On most Fridays for the past six weeks we've been meeting as cores to examine and discuss various aspects of online social networking, which could be called the "MySpace phenomenon." You know...the hours your teen seems to be able to spend online, completely engrossed in a cyberworld that may befuddle if not downright scare you! We began this investigation back in winter after reading a sensational article about a girl who'd committed suicide because of a misguided hoax perpetrated by the disturbed mother of a classmate. This got us to discussing the generational divide that exists between teens and their parents on the issue of technology-assisted social networking (better known as texting, instant messaging, as well as living in MySpace/Facebook.) We viewed and critiqued PBS/Frontline's program "Growing Up Online" (...see my January 30th blog, "Making MySpace YOUR Space" to jog your memory!) We then spent a rich ninety minutes in our ubiquitous "all group circle" sharing with local playright, Joy McCullough-Carranza, who is crafting a dramatic presentation on cyberbullying as an educational awareness piece. The next week each 8th grader engaged in an hour-long "timed write," responding to the following writing prompts:
Tell about a time you were hurt by a friend online - whether they knew it or not, whether they intended to do something hurtful or not.
Tell about a time you used electronic communication to strike back at someone when upset with her.
Tell about a MySpace-related "drama" you have been a part of. (This can be something that ended up being funny in retrospect or something that really affected you - like someone copying your layout or forwarding something you'd said on to someone else or someone saying untrue things about you online.)
If you are not active on MySpace or other social networking sites - why not? Do you feel left out?
The girls responded anonymously and avoided using real names in order to feel comfortable and capable of reflecting candidly and in depth about what can amount to a rather delicate if not painful issue. Their answers were forwarded to Joy as further research for her project as well as perused by Bert and me as we determined directions to explore in this ongoing investigation.
As our idea to craft a workshop or presentation on this timely topic for the significant adults in our lives (i.e. YOU!) grew, we strove to "get into our parents' heads" with regards to this somewhat volatile topic! To that end, we welcomed "Dad" into our midst - aka Bert who rendered a dramatic interpretation of a concerned father (complete with teary eyes and misguided frustration) who couldn't quite understand why
his daughter spent so many hours glued to the computer screen, effectively shutting him and the rest of the family out of her "secret life!" Readily joining in the role play, our students sought to explain to "Dad" why his impressions and fears are not in sync with their online reality, and in this manner, we were able to itemize the issues that seem to widen the generation gap that the "online life" has illuminated.
This week we reviewed several different newscasts and presentations on the topic of online predators and the dangers of MySpace-esque sites...
(see examples at Msnbc.com’s MySpace news cast: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/11166731#11166731
or “Why parents must mind MySpace - Your kid’s cyber secret” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/11066322#11066322 or “What you don’t know can hurt kids” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/6903341#6903341)
...in an effort to more fully understand the magnitude of the fear and concern that can motivate parental responses to online issues. We discussed empathy and sought to relate to our parents' need for information as well as reassurances. We then deconstructed the effective techniques used in news reports and advertisements that heighten fears without truly educating. We highlighted vocabulary, voice tone, filming and editing techniques as well as effective manipulations of point of view as we listed the points that are driven home in such exposés. Acknowledging the need for a more reasoned, dispassionate discourse, we assigned the girls the task of researching articles and online sites that offer differing opinions and substantiated facts on the topic of social networking.
When next we meet, Bert and I will guide our students as they investigate current findings on the influences inherent in the "online life" - with particular attention paid to predators, cyberbullying, "screen time," and identity development.
From there we'll actively craft the inter-active presentation on social networking that we will share with 7th and 8th grade families on Wednesday, May 28th from 6:30 to 7:30. Much like the various anti-bias workshops that 8th graders have hosted throughout the year, this will be a student-led event and should prove both educational as well as reassuring! Please mark your calendars and plan to attend if it fits into your busy schedules.
...More on this as it happens!
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