Don't Feed the Trolls: Using Blogs to Teach Civil Discourse
In today's language, a troll is someone who posts personal attacks, is disrespectful of others, leaves inappropriate or offensive messages on social media such as Facebook or UTube. The main message of this article is to ignore trolls at all times. Responding to inappropriate postings only fuels the fire, often causing more ignorant, offensive messages to follow the original message. It is up to teachers, as well as parents, to teach our children that the Internet was invented to convey proper information which in turn leads to civil discourse.
So what does this mean to us as educators who are responsible for teaching today's students not only academic subjects, but also proper behavior. We all know that teaching children to behave properly is always uppermost in our minds; yet we often forget that proper behavior must also be taught when they communicate via the Internet. Cyberbullying has become a serious problem and has led to tragic outcomes. We must always be aware of what our students are writing in their emails, on their blogs and posting on social networks.
It has become a serious enough problem that many companies now demand from their employees that they provide the company with their password in order that the company officials may monitor what is being said about coworkers and administrators. This is, of course, really a breach of our personal information and many people are very concerned about this new trend. Teachers and principals cannot demand such information from their students, yet they really need to know what is being said over social websites and in emails back and forth to the students.
I think the author really sums up the article effectively when she states "Civil discourse forms the foundation of a democratic society." (Richardson 2008)
Richardson, K.W. (2008) Don't Feed the Trolls: Using Blogs to Teach Civil Discourse. Learning and Leading with Technology. Retrieved 9/15/12 from www.iste.org
Claudia, I think one of the most important things you bring up is the power that lays within the use of technology such as the internet. People tend to feel this power in being behind a screen, away from any direct or immediate recourse and feel that there are no standards for the use of the internet or that they do not need to be held accountable for how they use it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the breach of personal privacy is not the answer, however cultivating a society that takes into consideration the issues of misuse and learns a proper etiquette for the internet and technology might be more the answer.
I think we grew so fast in the use of the internet and this is somewhat of a monster we created without recognizing the power that was being put in the hands of everyone. Now there is some damage control to do and make sure that we are educating as many people as possible against misuse.
Claudia,
ReplyDeleteThis is very true in most respects. Cyber bullying is a big problem and it is up to parents and teachers to do something about it. Any time you would enact a blogging assignment it would be a good idea to make a page showing rules and regulations regarding blog postings. No onw wants a blog to end up like a social network site but aanother means to teach. Students are subjected to technology at an up to the minute rate with cellphones, iPhones and other devices. It is a part of our and their culture so we cannot get away from it. One of the best things to do is to teach how to use it properly.