In case there was any question...
I’m a little disturbed by some behavior that I’ve seen amongst my learning network lately. I’ll be the first to admit that I can be a hot head and jump into discussions passionately… with little thinking first. That’s a character flaw I work very diligently to turn around.
My sense of dismay, though, comes from what I’ve seen lately around the Twitter-Water-Cooler, the edublogosphere, a few journal articles here and there, as well as a few Facebook posts. And Holy Buckets, Batman… there isn’t a single kid involved in any of them.
No. Instead, they’re people in my network. Attacking… *gasp*… each other.
What do we tell kids about comments on blogs, online articles, Facebook status updates?
- PLAY NICELY.
- If you disagree, you can do so without attacking another person’s character.
- If you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t type it online.
- Remember, there are human beings on the other end.
- Remember, you are also a human being.
- Rule #1 is really all you need.
So why so much animosity amongst educators in online spaces lately? I would say that the current turmoil in which we find ourselves (perhaps related to education reform discussions) is part of it. But are we practicing what we preach? I don’t think so.
Let’s all take a deep breath. Relax. Repeat.
There. Feel better? Now go and model what you expect your students to do.
Oh! And… go find a blog and leave a supportive comment. The world could use some positive energy right about now.
Thanks.
[photo credit – cc licensed Flickr photo by jon_gilbert]
Great post and a nice reminder that we need to practice what we preach! While there is room for heated discussions there is no place for “attacks”. We also need to be aware that 140 characters make it even more difficult to add emphasis and clarity. Often, I need to re-read a post to make sure I am responding accurately. Twitter is AP fast paced we often forget this! Thanks for the gentle reminder.
So agree with you. What’s so difficult about typing, “I disagree” or “I see your point, but”… instead of making it a personal attack?
If my students did that, I would attribute it to a lack of maturity. Is it the same with some of the adults that resort to this kind of behavior?
Thanks for your post. I completely agree with you. Apparently many people think that typing is nowhere near the same at saying directly to someone, so it makes it “ok.” I saw a billboard today that said, “Stop and think. Then act.” Obviously that applies to many situations, but if we can slow down and think clearly before reacting, then we might have some different outcomes. Less attacking would definitely benefit all.
Great billboard, Heather. I might add that to my classroom, although I see manners in my students that I wish more adults would remember. Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Great reminder for all of us that even in online spaces sometimes the count to 10 rule before you respond is necessary.
Or 100 rule, or 1000 rule… whatever number you need to keep things civil. I know a lot of these online “attacks” are stemming from frustration of things outside our control. There seem to be a lot of those around here lately, but it would be nice to agree to disagree in a more civil manner, I think.
Isn’t it interesting to see how much we as teachers say and teach by then do the opposite ourselves. This problem is far worse than just something that teachers may do. I have noticed this problem on many levels and in many different online platforms. It is a sad thing! We all need to be more aware of what we write just as we would if we were saying it!
Thanks for the response, Laura. Even though I’m guilty at times, my motto is definitely MODEL, MODEL, MODEL. Kids repeat what we do, not what we tell them to do. 🙂