MySpace or Their Space?

Posted by arvind s grover Sat, 07 Oct 2006 01:16:07 GMT

MySpace is such a clever name for a website. People think of it as theirs. Our students often get into that argument with teachers and parents. “Why are you in our stuff? It is not for you it is our space.” According to latest study, over half of the people on MySpace are over 35 years old and only 30% are under 25. Teens make up just 12% of the MySpace members.

Does that make it uncool for kids? Probably not, but it might make other sites like Facebook and Bebo more appealing. That is until the adults come in and ruin everything. Is there a space where adults and younger people can live harmoniously? I wonder if there is a way to create that space relatively safely. I just think schools need to be organizing the online social network to provide some kind of insulation while giving students the social contact that they so obviously crave.

Technorati Tags: AP, article, Associated Press, Bebo, Facebook, MySpace, parents, safety, school, schools, social networking, students, teachers, teens

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Alex Ragone said 3 days later:

Hey Arvind,

Check out: http://youthvoices.net/elgg/_weblog/everyone.php

for a high school social site. The folks at Teachers Teaching Teachers have really been pushing the boundries here. The reality is the kids do want limits, and this type of space creates them…

Lots to digest.

- Alex
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arvind said 4 days later:

Wow, there are some amazing posts there! Now I need to figure out how to feel safe when the kids are posting their favorite hangouts on a map along with their writing. How can we deal with these issues while still keeping the tremendous writing up?

See their community mapping site here: http://communitywalk.com/map/17934