AV-Fishing
Feb 2nd, 2012, 01:15 AM
Stupid dumb kids. What were they thinking???
Source: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1125092--teens-have-lots-to-learn-after-sexual-photo-goes-viral?bn=1
Teens have lots to learn after sexual photo goes viral
Students at a downtown Toronto high school are learning the consequences of texting photos of a sexual nature after a teacher stumbled upon a compromising picture that had already been shared around the city.
The news comes a week after teachers at a Barrie-area high school discovered a large group of male and female students sharing naked pictures of themselves via BlackBerry Messenger.
It’s sparking a larger discussion about teens and technology.
“Learning to use technology appropriately, effectively and safely is probably the greatest lesson that this current generation is going to learn,” said Mark Keating, vice principal of Nantyr Shores Secondary School in Innisfil.
The Toronto incident took place last Wednesday at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. A Grade 9 teacher sent an email to a long list of parents.
As a policy, the teacher explained, she holds onto students’ cellphones until the end of class. On occasion, a student will forget and leave it behind. In an attempt to figure out the owner of one phone, the teacher turned it on to discover a screen saver photo depicting another student in a “compromising position.”
The picture was of a “sexual nature,” she added.
According to the email, it was then discovered the photo was transmitted via BlackBerry Messenger to students at “multiple” schools in the Toronto District School Board.
The teacher requested parents speak about the issue with their children, noting what transpired in subsequent class discussions.
To “help bring light to some of the far-reaching issues this incident created/could create, and vanquish the effects of uninformed gossip,” the teacher said she felt it important to discuss the issue, in general terms, with her Grade 9 classes.
What happened next may strike some as surprising.
When students were asked what they thought the consequences of taking and distributing such photos would be, many replied that the young woman and other students involved could have their cellphones taken away.
“This was their worst case scenario. No more cellphone. No mention of the permanent nature of the image (which has now gone viral), no mention of legal repercussions, no mention of social repercussions outside of not having a phone,” the teacher wrote.
“This is a very serious issue, because the ramifications are far-reaching. Social media is such a double-edged sword, and although today’s teenagers have always had it in their lives, their understanding of its permanency is not there.”
Rosedale Heights principal Barrie Sketchley declined to comment on the issue Wednesday.
Board superintendent Beth Butcher said it was difficult to comment because police are looking into the matter. “Certainly there are conversations that happen in schools frequently about the effects of technology and the impacts of social media,” she said, adding these discussions can take place in broad terms without specific examples and judging behaviour.
“I think that in a lot of situations young people . . . are very fluid in the technology that’s available to them, but they may not be as aware as they should be of the steps they need to take to protect themselves in this digital world,” said vice principal Keating, adding that almost every school conflict he sees these days has an online component, whether its social media or texting.
Queen’s University media professor Sidneyeve Matrix noted she’s seeing an escalation in these kinds of stories. While young people have smart phones and grow up using Facebook, there’s a “digital IQ gap” if they believe these images are private and that they can’t be quickly transmitted, she said. “When images grow legs online, it’s really hard to catch them.”
When it comes to finding a solution, not just parents and teachers need to step up, but other students, said Matrix.
It was concerned students who came forward in Innisfil. South Simcoe police said that because of the ages of the teens involved some of the images could be considered child pornography. Students there are not facing any criminal charges, but police and the school want to use the incident as a learning opportunity.
Two educational forums are currently being organized, for parents and for the students. The answer, said Keating, is not in taking technology away but “instilling in people the really strong character lessons.”
Toronto police said Wednesday the incident is being investigated but no criminal charges are expected at this point.
Source: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1125092--teens-have-lots-to-learn-after-sexual-photo-goes-viral?bn=1
Teens have lots to learn after sexual photo goes viral
Students at a downtown Toronto high school are learning the consequences of texting photos of a sexual nature after a teacher stumbled upon a compromising picture that had already been shared around the city.
The news comes a week after teachers at a Barrie-area high school discovered a large group of male and female students sharing naked pictures of themselves via BlackBerry Messenger.
It’s sparking a larger discussion about teens and technology.
“Learning to use technology appropriately, effectively and safely is probably the greatest lesson that this current generation is going to learn,” said Mark Keating, vice principal of Nantyr Shores Secondary School in Innisfil.
The Toronto incident took place last Wednesday at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. A Grade 9 teacher sent an email to a long list of parents.
As a policy, the teacher explained, she holds onto students’ cellphones until the end of class. On occasion, a student will forget and leave it behind. In an attempt to figure out the owner of one phone, the teacher turned it on to discover a screen saver photo depicting another student in a “compromising position.”
The picture was of a “sexual nature,” she added.
According to the email, it was then discovered the photo was transmitted via BlackBerry Messenger to students at “multiple” schools in the Toronto District School Board.
The teacher requested parents speak about the issue with their children, noting what transpired in subsequent class discussions.
To “help bring light to some of the far-reaching issues this incident created/could create, and vanquish the effects of uninformed gossip,” the teacher said she felt it important to discuss the issue, in general terms, with her Grade 9 classes.
What happened next may strike some as surprising.
When students were asked what they thought the consequences of taking and distributing such photos would be, many replied that the young woman and other students involved could have their cellphones taken away.
“This was their worst case scenario. No more cellphone. No mention of the permanent nature of the image (which has now gone viral), no mention of legal repercussions, no mention of social repercussions outside of not having a phone,” the teacher wrote.
“This is a very serious issue, because the ramifications are far-reaching. Social media is such a double-edged sword, and although today’s teenagers have always had it in their lives, their understanding of its permanency is not there.”
Rosedale Heights principal Barrie Sketchley declined to comment on the issue Wednesday.
Board superintendent Beth Butcher said it was difficult to comment because police are looking into the matter. “Certainly there are conversations that happen in schools frequently about the effects of technology and the impacts of social media,” she said, adding these discussions can take place in broad terms without specific examples and judging behaviour.
“I think that in a lot of situations young people . . . are very fluid in the technology that’s available to them, but they may not be as aware as they should be of the steps they need to take to protect themselves in this digital world,” said vice principal Keating, adding that almost every school conflict he sees these days has an online component, whether its social media or texting.
Queen’s University media professor Sidneyeve Matrix noted she’s seeing an escalation in these kinds of stories. While young people have smart phones and grow up using Facebook, there’s a “digital IQ gap” if they believe these images are private and that they can’t be quickly transmitted, she said. “When images grow legs online, it’s really hard to catch them.”
When it comes to finding a solution, not just parents and teachers need to step up, but other students, said Matrix.
It was concerned students who came forward in Innisfil. South Simcoe police said that because of the ages of the teens involved some of the images could be considered child pornography. Students there are not facing any criminal charges, but police and the school want to use the incident as a learning opportunity.
Two educational forums are currently being organized, for parents and for the students. The answer, said Keating, is not in taking technology away but “instilling in people the really strong character lessons.”
Toronto police said Wednesday the incident is being investigated but no criminal charges are expected at this point.