This morning (or this afternoon) I was watching TV on my iPad while working on my computer and was struck by a piece of news. I went online to search for some info to share with you all. In short, a young boy (7-years-old) used Facebook to help a neighbor in his sixties locate his long lost sister. It was this little one's thinking that helped unit a brother and sister who were ripped apart by the foster care system.
I was not only touched by the story itself, but was thinking about how often kiddos (of all ages) get a bad rap for their social media use. This is the closest I came to finding anything on this gem of a story. What do you think? How could we capitalize on something like this, or kiddos' inherent nature to 'do good'?
Brother and Sister Reunited After 65 Years Thanks to 7-Year-Old Boy
Brother, 66, and Sister, 70, Meet for the First Time
Facebook Used for Good
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This is s great story! This is social media being used in a positive manner rather than the marketing (by companies) and bullying (by teenagers) that we often hear about. This truly shows the power of modern technology that we take for granted. The science teacher in my school has a son who has epilepsy and her husband started "The Purple Pumpkin Project" at Halloween to raise awareness. Through Facebook they connected with hundreds of people, who put out purple pumpkins and shared information about epilepsy with trick or treaters. Maybe this is a way Facebook could be used in the classroom. If students began a community service project, they could create a Facebook page to raise awareness and gather people and businesses to help them fulfill their goal.
My personal experience with social aspects in the classroom has not been as positive. In a health class I teach I have my students keep an online food diary so they can look at what they eat and think about whether their eating habits are healthy or unhealthy in terms of quantity and quality of food. My students noticed that the website had a social component that allowed people who were using it to try to lose weight or get in shape to connect and support each other. I was highly disappointed in their behavior as they searched for "fatties". Instead of using the chat feature to talk about what they were doing in class, the updated their "status" with short nonsensical statements and demanded their friends "like" it or comment on it. While the students were engaged in the activity, their level of sensitivity and conscientiousness left me disappointed. I think I missed a teachable moment with this semester's class and want to have more discussion about the social aspect of the site with next semester's class BEFORE they log in. The emotional side of health and weight issues is a big part of today's dialogue about it. I think teenagers often forget how hurtful statements can be taken to heart.
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