Growing Up Online Documentary in Class Today

The PBS documentary, "Growing Up Online" that we watched today in class brought up several questions and also forcasted a bleak view of the future of many things that were taken for granted. Specifically, I believe that books are amazing tools, entertainment, and leisure activity and should never go out of style. It scares me to learn that SparkNotes and CliffNotes are used primarily to read Shakespeare. And I would like to state that SparkNotes and CliffNotes are NOT legitimate sources for reading texts as the red-shirted student stated. I was mortified by this statement from that student, but do know that it can happen again in my own classroom some day.

I was shocked to hear that students were so engrossed in MySpace and Facebook for such long periods of time. I have a Facebook page myself and enjoy communicating with my friends this way as it is easier than e-mail and shorter than a phone call. I spend about a half an hour a week on this SNS as that is the only amount I can justify spending on it due to other responsibilities. Well, I guess I am showing my age because I can think critically about this sort of thing and do not need the constant yearn for "you're a great person" from my friends. I also know who I am and what I enjoy so I do not need that constant pressure to impress everyone else.

It was disturbing to see the photos that the students posted on their pages, too. While Autumn Edows was forced to remove her photos from her computer by her parents and she does not have them anymore, it does not mean that the photos are gone. Pictures posted on the Internet have a way of coming back to haunt people. While the teens may be "trying a new" style out for a time, they are not thinking long term effects of their decisions. Once again, the critical thinking aspect pops up again! Those evocative and racy photos can mean a lost scholarship or job in 5-10 years when they are college seniors.

Another thought that I have been pondering is whether this fascination with SNS and computer chatting is a phase for this generation of teens. In my day the popular thing was pagers (remember those!) and having a separate land line in your house separate from you parents phone line. That was my generations "phase" and it was technology based, still. I see a pattern here as technology evolving around us and the teens just being caught up in the technology of the time. I wonder also if this fascination with the SNS ever goes out of style as the teens get older, or do they just continue to be swept up in this mass media frenzy.

As far as teachers go and teachers being more like entertainers rather than teachers, I say no. However, I support the use of new technology in the classroom as a vital tool to use. I question the video presentation with only seeing Chatam, New Jersey school from that aspect and showing a PURELY bored English class in progress to portray the image that students are bored by "traditional" ways of teaching. I have student taught, subbed, and witnessed several teachers of English that bring the material alive without the use of technology. I recognize that students want "the watered down version" of Shakespeare, but stand by the fact that reading the actual text is vital for its survival, student's learning, critical thinking, and reading. Teaching is hard, there is no doubt about that, but school is not a place to be entertained for five hours. Education should be fun, yes, but if I am to entertain, I will quit my education today because I do not believe that I should be like Jerry Seinfeld to get my objectives across to my students. This makes a mockery of our whole education system that is in place in this country. A system that has it's flaws, but one that I believe is great and has plenty to offer students.