Myspace @ My School

Online Social NetworksMySpace @ My Middle School: 

Online Social Networks MySpace @ My Middle School By Brad Fuhrer EDTL 630

“Each generation carves out private modes of expression that they obscure from adults.”: 

“Each generation carves out private modes of expression that they obscure from adults.” -Kathleen Turner

What are your student posting online about you?: 

What are your student posting online about you?

Food for thought- MySpace: 

Food for thought- MySpace MySpace has over 67 million members 752% growth in web traffic over last year Currently 2nd most visited site on the internet (just behind Yahoo) 90 employees monitor the safety & security of members Approxamately 2,000 sites are pulled down per week July 2005, Rupert Murdoch paid $580 million for the site Source: ZDNet.com & Time.com

Why is MySpace popular among teens? (my opinion- it’s all about space!): 

Why is MySpace popular among teens? (my opinion- it’s all about space!) Adult Space Private- home Controlled- work Public- everywhere you put your best face forward Teen Space Private- MySpace? Controlled- home & school Public- everywhere else including the Internet

A Teen’s Conception of “Private” Space: 

A Teen’s Conception of “Private” Space

MySpace is growing among teens because (again, my opinion)…: 

MySpace is growing among teens because (again, my opinion)… Teens have increasingly less access to public space to call their own (the roller rink is no more, the mall has nothing to offer, the teen center is closing) Structured activities in controlled spaces are on the rise (after school activities, summer day camps, organized sports) giving them fewer opportunities to access “private” space or just “hang out”

Successful online networks have…: 

Successful online networks have… Profiles with personal information Connections with groups of similar interests Variety of forms of communication and information sharing (personal web pages, blogs, discussion groups)

Why should educators care?: 

Why should educators care? “The anonymity, ease of provocation, and almost infinite source of targets means the Internet is full of predators from pedophiles targeting children to serial bullies targeting anybody.” -Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force

Potential Risks: 

Potential Risks Unsafe disclosure of information Addiction Risky behavior Cyberbullying Dangerous communities

Danny @ MySpace: 

Danny @ MySpace A Sample Profile http://www.myspace.com/phuckuuphuckingphuck  Source: Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force

Slide12: 

Here’s Danny’s profile…he likes poetry, plants, flowers and watching movies by the fire.

Slide13: 

Danny loves his country and is here for dating, serious relationships, friends and networking. So far he has 14 friends listed

Slide14: 

Danny has posted some pics of his tatoo’s. Says here that he is looking for a girlfriend!

Slide15: 

Let’s look at another web site how about… www.azsexoffender.org State of Arizona, government-operated sex offender registration site.

Slide16: 

Hey! There’s Danny. Surprise! His MySpace page never mentioned that he is a level 3, high-risk sex offender.

My advice to my students: 

My advice to my students Never give out personal information (duh!) Never post text or images you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see Treat MySpace like it is Halloween (it can be kind of scary and people may not be what they appear to be)

Food for thought- Facebook (Social Network for Colleges): 

Food for thought- Facebook (Social Network for Colleges) Over 5 million users 45% of U.S. colleges represented 80% penetration among students of colleges that are on the platform 20,000 new members daily 93% repeat usage at least once a month Source:http://blog.softtechvc.com/2005/10/the_facebook_un.html

Facebook Profile: 

Facebook Profile 15% upload photos 30% list their cell phone numbers 70% of job recruiters use the Internet to search for information about candidates Source:http://blog.softtechvc.com/2005/10/the_facebook_un.html

In Conclusion: 

In Conclusion Our responsibillity as teachers is to focus on preventative education, to keep the dialog open, to listen and attempt to understand, and to reinforce what is necessary to provide a safe environment for our students to learn and grow in.