As I read the opening chapters of Jeff Utecht’s book, Reach, I was intrigued by the distinction he made about communities and networks. Immediately after reading the section, being a visual learner, I scribbled a quick diagram for me to make sense of what I had just read.
I started analyzing the ways in which I had interacted, socialized, and utilized the technological tools I had at my disposal. My first thought went to ICQ (I was surprised to find that it is still around), an instant messaging app with a very memorable “uh oh” sound effect (if you really want to hear it, click here). I remember downloading ICQ, allowing me to be part of the community that used this messaging program, and searching and adding individual friends I wanted to converse with to build my network. I did something pretty similar with MSN and AIM, adding to my network of “friends” one individual at a time. Then, Six Degrees and Facebook came into my life where I was able to see and interact with (if I chose to) community members who were not my immediate friends or family. This allowed me to expand my network into people I didn’t know.
This thought gave me pause as I read the idea of “Hanging Out” in “Living with New Media.” Students that I work with will be entering a world where Facebook and other forms of social networking is almost a necessary dimension in their social livelihood. Though students use these tools for various reasons and in varying ways (sharing entertainment, flirting, dating, cultivating a relationships, etc.) the idea of safety comes to mind. I am a strong believer in the power of social networks and the amount of positive effects they can bring to the user. However, I am also aware of the negative aspects or the repercussions of poor choices while engaging in social activities on these sites. A former colleague at the School at Columbia University , Karen Blumberg (@karenblumberg) showed me this PSA created by National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
As I viewed this video again, I thought about how participation in networks for social reasons or to learn are extremely important. However, it is necessary for users to consider who our intended and unintended audience of what we post on the internet are. As individuals, there is a need to think about the purpose of what we do online, thinking about what and what we share. And, as teachers, we need to support and teach students to make intentional and carefully considered choices on the internet.
Musings 
Absolutely! And this is a huge aspect of learning that is often ignored in schools because we see students using tools so fluently, we don’t always recognize that they need guidance in their virtual environments the same way they would in a new physical environment. I use this video with almost all students that I work with – there’s a good series of them that gets progressively more intense.
In terms of online predators, this article may be interesting to you: The Myth of Online Predators.
Well said!!! Guidance on responsible use of social media is very important. I use this video and Tom’s story given on the website to introduce digital citizenship. Internet is constantly changing and offers many opportunities for education. Precautions should be taken to make experience safe and joyful. We should introduce topics like safe surfing , cyberbulling on regular basis.
Yeah, I never had a chance to talk about Cyberbullying in this post. I was introducing posting responses on my class’s Edmodo page with this I think I have a handle on how to work with students so they don’t inadvertently post harmful things for themselves or others, but not much on what they can do to protect themselves from bullies/predators that they encountered.
The last line on the article Kim shared with me also stuck with me. “Nothing is ever 100 percent safe—a fact a lot of us have forgotten. But when you do remember this, the Internet seems less like a truck stop after dark, and more like the rest of the world: a reasonable place our kids can hang out with each other.”