Digital Life: Video Killed the Radio Star
What it is: Being a child of this decade, I am LOVING @amyburvall‘s newest video to the tune of “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Brilliant. If you don’t know @amyburvall, you should. She is amazing and makes learning history so very enjoyable. The newest music video is all about Digital Life. A great one to kick off discussions with your class about digital life and clue them into what MTV used to be about in the pre “16 and Pregnant” days. How I long for those days to be back (at least as far as programming is concerned).
How to integrate Digital Life into the classroom: The Digital Life video is a fun way to start a discussion or inquiry into digital life. I don’t know about you, but the digital is becoming SO common that it tends to blend right into the background and we take it for granted. This is an important discussion with students because most of them have never known a life without idevices and smartphones that instantly connect them to the world. This “invisible” tech can be problematic. Kids can take it so for granted that they don’t see the separation between their digital life and their real life. Not everything needs to live online forever (how many duck faced pictures can a person have?). That break-up that happened in 8th grade is probably not the footprint kids want to leave for future employers.
When we talk with students about digital life at Anastasis, we make sure to highlight the following: EVERYONE has access to things posted online- even when you think it is private; deleted from Facebook or Instagram doesn’t always equate to being gone-it can always be resurrected (screenshots are killers); disrespecting others online is bullying-period; there is no sarcasm font- choose your words carefully; emoticons can’t capture every emotion-sometimes conversations are best had f2f (that’s face to face); words can be damaging and lasting-don’t be a bully; cherish your relationships off-line-take time to be away from the connected world.
Tips: If you haven’t seen @amyburvall history videos, go now. You can thank me later. 🙂
Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Digital Life in your classroom.