The digital world is forever changing and growing at a rate we have never seen before and in watching the lecture by Michael Wesch, even if it resulted in me going down a rabbit whole and watching the Numa Numa and other videos for longer than I care to admit, created a nostalgic feeling for me as I was being taken back to my childhood as we were just being introduced to things such as Youtube. As mentioned in the video, the most difficult thing I have found in utilizing things such as Youtube, or even this blog, you must perform/write as if everybody is watching and yet nobody is there. It brings with it a feeling of great vulnerability as you throw your thoughts and ideas out to the web to be interpreted in who knows which way. With that said, it makes me think about how we can utilize the digital work in the classroom while also providing students with a safe and beneficial experience. Wesch refers to the digital space as possibly the most public space on the planet and while that brings with it the possibilities to connect and learn with different cultures or explore unknown phenomenons, it does bring with it that sense of uncertainty that we must ensure remains guarded.
The possibilities offered in the massive digital world offer so many positive, interactive activities that could be used in the classroom and with proper proactive work done we can help alleviate the possibilities of negative experiences. As show in Wesch’s lecture on Youtube, the different “masks” or identities people are able to come up with are alarming and do bring with it an uneasy feeling when utilizing such a tool such as Youtube. I feel that if we as educators are wishing to utilize Youtube as a tool we simply must do our “homework” and do background checks to ensure we provide a safe environment.
One thing is forsure, when writing a blog about Youtube be sure to give yourself a few extra hours of time to complete it as you will undoubtedly waste an amazing amount of time watching videos. And one things we know is ain’t nobody got time for dat!
I agree that false testimony and these masks are all problems that surface on YouTube. So we as teachers are responsible for teaching and evaluating videos and people as part of the learning process when using these online mediums. Students are already partaking in these forums/mediums outside of school, so we should give them tools and prepare them for these sometimes unpleasant realities.