Vicki's WR#8

Okay--I started this whole thing and now I'm late responding. Sorry! Anyway, I read the article and then the following day on Good Morning America they had a piece on it, too. They showed a teacher lecturing (out of context) on YouTube. A student had recorded it on their cell phone and then posted it on a YouTube site. The teacher was on administrative leave. Another one showed a teacher doing a cheer (?!) again it was out of context, but she too was on administrative leave. Yet another was a teacher recorded and then published without knowledge, but it was to make fun of him. He wasn't on leave.

The MySpace profile was somewhat funny when my colleague that I don't like was "victimized." I didn't think it was real serious--it seemed innocent. Then I read the article and asked around in the teacher's lounge about MySpace and was told that there were inappropriate things on that teacher's faux account and that he had tried to have it removed, but it kept coming back. The article said MySpace honored the first amendment and no one could be prosecuted for creating the file; and although they could put something on the name of a teacher, it would still be unable to keep the profile off all the time.

Then I came to school. We had a karaoke contest and as we were all laughing and enjoying one of the performers, I looked around and saw every other kid with a cell out videoing the performance. It was a reality check. I too get up and do stupid things at rallies. I don't really want it on YouTube or their cell phones or anywhere! Then I looked around my room; although they are supposed to have their phones off and away--they are never very far away from their fingertips. They check the time; put homework assignments in their calendars; covertly text their friends in another class to get them into trouble.

My blog for my seniors is safe. It's controlled by me and no one can get in unless invited. We haven't started our wiki, yet. We live in a place that would be a little difficult for pervs to find and not be noticed by the populace who essentially know everyone. By the same token, most of our kids don't get permission to drive to meet some internet perv in the nearest anonymous town.

So. Yep it freaked me out and I knew I needed a prompt, so I dumped it all on you guys. (: I also googled myself. Although a lot of other Vicki Kurtzs came up, I didn't come up until the second page! However, then I rocked! (: My Young Native Writer's Essay Contest involvement, an old volleyball article from my coaching days, my public school persona and address, and my district page. On page three was my RWP profile. And that's about it. Of course, YouTube is blocked at school and I have no idea about MySpace.

There's my ramble. I try to be safe and I talk to my students about audience and the fact that others have been punished because of their lack of discretion. But I am worried about being taped. I teach a lot of controversial issues. I teach history in conjunction with literature and I stir up my students and challenge them to look at every angle I can. Anything can be taken out of context to sound inflammatory. The only way I can think of to be safe is to be as observant as I can and not allow the students to have the phones out.