With all of the recent news articles about the dangers of kids using MySpace you would think that we’ve never seen such an epidemic of predators finding children through online communication tools — or through any other means.
The hype over MySpace has become so persistent that my school district just banned the site with it’s filtering software. Funny… somehow the district missed the whole story — our students can still access Xanga and all of the other social networking sites.
In a recent blog post about the media hype surrounding MySpace, Wesley Fryer (Moving at the Speed of Creativity), expresses concern over media sensationalism and their lack of responsibility towards educating people instead of scaring them to death. I agree completely with his views on educating parents, students, and the community as a whole about the many resources and opportunities available online — and available through these kinds of social networking sites.
Let’s be honest about what MySpace really is: It’s an online networking tool, orginally developed for the self-promotion of unsigned musicians and bands. There is nothing inherently evil or dangerous about MySpace.
However, like many online tools, it can be abused, and yes, there is danger when inexperienced web users like children and teenagers use a networking or communications tool with complete trust and little scrutiny of who they are communicating with.
But — using district filtering software to ban the site from campus computers will not solve the deeper issue of the need to teach kids how to use online resources effectively, efficiently, wisely, and safely.
This is very similar to the current policies we have about teaching kids abstinence instead of teaching them about safe-sex. If you really think that teaching kids to abstain from sex will stop them from having sex then you are 1) really out of touch with teens today and/or 2) you completely forget what it was like to be a teenager with raging hormones.
Our teenagers are having sex. By NOT teaching them about safe-sex and only promoting abstinence we are doing them a disservice and potentially putting them in danger.
Our kids are going online and using social networking resources. By NOT teaching them about Internet Safety and NOT teaching them how to use these tools responsibly we are doing them a disservice and potentially putting them in danger.
When we fear that sexual predators may drive up in a car and try to abduct our children do we ban our children from playing outside or walking to school? No — we teach them not to talk to strangers and not to get into any car with a stranger.
I think its time for the adults to stop letting our fear win — it’s time for the adults to step-up to the plate and teach our kids how to use the Internet in safe and responsible ways because it is a part of our life and much like the sidewalk that they must walk down to get to school, the Internet will continue (and increasingly) be the path that our students will take to gather information and to communicate with friends, family, co-workers, and business associates.
Educators have a responsibility for teaching students the most effective and most efficient ways to use all information resources. Parents have also have responsibilities in this area. Parents should monitor Internet use and talk to their children about what they are doing online.
Having said all of that, I must acknowledge the real reason that our district probably filtered the site out with its software. Regardless of the potential for using the media hype as a great “teaching moment” to address issues of Internet safety, the district must know that there is greater potential — at least for now — that a parent will file a lawsuit against the district for allowing their children to have access to this website. How very unfortunate that this is our reality.
“The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.”
B. F. Skinner
“This is perhaps the most beautiful time in human history; it is really pregnant with all kinds of creative possibilities made possible by science and technology which now constitute the slave of man – if man is not enslaved by it.”
Jonas Salk
Technorati Tags: MySpace, DOPA, blogging, instructional technology, social networking, education
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Very well written
[...] In one of my previous posts I compared the act of blocking MySpace (and other social networking sites, blogs, etc.) with the practice of teaching abstinence instead of teaching safe sex. [...]
Stephanie, both beautifully-written and well-argued. I’ve mentioned you in my (updated) article on this subject, http://terry-freedman.org.uk/artman/publish/article_694.php
Best wishes
Terry
Thanks Terry — I just read your article and you make some very good points.
I especially like the point that you made about “re-thinking” our approach — to use this “blocking” time as breathing time to develop guidelines and for educators to set up their own accounts to learn more about these tools.
And I certainly agree with you that there are people out there who are intent on harming others — which is what makes MySpace and other sites so dangerous for young people who don’t know how to use these tools safely.
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts –
Stephanie
I might add that my critic of Myspace is related to their attempt to censor videos from several video services not affiliated with Fox.
I respect your opinion, but your analogies are flawed. First, we don’t ban the children from playing in the schoolyard, but if we could prevent the stranger from approaching the grounds, we would. And we don’t teach students about sex by having them watch two people engage in intercourse. We must be sensible.
skonecdr –
Thank you for your comments — perhaps I should restate the anaolgies that I am making here:
Teaching abstinance means telling kids “not to have sex”
Banning MySpace (and other social networking sites) which means telling kids “not to use MySpace”
Abstinance teaching = no discussion of safe sex practices
Blocking/Banning MySpace = no discussion of safe internet use
Abstinance teaching # (does not equal) kids not having sex
Blocking/Banning MySpace # kids not using MySpace
So — in other words — abstinance teaching and blocking/banning these sites DOES NOT result in changed adolescent behavior.
The other analogy relating to playing on the sidewalk (not on the school playground which hopefully is gated and monitored) is comparing the dangers of the web with the other dangers in life.
We go out of our way to teach children how to safely cross the street or how to safely drive a car. We do not ban these things from our children out of fear that they will be abducted from the sidewalk or killed in an automobile accident.
You are correct in stating that we must be sensible. I believe “being sensible” means teaching students how to communicate clearly and how to use digital tools effectively and professionally so that they are prepared to enter a workforce where social networking tools and blogs will simply be a part of daily work.
Having said all of that — I want to add that all of us want essentially the same thing — we want our children to be safe, protected from predators, and to grow up to become intelligent, responsible and productive citizens who can communicate and use technology effectively and efficiently.
Respectfully,
Stephanie
Were do i find some new MS layouts?
Thanks,
Steve
Stephanie:
Thank you for your response.
Do students need to interact with MySpace to comprehend appropriate social networking skills? We don’t teach safe sex by allowing students to read Penthouse.
While I agree that we must educate students about appropriate means of communication, does that necessitate MySpace passing through the district filters? The kids online know about it, interact with it, and understand all its intricacies better than we can.
Skonecdr,
I think the bigger issue is that districts (and now the government) are seeking to ban or block ALL social networking sites — including blogs.
MySpace was just the first site banned/blocked by districts — and this was primarily due to the bad press that the site was getting.
My concern is that the district/policy-maker response has been to ban/block rather than teach.
You are very correct in pointing out that we don’t teach safe sex by allowing students to read adult magazines or through hands-on practice — but safe sex education does involve providing information.
At this point, very few educators are even “providing information” about social networking skills — much less providing hands-on practice though sites like think.com or through class blogs and wikis.
If we block or ban these sites/tools then fewer teachers will teach these skills.
I don’t believe that students must interact with MySpace to comprehend appropriate social networking skills — there are many other sites/tools out there that are better suited to the task of teaching these skills.
However, I am greatly concerned about how our students are using the site (and similar sites) when they aren’t under our supervision — especially when so few teachers are helping the students develop safe online practices.
Thank you for your comments on this post — you have pushed me to think more deeply about the implications of student/teacher access, social network skills and practice, and education policy.
Stephanie:
I conclude by agreeing with you that not all social networking sites should be blocked.
My class just started one here:
My Class Blog