Orthodox Teens and Blogging

Rabbi Jeffrey Kobrin just asked the following on the LookJed email list (a fantastic resource for Orthodox Jewish educators):

Does anyone have any ideas for dealing with the repercussions of high school students who indiscriminately post their observations of school, life, their teachers, parents, and each other in blogs?

Beyond a review of the basic issues of lashon hara (one colleague noted that the effect of such blogs is perfectly analogous to the feather pillow being gutted and released to the winds), does anyone have any ideas how to address such an issue with teens, whether one-on-one or in group settings? How do we get beyond the student perception that we, their teachers, are merely behind the times?

Jeffrey Kobrin's question is itself evidence that he is very much in tune with what is presently popular among his students.

Teenagers are probably the fastest growing blogging group. The Pew Internet and American Life Project Report states:

Teens are often much more enthusiastic authors and readers of blogs than their adult counterparts. Teen bloggers, led by older girls, are a major part of this tech-savvy cohort.

Given that this is the case, teachers have a real opportunity to teach young bloggers about how to blog responsibly. This can be done by incorporating blogging into the school curriculum and by indirectly influencing how teens blog independently.

Here are some suggestions for ways to introduce blogs into the classroom:

• Blogs can be an amazing tool for English classes. Student's personal journals, poems or fiction can be posted on a class blog. Teachers can use blogs as a tool to help students improve their writing skills.
• Blogs can also be a way for teachers and students in different schools and regions to connect and work on joint projects.
• Students can also be encouraged to chronicle particular experiences. If they travel to Eastern Europe or Israel, blogging can be a way for students to express their feelings or share their experiences wth others.

As Rabbi Kobrin points out, the fact that a teacher even knows about blogging will be considered "cool" by their students.

Teachers can also talk to students about blogging beyond the classroom. Informal discussions about the positive and negative uses of blogs will clarify for students what is an appropriate or inappropriate way to blog.

(One of the great things about blogs is that they are interactive, and so I also encourage readers to post further suggestions about how to teach teens to blog responsibly here).

Comments

[oosj]

I hate to disagree - but maybe the teachers should mind their own business and let the kids vent to each other. I don't think it is constructive for teachers to be policing their students' conversations - be they private or on the very public internet.
Regarding lashon hara and other indecencies, they have nothing to do with blogging per se.
Regarding using blogs for writing instruction - now that is an idea.

[Zenzoldie]

Being new to the blogging scene, I can see why teens enjoy this communication forum. I think it's a great idea that teachers bring this into the classroom. Teens are impressionable, and bringing tools being used outside the classroom into the curriculum really has an impact. Keep up the good work!

[Chana]

As a teenager, I feel I should mention that if a teenager takes the initiative and decides to blog, most often they are mature enough to handle it. If they are simply venting, it's probable they are doing this with an assumed name (they don't want to get caught) and if they are making true observations about a school system or belief system, that doesn't fall into the category of Lashon Hara because it is L'Toeles. I don't feel it's the school administrator's place to forbid or lay down the rules when it comes to the blogging world.