Comments on: Congress vs. MySpace http://technosavvy.org/2006/05/11/congress-vs-myspace/ Great teaching and learning with technology Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:22:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: englished http://technosavvy.org/2006/05/11/congress-vs-myspace/comment-page-1/#comment-9477 englished Thu, 01 Jun 2006 01:58:21 +0000 http://technosavvy.org/?p=410#comment-9477 I couldn't agree with you more. I'm a senior English Ed major, and I just took a class on integrating technology and composition in the classroom in which we used social networking sites throughout the semester. Admittedly, I was impressed by the way that we were actually able to continue discussions that started in class through blogs, discussion boards, instant messaging, and, in some cases, even through sites like MySpace. We were able to exchange ideas, take learning a step further, create a collective knowledge pool, and really establish a sense of community through our use of social networking. If DOPA passes, it will prevent primary and secondary students from having these kinds of educational opportunities. Fitzpatrick's intentions might be good, but his bill will be bad for education (not to mention civil liberties). I couldn’t agree with you more. I’m a senior English Ed major, and I just took a class on integrating technology and composition in the classroom in which we used social networking sites throughout the semester. Admittedly, I was impressed by the way that we were actually able to continue discussions that started in class through blogs, discussion boards, instant messaging, and, in some cases, even through sites like MySpace. We were able to exchange ideas, take learning a step further, create a collective knowledge pool, and really establish a sense of community through our use of social networking. If DOPA passes, it will prevent primary and secondary students from having these kinds of educational opportunities. Fitzpatrick’s intentions might be good, but his bill will be bad for education (not to mention civil liberties).

]]> By: Kevin Farnham http://technosavvy.org/2006/05/11/congress-vs-myspace/comment-page-1/#comment-6815 Kevin Farnham Wed, 17 May 2006 05:52:40 +0000 http://technosavvy.org/?p=410#comment-6815 It is disturbing to see this happening. I would think it has to be mostly political posturing. Social networking has become an aspect of "normal" life for teens and for young adults. I just did a brief study today of the demographics of MySpace (just a small sampling), and I was surprised to find that teens actually are not the primary active users on MySpace. People in their twenties appear to make up about 50% of the people who have accounts and have used them in the past few weeks. My wife and I have spent the last 4 months studying MySpace in depth, and coming up with a set of lessons and practices to enable teens to use it safely and responsibly. We've got a 38-page freely downloadable and distributable PDF "concise guide" to MySpace available on our web site. Plus, our book "MySpace Safety: 51 Tips for Teens and Parents" will be available this month. The "ban MySpace" (and all social networking sites) attitude can't work, because it's like saying "let's ban normalcy"... Parents/teachers/politicians need to "get with it" -- it's a new world, it's real, it's here, it's vital, it's not going away. Adults need to get involved, not try to throw a blanket over this because they don't want to understand it... It is disturbing to see this happening. I would think it has to be mostly political posturing. Social networking has become an aspect of “normal” life for teens and for young adults. I just did a brief study today of the demographics of MySpace (just a small sampling), and I was surprised to find that teens actually are not the primary active users on MySpace. People in their twenties appear to make up about 50% of the people who have accounts and have used them in the past few weeks.

My wife and I have spent the last 4 months studying MySpace in depth, and coming up with a set of lessons and practices to enable teens to use it safely and responsibly. We’ve got a 38-page freely downloadable and distributable PDF “concise guide” to MySpace available on our web site. Plus, our book “MySpace Safety: 51 Tips for Teens and Parents” will be available this month.

The “ban MySpace” (and all social networking sites) attitude can’t work, because it’s like saying “let’s ban normalcy”… Parents/teachers/politicians need to “get with it” — it’s a new world, it’s real, it’s here, it’s vital, it’s not going away. Adults need to get involved, not try to throw a blanket over this because they don’t want to understand it…

]]> By: Mobilize http://technosavvy.org/2006/05/11/congress-vs-myspace/comment-page-1/#comment-6703 Mobilize Mon, 15 May 2006 19:04:06 +0000 http://technosavvy.org/?p=410#comment-6703 Mobilize.org is launching a new campaign in response to Congress’ attempt to censor the communication of our generation. We have created the action alert below and built a website, www.mobilize.org/SOS. We are hoping to get as much grassroots action as possible around this important issue, especially from the online community. Breaking News: Legislation introduced this week will ban social networking, even sites used for educational and professional opportunities. What’s next? HR5319 will censor the communication of our generation and tell us who we can talk to, when and how. Tell Congress that social networking is a movement that we built, a movement that we are going to fight for. Visit www.mobilize.org/SOS, take action, tell your friends and get mad. --- The bill blocks the use of these sites in public libraries, which is for many, the only access that they have to a computer. Our hope is to be able to amend the bill to take these facts into consideration. We agree that there need to be safeguards put in place for "sexual predators" and any of other crimes that might occur because of the accessibility of information on these sites, but to ban them in schools (including using school computers afterschool) and public libraries, is for many - banning social networking. I am open to suggestions on how we should better craft our message to convey these facts and express the urgency of this campaign. Today is the first business day that we've been able to talk to people about it, as we just found out about it on Friday. Mobilize.org is launching a new campaign in response to Congress’ attempt to censor the communication of our generation. We have created the action alert below and built a website, http://www.mobilize.org/SOS. We are hoping to get as much grassroots action as possible around this important issue, especially from the online community.

Breaking News:

Legislation introduced this week will ban social networking, even sites used for educational and professional opportunities. What’s next? HR5319 will censor the communication of our generation and tell us who we can talk to, when and how. Tell Congress that social networking is a movement that we built, a movement that we are going to fight for.

Visit http://www.mobilize.org/SOS, take action, tell your friends and get mad.

—

The bill blocks the use of these sites in public libraries, which is for many, the only access that they have to a computer. Our hope is to be able to amend the bill to take these facts into consideration. We agree that there need to be safeguards put in place for “sexual predators” and any of other crimes that might occur because of the accessibility of information on these sites, but to ban them in schools (including using school computers afterschool) and public libraries, is for many – banning social networking.

I am open to suggestions on how we should better craft our message to convey these facts and express the urgency of this campaign. Today is the first business day that we’ve been able to talk to people about it, as we just found out about it on Friday.

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