Lots happening lately - finishing up my summer courses (3 whole weeks off - woo hoo!), getting the keys to our new building (pictures and video coming soon), and gearing up for the new school year (it's going to be a great one!).
But one experience that I both loved, and learned from this summer, happened when my 16 year old nephew came to stay with me for a week. He wanted a change of scenery, and a chance to earn some volunteer service hours, so he stayed with me, and came to school with me every day to help out on campus as we transitioned to the new year. In case you were wondering, he is an absolutely fabulous kid - intelligent and decent and considerate and funny. I think he takes after his aunt. ;)
Anyway, it was wonderful to spend time with him, and to get to know him on a different level. We bonded over some of his stories about friends (mostly of the female type); my Wii system (I watched his mastery in awe); and the computer. I got him hooked on Scrabulous (which was then promptly taken off Facebook), and when he got home after his visit, he friend-requested me on Facebook... something I consider a great moral victory!
One particular incident from his visit sticks with me, though. He was exploring Facebook pages, and we got to talking about what's "private" or not. And I learned that, immersed in technology though he is, he was unfamiliar with the concept of screen captures, and how easy that makes it for someone to take something "private" and make it all too public. So we talked for just a couple of minutes about what that could mean if one didn't choose wisely and carefully what to reveal and how to interact online, before I moved on to something else so as not to be too "lecture-y" to him (I *do* want to be his "cool aunt", after all!). I can't say whether or not it made any impact - I hope so - in terms of understanding what it means to create an online presence.
But I do know that this is a conversation he hadn't had with anyone else. His parents, like me, aren't naturally inclined to exploring some of the emerging technologies (if not for my own feeling that I needed to actually learn something about social networking before forming an opinion on it, I never would have created a Facebook page). It's apparently not something discussed or taught at all in his school.
And that's where, as both his aunt and as an educator, I get concerned. Kids have always needed the guidance of wise adults as they learn to navigate their world. But it's a whole new world out there. And if the adults aren't wise to the ways of that world, or aren't helping kids develop wisdom through discussion, and good examples, and opportunities to learn about both the good and bad in that world - well, then, just who will the kids turn to for direction?
Even many adults who are actively engaged in the new social media adventure are learning 'as we go'. The key will continue to be conversations. Experimentation and 'trial and error' have always been methods of learning, creative thinking/production, and innovation. If we can teach kids and adults alike to 'think' (i.e., consider alternatives, potential consequences, weigh the pros & cons, etc.) that may carry over not only to the current rewards and hazards of this ubiquitous read/write web, but also to whatever the future will bring!
Posted by: Marie Coleman | August 07, 2008 at 09:51 AM