This was the introductory sentence that one of my students wrote in his weekly writing journal. The story continues in a very political fashion, and much to my dismay it also continued on with much violence. My student is creative, caring and amazingly brilliant, but he has a certain fascination with politics, 911 and terrorism that certainly makes me widen my eyes in concern. After I noticed a pattern with his writing prompts, I decided to speak with him and advise him that he should be more careful when discussing politics in class. Some political items are beyond the other student’s realms… SHOOT… some of it is beyond my realm!! Not to mention is may cause discomfort in my diverse classroom. Some of my students are from war stricken countries. They have seen first-hand some of the violent acts that we only see on TV.
He quietly obliged and for the next couple of weeks I did not read about his love for politics in his writing. Then he came up to me and asked, “Mrs. Munoz? Are we not allowed to have freedom of speech? I would like to talk about politics but you told me not to!” I honestly didn’t know what to say. So I explained to him what I thought would be best. I stated that violence is hurtful and that even writing about it can be hurtful to others. I told him that I valued freedom of speech and that it was amazing that he had an interest for world affairs, but that I would really appreciate a little censorship in his writing and of course his online writing journal as well.
So here it comes to this week’s module. It was full of LOTS of information, as always. But what the heck do we expect? It’s a grad class. So lots of reading... lots of writing... Some days I dread it... but other days I am totally geeked out saving content to my Diigo. This week’s content was very relevant to the above anecdote. In Gayle Nicholls blog, she posed the below questions…
“As educators, should we help them understand what their role, rights and responsibility is in this space? Should we teach them censorship or have them challenge the right to public speech?
In these spaces should we also have a conversation about digital citizenship in the same way we discuss classroom citizenship in real classroom spaces? This is a growing part of our “new” education as online instructors. Their connection to what is right and wrong, what is “allowed” is still not clear to them. What is our responsibility?”
What is our responsibility?? Here is my answer and what I hope that my digital students will understand. Online citizenship should hold the same roles and responsibilities as real world citizenship. Gone are the times when the online world is one of fantasy and screen names and fiction. Yes you can still be CUPCAKEGIRL101 and send messages to HARRYPOTTERLVR, but we need to teach our students that what you do and what you say online is a real spectrum. I plan on teaching freedom of speech online but with the same rules of dignity and respect that I expect in my classroom. We need to respect each other’s differences first and foremost, so why would that be any different online? The difference between what is right and wrong may be subjective, but RESPECT is something that is unanimous.
Ref: http://gaylenicholls.edublogs.org/2011/09/11/i-cant-believe-you-said-that/
I must say, you have some of the most interesting hooks for your posts. It sounds like you are having an eventful year so far. What was the student's paper actually about? I like what you told him regarding his concern of not having his freedom of speech. Students need to be taught about censorship in what they say in person and online.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Nicholls’ posed question, I believe, as educators, we are responsible for teaching our students what their roles, rights, and responsibilities are. They should have the right to speak publicly but if they aren’t taught how to use their opinions, it would be very unproductive to their case. I completely agree with you that our students need to be taught that what they say online is real and not to be taken lightly. You’re right; RESPECT is what our students need to keep in mind when speaking, either publicly or online.
Thank you again for another enjoyable and thought provoking post.
Belle,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fine line between freedom of speech/squashing the writing excitement of a young male and teaching your students the responsibilities of online citizenship. Not only am I taking EME5050, but I am also taking a course in Trends in Language Arts focused on writing. We are currently reading a book titled: Boy Writers. The author writes about how important it is to allow boys to write about such topics as violence, gore, bodily functions, humor, etc. It is just part of their personalities. However, you bring up a very important point that we are also trying to teach our students as they are creeping into a technology-forward era: online citizenship. It is extremely difficult for many students to understand that the words they publish online do not go away and can be seen by large amounts of people.
As we have learned, blogs can be for all types of topics and would fit the political issues he may want to write about. However, it would be important to have a healthy discussion about the good and bad part of this type of online writing. Perhaps this students could have a private journal where it would allow him to continue writing about the topic he enjoys while continuing to respect his classmates?
Great topic and eye-catching title! Good luck with your year!
Kelly
Belle,
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading every word from your blog! You sure have a interesting way in catching people's attention. I admire your passion about teaching your students the importance of online citizenship. I enjoyed the part where your student questioned your recommendation about modifying his writing. That shows you how passionate he is about writing,
Online Citizenship really needs to be taught because students forget that they are still communicating with other human being who deserve respect.
Erica