nothing to do with technology, including parental restrictions and highly scheduled lives. Teens turn to, and are obsessed with, whichever environment allows them to connect to friends. Most teens aren’t addicted to social media’ if anything they’re addicted to each other” (pg. 80). Question: What do the teens do that do not have smart phones or internet connection at home? How are they building friendships amongst their peers? Connection: I could see how my family could believe I was addicted to social media as well. I would like to say that I am not- but from an outsider's point of view I probably am. I am building more friendships with those in the program with me and our only means of contact so far has been through social media, blogs, texts and a google plus community. I am not addicted to checking social media sites but I am continually checking updates. To an outsider this may not look very different. Epiphany- If adults are not allowing youth to be in public because of safety then of course they are going to go to social media in order to communicate and build friendships! Works Cited: Boyd, D. (n.d.). It's complicated: The social lives of networked teens. At the end of this past school year I was feel a bit disheartened with education. Technology was making its way into more and more conversations but it seemed like there was so much more that we could be doing--that I could be doing. I was using social media for very specific personal reasons but I was not sharing to an audience bigger than those that I personally knew. After slowly putting myself out there, joining in on twitter chats and following other educators I can see huge misconceptions that I had.
I always thought those that are sharing had it all figured out. Wrong! No one really has a clue what they are doing. Austin Kleon author of “Share Your Work” says “amateurs know that contributing something is better than contributing nothing...they are lifelong learners, and they make a point of learning in the open so that others can learn from their failures and success.” Its not that the end product proved to be perfect, therefore it was shared- its more of -here is what I tried and I am putting it there to see if it may work for you too. Your audience will build as you share things simply because when you “Share what you love, the people who love the same things will find you” Kleon. I once heard a teacher sharing frustrations that those around her were to challenging her enough. I would say back that she is right in having those frustrations but maybe she is looking in the wrong place to be challenged. Don’t wait for those around you to show you the way and push you to the next level- find your tribe and challenge yourself. Lead those around you to be better instead of hoping for them to make you better. Connections do not have to be in person in more they are literally at your fingertips! In the same sense, another misconception I had was not using certain social media because I didn’t see a purpose for it. I need to turn that around and at least explore different social media uses simply because our students are using it. George Courus states “not every technology needs to be “edufied” but in a world that there are so many new things that we are still learning about and figuring out, I think it is important that we have some credibility in the conversation.” This reminded me of a conversation I had with my grandma. She was telling me that she doesn’t shop at Trader Joe’s at all because the produce was so expensive. I asked her if she has ever gone in to purchase other types of food and she quickly and strongly responded “NO!” In my opinion there are so many great products in there that you literally cannot find in other grocery stores. However, because of one aspect of the store- she will not have the opportunity to even try any of the other items. How many of us are just like that? We have an idea in our head and because of that certain idea we close off many other possibilities that could have lead to growth without ever taking the step forward to give it a chance. Even if one is already using social media to grow I can almost say with certainty that there are probably other ways to use it than simply sharing personal pictures or retweeting great content. One example is in a blog titled “If Great Authors of the past posted to Instagram” by Abraham. In this blog he shares screenshots of pictures and quotes posted as if there were those authors. I see this as a great assignment for students to share their learning in a creative and deeper way. At the same time it allows for the teacher to check for understanding. Instead of doing a somewhat boring biography report the student could take on the identity of the character and own their own learning. As most of us head back to school in a month or two I am motivated and inspired to share and grow. My own learning is not limited to the professional development that my district decides to share but instead it is in the amount that I am willing to contribute and seek out myself! Works Cited: Abraham. (n.d.). If great authors of the past posted to Instagram (and other great authors commented) [8 pics]. Retrieved July 18, 2015. Couros, G. (2014, October 27). Snapchat and Education. Retrieved July 18, 2015. Kleon, A. (n.d.). Show your work!: 10 ways to share your creativity and discovered. Chapter 7: Knowing, Making and Playing
Quote: “In that regard, our understanding comes not through a linear progression, in which each step confirms that you are on the right path. Rather, it arises through approaching the problem from many angles and ultimately seeing its logic only at the end. Riddles make sense only retroactively.” I choose this quote not only to represent chapter 7, but I think it sums up a great deal what this book is about. Each chapter I have been looking for more of a “how-to” approach to the new culture of learning only now to realize it is exactly like a riddle. It is all about moving forward without really knowing the path other than having an open mind and ability to look at it through different perspectives. Only at the end (or I would even argue only at the point in which we can adjust our own teaching/learning) will it make sense. Question: “Since many of the places we now look for information do not carry the institutional warrants that have traditionally been used as markers for accuracy or truth, learning to navigate through and evaluate them- an expanded notion of literacy-is now critically important. We need to learn to read in a whole new way.” This. This quote is my statement and question all in one. What does this look like? Connection: “Accordingly, learning by doing can provide a unique and personal set of insights into the ways and means for creating something in the world.” I have always found the more I am able to do the process (what ever that is) the more I am able to learn. I cannot expect others to do something if I myself am not trying to do it as well. Epiphany: “What we do in play may best express the sense of becoming. Whatever one accomplishes through play, the activity is never about achieving a particular goal, even if a game has a defined endpoint or end state. It is always about finding the next challenge or becoming more fully immersed in the state of play.” I read this quote and immediately grabbed my highlighter. It is not about the goal...it is about finding the next challenge ...or fully immersed in a state of play. I love this! The more we can be in a state of play while learning the more learning will take shape without having to force it. The more our students can be playing the more they will be learning through the process of playing. Chapter 8: Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out Quote: “The richness of experience and social agency produced by hanging out and the sense of embodiment and personal agency produces what we think is the ultimate goal of indwelling; learning.” This chapter while one that I really enjoyed was a bit more challenging to find that one quote that I felt represented the chapter. I wanted to find something that took what the author was trying to express in one sentence and pick that and although this quote did that I felt it did much more than that. Everything that we want as teachers for our students is “learning.” When we have the perfect combo of social and personal agency the next logical step will be geeking out. Our students will take their own learning and push themselves to be the “directors” of their education. Question: As a teacher that works in a title 1 school I am always questioning “but what about the students who do not have access to internet after school?” Yes, there are public libraries, yes their parents probably have smartphones but at the end of the day a majority of students do not have access to that technology even if there are resources close by. Connection: I think by the number of hours I have spent researching Minecraft I have moved from social playing to geeking out! I am still playing but I am pushing myself to learn more even though no one is telling me what I need to learn next. Epiphany: This past year I have been trying to connect parents with websites to help their child at home. While this is great information I failed to teach the parent the skill of learning from the internet. I cannot expect them to take flight on their own if I keep giving them fish! I need to create more space at school for them to play- and not for me to talk at them! I am already trying to come up with different ways for us to hold our ELAC meetings to revolve around “playing.” Chapter 9: The New Culture of Learning for a World of Constant Change Quote: “Only when we care about experimentation, play and questions more than efficiency, outcomes and answers do we have a space that is truly open to the imagination. And where imaginations play, learning happens.” I had several parts of this chapter highlighted thinking they were going to by my main quote until I reached the very end. I felt this quote summed up beautifully this chapter--and the point of “A New Culture of Learning.” Question: I have loved this book but I still question how do we track academic progress? I completely understand and support the theory of play/creating/imagination but the Type A in me still needs to track data. Is that wrong of me? Connection: I believe my connection and my epiphany go hand and hand with the subject of this chapter. I still am not quite sure about Minecraft but I am learning about learning-how I learn, and how my children learn. Yet- I haven’t set out to “teach” them anything. Epiphany: As someone just starting Minecraft I can easily say that my epiphany this week would be seeing how much gaming can teach us. Before this class I was one that thought gaming sucked your brain away to mush or that it was overtly violent. I know, I know...shame on me! I can look at gaming with a whole new light now. Works Cited Thomas, D., & Brown, J. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, Ky.: [CreateSpace?]. |
KellyI like people. I love their stories even more. Archives
August 2015
Categories |