I had always been fairly sheltered and if I'm being completely honest, I was unaware of the fact that things like racism and homophobia were still totally prevelant in so many places. Through the community I joined, I was told so many horror stories. One in particular that always stuck with me was how one of my friends in the community had come out as transgender in his school. Not only was he bullied by his peers, but some of his teachers were just as horrible. He was not allowed to use the bathroom during the school day for at least the first few months after coming out. No one accepted him, not his family, not his teachers, and especially not his peers. Often times he would tell us if he hadn't found our little community, chances were he would've continued attempting suicide until he succeeded. There were many people with similar stories of not belonging, and without online communities they may have never known what it feels like to have friends and belong.
Boyd also points out that a lot of people blame the internet for us becoming as racist society, however, she states that "we are a racist society, and we're just making it more visible online" and based on the stories I've heard, in online communities, this is completely true. These people were being bullied and dealing with prejeduice within their schools, in their towns, and within their families. We cannot put blame on the internet for making society racist, or homophobic, or transphobic, when these things go on in everyday life either way. All the internet is doing is showing us just how bad people can be. Just because someone is more comfortable making judgements and expressing themselves from behind a screen, does not make them any less awful in person.
In the Hicks article we learn more about bad examples of digital literacy in the classroom, and how important it is to include technology in the classroom. This is something I find myself disagreeing with, as I think our society needs to take a step away from technology before it is too late. While I'm sure there are some good examples of using technology, I agree with Hicks that a lot of teachers don't incorporate the use of technology correctly.
Hi Heather!
ReplyDeleteThat's so awesome that you were able to find a community through the internet. I think that the internet can be a great place to meet and interact with people that we wouldn't normally connect with, so I agree with your point that it allows you to learn about different people and even relate to them! I also find it interesting that you believe we need to step away from technology, as I find it an evergrowing part of society. When I first found myself using technology in school, I remembered wanting to never have to use it when I became a teacher. However, as I learned helpful tools and ways to integrate it into the lesson, and not make technology the lesson itself, I became more and more comfortable. In fact, this semester I'm teaching 2nd Graders how to Code robots using technology. We're creating mazes and writing out directions for the robot to follow, and then translate it to code. This is something I could never have done in 2nd Grade, and its amazing how advanced today's students are. But at the same time, I also think technology can be intimidating, especially if we don't know how to use it correctly, as you mention in your reference to the article.
Heather, I think it's awesome that you've been able to find a comfortable space to communicate with others on the internet. I know many people who have had that experience, and are better individuals because of the communities they were in contact with.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, however, I agree with boyd that the internet is racist because we live in a racist society. The internet is a product of homo sapiens. Therefore is it not appropriate that it would mirror its inner and outer "subjectivities" (per Dr. J)?
Socrates was afraid that people would not be as knowledgeable if they had to rely on the written word to remember and communicate ideas. Many lamented Gutenburg's invention of the printing press; Nietzsche hated the typewriter because he felt a sense of ethos was lost in typewritten documents. The later 20th century struggled to comprehend the technological boom and how to navigate a QWERTY keyboard, and today, we question the ethics of this tremendous and terrible terrabyte-driven world.
Therefore, we must not only hold others accountable in this digital world, we also need to hold ourselves accountable. Whenever we post, blog, browse, or search the internet, we need to be open minded so that we can gain a fuller understanding of everything we interact with. Some of the things we interact with will be utter shit; some of it will speak to our innermost emotions.
I think that as future teachers, we should instill a dose of healthy skepticism in our students, and I do believe that everyone should have a healthy dose of skepticism so that they can be thoughtful, open-minded, and communicable people.