Wednesday, June 17, 2009

MySpace strikes again!

Last week, a gorilla briefly escaped from the Columbia, SC zoo. There doesn't seem to have been many injuries (certainly no unfortunate mauling of any innocent bystanders) but the ramifications aren't quite over for a former elected SC official.

If there is one lesson that we must teach our students, it is to use networking sites responsibly. We have conversations about online predators, but we also need to talk about how what we post on social networking sites can effect our livelihoods and relationships. Just ask Rusty DePass.

Now I don't know Rusty personally. In fact, I've never heard of him. But I'm going to gander that he isn't too terribly bright. After the gorilla escape, he posted on his MySpace page that he was sure "it's just one of Michelle's ancestors — probably harmless." The posting then was publicized on a state politics blog. Now he is making public apologies and I would gander that his political career has ended, whatever it may be.

We have to talk to our students about the things that they say to others, so why aren't we talking to them about their Internet postings? This is a valuable conversation to have, no matter the age. What you put on the Internet is out there for everyone to see and share. It is in permanent publication and can really hurt you if you aren't careful. As we address media literacy in our English classrooms, we need to address social networking sites. They aren't going to go away and almost all of our students participate in them. It is a conversation that has to be had.