Life On-line

"Courts have stated clearly that a student 'should be free to speak his mind when the school day ends' and that school administrators' disciplinary power must be restricted to the boundaries of the school itself." P. 126 

I find this quote unnerving. The disruptive behavior at school doesn't always start and finish at school. While I think school administrators' shouldn't have to actively seek to find this type of behavior after school hours, it is hard for me to think acts such as the Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings were totally constructed during school hours. I also don't think situations as described on pages 124 and 125 in our text by students should be bound to the quote above. I think students and teachers have a right not to be harassed or defamed in or out of school. 

"Every young person will, at one time or another, fail to anticipate the consequences of his or her communication behavior." P. 137 

I know this is true. It always has been. It is just that today everybody knows about it because of media and the way it is used. This makes me sad. It is the nature of the beast. You try to teach them to think about what they are doing, but at their age it is hard to see past tomorrow night. The worst thing is it sometimes happens over and over without learning taking place. 

"Adolescents are developmentally focused on taking risks, pursuing experience for the sake of experience, and seeking out novelty, complexity, and intense situations." P.128 

I understand this is how adolescents learn. Their actions are intensified by the technology available to them today. This makes me sad also. It is so hard to take back things once the are on-line. This doesn't only apply to on-line behavior. Teens have always practiced destructive behavior. 

We certainly have our work cut out for us. 

Hobbs, Renee. Digital and media literacy: Connecting culture and classroom. Corwin Press, 2011.

KEEP CALM

We live in an instant world. We are prone to post before we take time to think or cool down. The "Keep Calm" signs would indicate in most circumstances you are not calm. Something has happened or is happening that is causing a reaction before the event can be processed. Using the red background and white letters puts you in the mind of a STOP sign, causing you to stop and think. The text "Think before you post" follows the "Keep Calm and ". So what are you supposed to do while you are keeping calm?  THINK! If people were calmly posting, the on-line world would be a better place.