Bad Blogger
Evidently, I have become quite remiss in my blogging. In the last 2 months I've been traveling quite a bit, ended the semester, and taught an intense course overseas. But, now I'm back to the world of educational technology and art education.
Currently, I'm working on an article that relates to the work of a contemporary artist, Kehinde Wiley. The impetus for this came from the stories last winter about college students hosting 'gangsta' parties in which they acted out stereotypes of African-Americans. The universities became aware of these parties mainly because students posted photos of themselves on facebook, myspace, or flickr. As a digital immigrant, I am constantly shocked by what digital natives choose to post about themselves online. There seems to be a significant tendency to share so many details (personal, inappropriate, or otherwise) online.
In this case, the students stated that they did not know their actions were offensive. Though I find that hard to believe, I wonder if they would have posted these photos in public places if they did know how offensive their behavior was? Do these students care about who they offend and how their images are circulated?