[Teaching_Composition] Re: Facebook, Social Software, and Valuing Technology

[Rebecca Moore Howard]

--Apple-Mail-4-1014210590
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset=WINDOWS-1252;
	format=flowed

This is much akin to what many bloggers are experiencing:  others=20
(prospective employers, colleagues, teachers) are reading the blogs for=20=

the purposes of surveillance.  Hence a number of publications=20
(Chronicle of Higher Ed and the like) have discouraged graduate=20
students and untenured faculty from blogging, on the premise that=20
telling too much about yourself is dangerous.

Social software is just that=97social.  And despite whatever =
rose-colored=20
ideas we may cherish about "community," surveillance is part of the=20
social.  I'm not, understand, offering excuses for surveillance.  Quite=20=

the contrary.  What I'm saying is that the public sphere isn't an=20
entirely savory place.

Becky Howard
Syracuse

On Jan 25, 2006, at 5:46 PM, Christopher Berg wrote:

>  Tim brought up an interesting issue, one that is - at the moment - a=20=

> fairly hot topic on the NC State campus.=A0 Our campus is one of the=20=

> most "wired" in the US: our student body is more technologically=20
> oriented than most, with almost half of our entering freshman class=20
> matriculating to the College of Engineering.=A0 That said, our student=20=

> body maintains a strong presence on sites such as Facebook and=20
> Blogspot.=A0 The instructors take advantage of this: one of the =
members=20
> of my cohort encourages his students to register on MySpace and post=20=

> responses to class discussions and readings.=A0 The collaborative=20
> element works well and his students generally rate him highly.
>
>  Last autumn, the collaborative/expressive space clashed with personal=20=

> privacy issues in a most disturbing manner, and our student government=20=

> is debating the implications of the incident.=A0 Apparently, a =
Resident=20
> Advisor went through 1500 photographs at the Facebook site, searching=20=

> for residents of his dormitory.=A0 He found photographs that =
implicated=20
> several students in alcohol violations (we have a strict alcohol=20
> policy that involves parental notification and possible suspension),=20=

> and referred these students to the university based on those photos.=A0=20=

> All students were subjected to disciplinary action.
>
>  I think that, with this in mind, I'd like to add some questions to=20
> Tim's: When we involve collaborative/expressive technology in our=20
> courses, should we warn students that their work is easily located and=20=

> in the public domain?=A0 Will this "Big Brother" element detract from=20=

> their full commitment to what is originally intended as low-stakes=20
> writing practice?=A0 How can this alter their use of the digital =
space?
>
> --=20
>  Chris Berg
>  Graduate Consultant, CWSP
>  Teaching Assistant, English Dept.
>  NC State University
>  Office: Tompkins Hall G-116-A
>  Email: cbberg@ncsu.edu

--Apple-Mail-4-1014210590
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/enriched;
	charset=WINDOWS-1252

This is much akin to what many bloggers are experiencing:  others
(prospective employers, colleagues, teachers) are reading the blogs
for the purposes of surveillance.  Hence a number of publications
(<italic>Chronicle of Higher Ed</italic> and the like) have
discouraged graduate students and untenured faculty from blogging, on
the premise that telling too much about yourself is dangerous.=20


Social software is just that=97social.  And despite whatever
rose-colored ideas we may cherish about "community," surveillance is
part of the social.  I'm not, understand, offering excuses for
surveillance.  Quite the contrary.  What I'm saying is that the public
sphere isn't an entirely savory place.


Becky Howard

Syracuse


On Jan 25, 2006, at 5:46 PM, Christopher Berg wrote:


<excerpt> Tim brought up an interesting issue, one that is - at the
moment - a fairly hot topic on the NC State campus.=A0 Our campus is one
of the most "wired" in the US: our student body is more
technologically oriented than most, with almost half of our entering
freshman class matriculating to the College of Engineering.=A0 That
said, our student body maintains a strong presence on sites such as
Facebook and Blogspot.=A0 The instructors take advantage of this: one of
the members of my cohort encourages his students to register on
MySpace and post responses to class discussions and readings.=A0 The
collaborative element works well and his students generally rate him
highly.


 Last autumn, the collaborative/expressive space clashed with personal
privacy issues in a most disturbing manner, and our student government
is debating the implications of the incident.=A0 Apparently, a Resident
Advisor went through 1500 photographs at the Facebook site, searching
for residents of his dormitory.=A0 He found photographs that implicated
several students in alcohol violations (we have a strict alcohol
policy that involves parental notification and possible suspension),
and referred these students to the university based on those photos.=A0
All students were subjected to disciplinary action.


 I think that, with this in mind, I'd like to add some questions to
Tim's: When we involve collaborative/expressive technology in our
courses, should we warn students that their work is easily located and
in the public domain?=A0 Will this "Big Brother" element detract from
their full commitment to what is originally intended as low-stakes
writing practice?=A0 How can this alter their use of the digital space?


--=20

 Chris Berg

 Graduate Consultant, CWSP

 Teaching Assistant, English Dept.

 NC State University

 Office: Tompkins Hall G-116-A

 Email: <color><param>0000,0000,EEEE</param>cbberg@ncsu.edu</color>=20

</excerpt>=

--Apple-Mail-4-1014210590--