Comments on: Face-To-Face And Online Relationships http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/ Theory is nice, but we are working in practice... Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:26:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Larry Ferlazzo http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-214 Larry Ferlazzo Sun, 13 Jan 2008 06:57:32 +0000 http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-214 Brian, I appreciate the excellent points you've made in your comment. I'm in complete agreement that the Internet provides great opportunities -- via text, video, and audio -- for people to stay in closer touch with family members and friends with whom they have already developed close and longterm face-to-face relationships, as your touching story suggests. And I'm with you on feeling excited about the new free applications that allow users to work on projects together in real-time. I'm planning to have my students try some of them with the Brazilian class this coming semester. And, Alice, I'll be looking forward to your post. I know you don't have enough things to do, so I'm always trying to come up with more work for you! Larry Brian,

I appreciate the excellent points you’ve made in your comment.

I’m in complete agreement that the Internet provides great opportunities — via text, video, and audio — for people to stay in closer touch with family members and friends with whom they have already developed close and longterm face-to-face relationships, as your touching story suggests.

And I’m with you on feeling excited about the new free applications that allow users to work on projects together in real-time. I’m planning to have my students try some of them with the Brazilian class this coming semester.

And, Alice, I’ll be looking forward to your post. I know you don’t have enough things to do, so I’m always trying to come up with more work for you!

Larry

]]> By: Brian Crosby http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-213 Brian Crosby Sun, 13 Jan 2008 05:00:31 +0000 http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-213 Larry - I think a great example of this is when they hook up families that are separated using any kind of video link ... for example soldiers in Iraq with their families back home. Its a special experience in that unlike audio only, family members can observe changes in appearance ... longer hair, beards, clothing, growth in children etc. - and you can tell by the smiles and tears that it is highly impactful (I don't think that is a real word : ) ). I've had the experience of helping connect a mom and her 3 year old getting treatment for cancer 300 miles from here with dad and siblings via video-Skype. I'd never met this mom and when my ugly mug appeared on the screen and the realization that the next day she would be able to connect in this fashion with the rest of her family the tears started to flow... and when her bald 3 year old had the headphones placed on him and I talked to him and got him to wave at me she lost it completely along with the nurses in the room ... this is powerful stuff! However, I don't believe for a second that those families wouldn't rather be together. So it's an improvement over text, or even just audio, but nothing beats being there. Having said that I think it has implications for teaching and learning we have only just begun to realize. There are even ways now to not only see and talk to others, but share a document (Word doc. or drawing application for example) and edit that document from multiple locations at once ... and one of the things that makes this really exciting for educators is that it is usually FREE! Nice post! Brian Larry - I think a great example of this is when they hook up families that are separated using any kind of video link … for example soldiers in Iraq with their families back home. Its a special experience in that unlike audio only, family members can observe changes in appearance … longer hair, beards, clothing, growth in children etc. - and you can tell by the smiles and tears that it is highly impactful (I don’t think that is a real word : ) ).
I’ve had the experience of helping connect a mom and her 3 year old getting treatment for cancer 300 miles from here with dad and siblings via video-Skype. I’d never met this mom and when my ugly mug appeared on the screen and the realization that the next day she would be able to connect in this fashion with the rest of her family the tears started to flow… and when her bald 3 year old had the headphones placed on him and I talked to him and got him to wave at me she lost it completely along with the nurses in the room … this is powerful stuff!

However, I don’t believe for a second that those families wouldn’t rather be together.

So it’s an improvement over text, or even just audio, but nothing beats being there.

Having said that I think it has implications for teaching and learning we have only just begun to realize. There are even ways now to not only see and talk to others, but share a document (Word doc. or drawing application for example) and edit that document from multiple locations at once … and one of the things that makes this really exciting for educators is that it is usually FREE!

Nice post!
Brian

]]> By: alicemercer http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-211 alicemercer Sat, 12 Jan 2008 04:34:37 +0000 http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-211 The strange thing is Larry, I think of a bunch of examples is support of both situations. Maybe both types of relationships have successful examples, and unsuccessful ones, and maybe the successful ones can teach us about ourselves, and our society. I'm thinking I can't do justice to this in a comment, and I'll have to write a post. Always you are "making me" write! The strange thing is Larry, I think of a bunch of examples is support of both situations. Maybe both types of relationships have successful examples, and unsuccessful ones, and maybe the successful ones can teach us about ourselves, and our society. I’m thinking I can’t do justice to this in a comment, and I’ll have to write a post.

Always you are “making me” write!

]]> By: mrferlazzo http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-209 mrferlazzo Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:35:42 +0000 http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-209 Bill, I appreciate your thoughtful response and participation in this discussion that's pushing my thinking, too. You're certainly right that we need to find out what our students think. In fact, it would also be interesting to learn what differences in opinion there might be even between the 25% -- 35% of students who have Internet access at home and the rest who do not at an urban high school like where I teach (I'm assuming those percentages might be similar to urban schools across the country, but might be wrong). I suspect that a good number with Internet access might very well speak much more positively about the value of their online relationships. My thoughts on the role of the teacher would not change if that was the case, though. I'd still say one of the lessons we would need to help our students learn is that, just as I apply the saying to technology, "online relationships have a place, and they have to also be kept in their place." I think that our students have opinions about many things. Our challenge is help them, through modeling, engagement, group work, and accessing prior knowledge, move those "opinions" to "informed judgment." Larry Bill,

I appreciate your thoughtful response and participation in this discussion that’s pushing my thinking, too.

You’re certainly right that we need to find out what our students think. In fact, it would also be interesting to learn what differences in opinion there might be even between the 25% — 35% of students who have Internet access at home and the rest who do not at an urban high school like where I teach (I’m assuming those percentages might be similar to urban schools across the country, but might be wrong).

I suspect that a good number with Internet access might very well speak much more positively about the value of their online relationships.

My thoughts on the role of the teacher would not change if that was the case, though. I’d still say one of the lessons we would need to help our students learn is that, just as I apply the saying to technology, “online relationships have a place, and they have to also be kept in their place.”

I think that our students have opinions about many things. Our challenge is help them, through modeling, engagement, group work, and accessing prior knowledge, move those “opinions” to “informed judgment.”

Larry

]]> By: Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites Of The Day For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL » Blog Archive » Face-To-Face And Online Relationships http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-207 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites Of The Day For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL » Blog Archive » Face-To-Face And Online Relationships Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:31:12 +0000 http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-207 [...] Face-To Face And Online Relationships is the title of my latest post on “In Practice,” a blog written by a group of us who teach at schools in low-income communities.  [...] [...] Face-To Face And Online Relationships is the title of my latest post on “In Practice,” a blog written by a group of us who teach at schools in low-income communities.  [...]

]]> By: Bill Ferriter http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-206 Bill Ferriter Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:28:50 +0000 http://inpractice.edublogs.org/2008/01/10/face-to-face-and-online-relationships/#comment-206 Hey Larry, Great post that pushed my thinking. I especially like your argument that focusing on face-to-face relationships matters because those are the relationships that they are most likely to draw emotional satisfaction from their lives. What I'm still struggling with is how kids feel about online relationships....Now we know how you feel and how I feel, but we haven't heard from anyone under the age of 18! I really wonder if they'd have a different perspective about how valuable virtual relationships are only because they've grown up in a completely different age as we have. Enjoying the conversation, Bill Hey Larry,

Great post that pushed my thinking. I especially like your argument that focusing on face-to-face relationships matters because those are the relationships that they are most likely to draw emotional satisfaction from their lives.

What I’m still struggling with is how kids feel about online relationships….Now we know how you feel and how I feel, but we haven’t heard from anyone under the age of 18!

I really wonder if they’d have a different perspective about how valuable virtual relationships are only because they’ve grown up in a completely different age as we have.

Enjoying the conversation,
Bill

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