This week we read chapter 4 of Boyd (2014) It’s Complicated. An aspect that I found particularly interesting was the exploration of what privacy is and how individuals can have a different definition of privacy and strategies to maintain their desired level. We live in an age that information is more public by default than private by default. (Boyd, 62). I found this chapter particularly interesting because it offered perspectives different than my own. It shed some light onto some ideas that some of my students share. The issue of privacy is especially important when working with students who are extremely vulnerable both on and offline. It feels impossible to fully and properly equip students to face all the possible dangers of the internet and other personal technology (yes, that sentence was the dark side talking). I think the first thing to note is that it is important to be informed and be able to look at concepts like privacy with different perspectives. While adults often...
This week we were challenged to track our cell phone usage. I did not do well with this. I kept forgetting to mark it down, and when I did remember I was supposed to be tracking my usage, I intentionally tried to limit it. When I read the statistic that on average we check our phones 150-200 times a day, I immediately thought, “No way, that is not me.” However, as it turns out, I am likely not an exception to the statistic, as difficult as that is for me to admit! Though I am not very active in posting on social media, I do consume it more than I would like. In her TED Talk, Allison Graham challenged us to unplug for an hour a day. I do find it refreshing to take a break from my phone. I have taken that challenge and am going to continue to try and do so. I have found that I primarily use my phone for convenience and out of boredom to pass a few minutes (or sometimes longer.. oops!). In attempts to change that habit of looking at my phone when I have a passing moment of bo...