Hey readers,

I really enjoyed this video by Wesch, and while it has dated in the 15 years since it was posted, I think it has aged gracefully. It documents the rise in the new dominant form of communication:

The Internet

The fact that people across the world are only a few clicks away from each other at any given time has been revolutionary for the way we communicate with one another.

In the video, Wesch seems to have such an innocent outlook on the global outreach that the internet provides us with. In 2008, the internet was a vastly different place, but even then the growth that the internet was experiencing was undeniable. The internet provides us with not only a platform to find almost any sort of information, but also a platform to share anything which we like. Wesch explores the phenomenon of viral videos and their impact on the youth… I don’t know about any of my readers but this video made me really nostalgic. Especially the Soulja Boy video, I remember being about seven years old when Soulja Boy “came onto the scene”.

I think me being a 7 year old who knew the Crank Dat Soulja Boy back in 2007 ties in nicely to the points that Wesch makes throughout his lecture; that YouTube (and the internet) has connected vast amounts of people (mainly youth-driven) in ways that have never been seen (instantaneously across the globe).

This platform can be a positive thing, but it also brings up some challenges. Especially as the internet, and social media continue to push their way to the forefront of the youth’s attention.

In a newer article from August 2022 which shared some statistics from 2014-present day, it is noted by the authors that
“Fully 35% of teens say they are using at least one of them “almost constantly.”

I personally think this number is higher than that, and this number is constantly rising. Kids are constantly growing more dependent on the internet as it continues to advance. The internet can write essays for you. The internet can connect you with friends from the comfort of your bed. The internet can teach you new languages. Interestingly, many things which are connected with the internet are also things which can be incorporated into schooling.

The internet is a tool with unlimited possibilities, but the ways that we use it often waste the potential that it provides us with, and that includes myself. As Wesch states, the internet is a place which is led by the youth. In 2008, when his lecture was posted, I was extremely youthful (maybe I still am). My generation has grown up with the internet, and that leads me to where I am going with this blog post:

As teachers who have grown up with the internet, unlike our parents and unlike most of the teachers we likely experienced, we are much more familiar with the risks and benefits which the internet provides us with. I feel as though it is our responsibility to raise awareness to these risks at all times, however we should still find ways to meaningfully incorporate the internet into our teaching experiences.

It is essential that students fully understand that what they post on the internet is not limited to the small circles that they are likely intended for. My generation did not understand this… I have spent days of time trying to scrub my digital footprint off of sites that I no longer use. Trying to scrub things which I deem cringeworthy many years after the fact. We did not have people to teach us about digital footprints/identity when I was in elementary, or secondary schools. I feel like this is another essential piece of incorporating internet into schooling which often goes uncovered.

Sorry, I could write about this topic all day, and I apologize if this blog post was all over the place… The internet is a complex subject. One thing I am divided on is the use of AI in schools… I am curious to know what others think of AI, or if & how they intend to incorporate it. I am not entirely familiar with AI & things such as ChatGPT, so if anybody could enlighten me on actual benefits that it provides us with in education that would be really interesting. I feel like AI gets a bad rep (maybe deservingly so), but how can we draw the benefits out of AI in an authentic educational setting? Let me know what you think, and as always, thanks for taking the time out of your day to read my blog!