John Waters reports that USC researchers in a study of over 800 young people and their parents and found that students these days are developing their social skills online through MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and other social networking communities. They expect the data will show that 80-90% of young people are socializing using new media tools. The researchers identify three levels of participation:
- Hanging out (friendship driven, a place to hang out)
- Messing around (kids explore interests together, self-directed)
- Geeking out (intense level of interest, develop expertise)
The consensus seems to be that the time is well spent. It’s not unproductive playtime. Teachers need to find ways to channel and exploit this energy within the classroom. They warn that teachers who fail to embrace these technologies are viewed as irrelevant by students.
I agree that this is a great way to motivate students to learn and build learning communities. We want students to take ownership in their learning and this seems like a place where they can start. I remember when I was in grade school and my peers were all reading The Chronicles of Narnia. We were all talking about it and everyone had to read them out of order because you had to grab which ever one was available in the library. Today, it seems that students can have that same shared enthusiasm--only with teens anywhere.
How can all this networking help keep young people with special interests from feeling isolated?
Students with niche interests can shine and be given recognition. The 10% that are “geeking out” are finding comfort in local communities that share their interests. The article highlights a girl who was an award winning “fan fiction” writer (someone who writes about existing fictional characters from T.V. or movies), but who never mentioned it to her teacher or put it on her college application because she felt it would not be valued. "Teachers have a responsibility to learn how social media is reconfiguring aspects of everyday life and to help youth navigate these shifts," says author and researcher, Danah Boyd.
Can we really trust them to spend so much time by themselves online?
I thought is was interesting that the research showed that teens can be trusted online more than we think. They tend to bring the same values online that they have offline. Teachers should be careful not to suffocate students with heavy handed rules and restrictions about their online use. I liked Boyd’s suggestion that teachers should let the students help them navigate the technology as a way of sharing power and building trust.
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