Such a Thing as Privacy

In our tremendously public lives, it seems impossible to assume that anything can really be totally private. There is such a thing as privacy (but no guarantee of it), but we have ceded much of it through active and passive choices.

I am most shocked by the active choices of so many people, of all ages, to share anything and everything they do, think and say. This occurs in almost every form of media we now have and the trend seems to be increasing. From reality television to blogs, more and more people display what would have been considered private a generation ago with the world. Actually, I take that back, some of it would have been considered shameful.

A less active choice that affects privacy is our desire to partake of the conveniences of modern society. I want to be able to use an ATM (but when and where I take money out is now collectible information), I want to use a credit card (but all my purchases are now recorded and the patterns of what and when I buy is now interpretable information), I want to collect airline miles (but now my travel patterns are further analyzed), I want to bank online (but now there is a possibility that someone on another continent could access my information), I want to share photos with friends and family in North America (but now candid photos of me could be accessed) and I want to communicate by email (but this could also be accessed and my private communication shared). I take many steps to protect my very valued privacy but I am not willing at this point to forgo any of the above.

We also live in a society that has tacitly accepted a world in which almost anything we do in a public space could be watched and recorded. Surveillance cameras exist in almost every country to varying degrees. Satellites take images of what we do. Google drives around taking pictures of streetscapes. Anything I may be doing in these public spaces (or in front of the window when google drives by) may be captured for posterity. We could protest these potential intrusions into our privacy but as a society we have accepted that they are part and parcel of the modern world. In some cases we believe that our security is worth the loss of privacy and make the passive choice to go along with it.

To guarantee our privacy we would have to remove ourselves from the modern world and live a very circumscribed existence. As educators I believe we need to start early with our students to talk about the concept of privacy and the potential risks of losing it. We need to be particularly clear about what happens when one throws privacy out the window and shares it all. The consequences can be damaging to our mental/physical health, our academic and professional careers and to our relationships. If we engage in this dialogue with our students they will, if we are lucky, have a plan or intent about what they share online. They will avoid the oh-but-i-didn't-think-EVERYONE-would-see-that at least some of the repercussions of sharing.

For the apocalyptic view of privacy's future, check out this article from our very own Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This kind of surveillance seems straight out of the classic Sandra Bullock film, The Net.

Digital footprints in an age of very large feet

As educators we have generally accepted a great deal of responsibility for the education of our young people in areas that have little to do directly with academia. We teach our youngest how to actually function as part of a group. It has little to do with math or reading but we accept that without our contribution to their socialization none of that would be much good anyway.

With older students we have taken a huge share of the responsibility for teaching about sex, how to use them responsibly and safely, what substances are good and bad for health and welfare, legal rights and responsibilities and, in many cases, how to drive. None of this is meant to be an exhaustive list; it's just intended to show that as a profession we have realized that it is to everyone's benefit (our students' and our society's) to help guide the young people under our care in areas that, strictly speaking, aren't academic.

Digital footprints and all they entail may be a relatively new concept but their (growing) importance is sufficient that we should both teach about it and teach it well.

To teach effectively we need to keep many things in mind, including:
1. how we present ourselves
2. who can read about us
3. how information about ourselves can be used
4. who can use that information
5. the responsibilities we have as participants in a digital society (I hate the term netizen because it somehow differentiates between being a citizen of a 'regular' world and online world. That digital world is integrated enough into society that we can think of them as one.)
6. the potential of what we can do online (making our footprint have weight and meaning)
7. what really counts online (is it how many people looked at site or what I actually have to say)

We are in the best position to teach young people about this so-called digital footprint. Technology is part of our daily lives (both individually and as teachers), we have the opportunity to engage in ongoing dialogue with our students (as the technology evolves and because this needs to be a continuing conversation). Most of us teach because we believe in a bigger picture that goes beyond just learning some skills. We want to participate in the development of people who will contribute something to society - digital tools fit in perfectly.

Cumbio, or why we need to teach about digital tools

Reading a New York Times article recently, I discovered the fascinating case of Cumbio, a young flogger from Argentina. She has become a major web celebrity in Argentina as the face of a very large group of young people who flog (photo blog) their lives.

There are wonderful elements to her story - she is an 'out' lesbian teen (and therefore an inspiring symbol to many), she is normal sized (in a culture that values being rail thing) and she is articulate about what and who she represents. She has commercialized her 36 million flog comments and views into mall appearances and advertising endorsements.

But the real reason this article rings a bell for me and reminds me why we need to teach about digital tools lies in one small quote about the movement/phenomenon.

Floggers are not “like hippies or punks, who had ideals of fighting to change the world,” said María José Hooft, who wrote a book, “Tribus Urbanas,” on youth subcultures in Argentina. “Floggers don’t want to change the world. They want to survive, and they want to have the best possible time they can.”

There is obviously a lot more potential for a tool like this and as a teacher, I would like to be part of helping my students find it.

Whoa

My dad recently sent me this video. I think this is the single most amazing piece of technology I have encountered. It's almost like the replicator on Star Trek.

In case you don't feel like watching the video, here is a teaser that will get you interested.

Combine a 3D scanner that takes 50,000 measurements per second with a 'printer' that 'prints' a 3D model of the scanned image using plastic filament. The result is a perfect replication of the original (in plastic) even if there are moving parts. The result can be used to cast a mold to manufacture unlimited numbers.

Allies

Let me say this to start: I am not a parent.

I was listening to the children at the pool in my (teacher) apartment building. Several teachers/parents were also in the water with both their own children and the children of colleagues. Inevitably a small dispute arose between the children playing and a teacher/parent calmly, humourously, and authoritatively (in the sense of "able to be trusted" and "likely to be respected" from the built-in OSX dictionary) resolved it.

My first thoughts were about the potential difficulties of being both parent and teacher in the situation. I wondered about the friction it could cause when one steps in to resolve the conflicts between the children of colleagues and your own. So many parents I have known hate to see the misbehaviour of other people's children precisely because they feel no right to say anything. They worry about the response from the child - "you're not my mum/dad" - and from the parent - "I don't need you telling my son/daughter how to behave" - so that in the end they say nothing.

As I thought about it, I realized that there has been something of a generational shift. Parents used to tend to see each other as allies and trusted each other when it came to settling a dispute between children or correcting inappropriate behaviour. Don't think I have an idealized view of how things used to be; I am not waxing nostalgic.

Somewhere along the line, however, it seems that many parents started to see themselves as allies only of their own children. It seems to have narrowed down so that parents often feel hesitant to intervene with other people's children and many children feel comfortable with the you-aren't-my-dad attitude.

In the odd intersection of school and home that is teacher housing, however, that trust seems to remain (unless I am out of the loop because I am not a parent). Things run smoothly at the pool and at the playground. Children feel (and act) supervised (but not under surveillance) whether their own parents are there or not. Parents look out for their own children and the children of their peers to protect and to guide them.

For any teacher out there who happens to read this, I am curious about your thoughts - especially if you live in any kind of teacher housing situation.