Saturday, September 29, 2007

One of the more interesting examples...

I am posting this chat example from this year's body image unit - as I promised to share the real deal and this represents where a chat could go, an how being VERY clear about rules and expectations seemed to keep it cool! The kids are taking care of business, and have begun to establish their sense of community in world wile discussing very real issues-peritinent to their lives. Toward the end of hte chat a very interesting turn of events transpires where the kids are actually "laying down the law" themselves -- pretty cool - Here's the chat:
I THINK THAT TEENS SHOULD LEARN TO LOVE THEIR BODIES AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT THE WAAY THAT THEY LOOK.
[9:33] Natascha SMSJourneyer: can i do the questions
[9:33] Siva SMSJourneyer: I'm seeimg to top of the pod!!!
[9:34] Disa SMSJourneyer: 1. i think weve to learned to accept our selvess!
[9:34] You: whats the main message that you learned about body image throught SL
[9:34] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: YES I AR=GREE DISA
[9:34] Disa SMSJourneyer: 2. because of magazines and technology...
[9:34] Natascha SMSJourneyer: um that you can look the way you want if you want that way but its wut u want
[9:34] Siva SMSJourneyer: right
[9:34] Granada SMSJourneyer: yea
[9:34] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: i think you cN WORK TO GET THE body the way u want it but noooooo anorexia
[9:34] Disa SMSJourneyer: 3.yeah i think girls feeel peer presure...
[9:34] You: yup
[9:34] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: ppl might make themselves look like wut theyre not
[9:35] Natascha SMSJourneyer: y3@h
[9:35] Disa SMSJourneyer: 4.idk
[9:35] Natascha SMSJourneyer: l0lzzz
[9:35] Siva SMSJourneyer: Same you don't need to look like everyone else
[9:35] Disa SMSJourneyer: 5.ummm
[9:35] You: next question
[9:35] Natascha SMSJourneyer: y3@h
[9:35] Natascha SMSJourneyer: everynes pretty
[9:35] Natascha SMSJourneyer: no matter how you loook
[9:35] Disa SMSJourneyer: 6.it was different because it wasnt aquward
[9:35] Siva SMSJourneyer: nobody's perfect
[9:35] You: what can teens do to deal with the pressures they get to be perfect
[9:35] Natascha SMSJourneyer: i agree with colleen
[9:35] You: ??
[9:35] Siva SMSJourneyer: lol M
[9:35] Disa SMSJourneyer: :)
[9:35] Siva SMSJourneyer: HM
[9:36] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: yes just because celebs look skinny does not mean u need to learn that everyone is pretty in their very own way
[9:36] Natascha SMSJourneyer: even if my head was shapped like a cohn id still be atractivee
[9:36] You: yaa
[9:36] Granada SMSJourneyer: yea i agree
[9:36] Disa SMSJourneyer: whos siva?
[9:36] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: sure. idk
[9:36] Siva SMSJourneyer: Megan
[9:36] Disa SMSJourneyer: oh hii
[9:36] You: teens should just b who they r and not wut the media says they should b
[9:36] Disa SMSJourneyer: loolllll:)
[9:36] Siva SMSJourneyer: hii
[9:36] Natascha SMSJourneyer: yeahh man
[9:36] Natascha SMSJourneyer: true dat
[9:36] Disa SMSJourneyer: hahaa
[9:36] You: whos natascha
[9:37] Natascha SMSJourneyer: nicole lo
[9:37] You: lol
[9:37] Siva SMSJourneyer: Next QUESTION!!
[9:37] You: ok gosh
[9:37] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: i think that the girrls have more prrreesss
[9:37] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: a
[9:37] You: do u think that only girls feel the pressure or do boyss do to
[9:37] You: ??
[9:37] Granada SMSJourneyer: yea sure
[9:37] Siva SMSJourneyer: Both! Girls want to be pretty and Boyz like... buff
[9:37] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: botu
[9:37] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: GIRLS FOR DEF.
[9:37] Natascha SMSJourneyer: bothhh
[9:37] You: bothh
[9:37] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: both*
[9:37] Disa SMSJourneyer: :)
[9:38] Natascha SMSJourneyer: y3@h lolzzzz
[9:38] Siva SMSJourneyer: botthhh guy wanna be all muscular and stuff
[9:38] You: b/c grls wanna b pretty and guys wanna b muscula
[9:38] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: yeah
[9:38] Siva SMSJourneyer: yeah
[9:38] Disa SMSJourneyer: yeppp
[9:38] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: but they can achieve that if they belive~
[9:38] Siva SMSJourneyer: NEXT
[9:38] Natascha SMSJourneyer: i D0n+ r3Ad m@g@zin3zzzzz
[9:38] Granada SMSJourneyer: nicole ure fat and pregnent
[9:38] Granada SMSJourneyer: hahahhaha
[9:38] Disa SMSJourneyer: haha
[9:39] Siva SMSJourneyer: lol ummm what were we just talking about
[9:39] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: THATS NOT NICE TO SAY
[9:39] You: what role do peer groups play with this issue
[9:39] You: ?
[9:39] Liz Lowe: hi yellow
[9:39] Natascha SMSJourneyer: WHOS GRANADA
[9:39] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: thats very very hurtful
[9:39] Liz Lowe: Thanks Kira
[9:39] Siva SMSJourneyer: QUESTION PEOPLE
[9:39] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: she said it already
[9:39] Liz Lowe: I missed it. What's hurtful?
[9:39] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: sam was joking around i tyhink
[9:39] You: WHAT ROLE DO PEER GROUPS PLAY WITH EHIS ISSUE??
[9:39] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: tHat u can be whatever u want to bee
[9:39] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: think*
[9:39] Siva SMSJourneyer: Somone said nichole was fat and preg
[9:39] You: !!!?!?
[9:39] Natascha SMSJourneyer: :(
[9:39] Natascha SMSJourneyer: wah
[9:40] Natascha SMSJourneyer: wahhhh
[9:40] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: now thats not nice
[9:40] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: we're trying ro do the questions
[9:40] Siva SMSJourneyer: Ok ANYWAYYYYY
[9:40] Natascha SMSJourneyer: you lowered my self esteem
[9:40] You: seriously lets just get them done
[9:40] Natascha SMSJourneyer: now im gonna have to go on a diet
[9:40] Natascha SMSJourneyer: ight lets do this
[9:40] Liz Lowe: Tht is saved in your chat. That is when people get permenantly removed form SL
[9:40] Siva SMSJourneyer: Yeah so no Bullying
[9:40] Natascha SMSJourneyer: ok
[9:40] Natascha SMSJourneyer: sam
[9:40] Natascha SMSJourneyer: lol
[9:40] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: hts why we're trying to do the questions
[9:41] Liz Lowe: good idea
[9:41] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: bullying is not nice and it hurts ppls self esteem
[9:41] Natascha SMSJourneyer: yeah
[9:41] You: what has this unit taught u about the media
[9:41] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: thts th next question
[9:41] Siva SMSJourneyer: OK QUESTION 4
[9:41] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: now back to the qs
[9:41] Disa SMSJourneyer: idk the question
[9:41] Granada SMSJourneyer is Offline
[9:41] Liz Lowe: especially when we're working on a project that is supposed to promote body image
[9:41] You: omg guys seriously
[9:41] Liz Lowe: OK, back to the questions
[9:41] Liz Lowe: brb
[9:41] Disa SMSJourneyer: ok
[9:41] Natascha SMSJourneyer: 4) what role do peer proups play with this issue ???????
[9:42] Natascha SMSJourneyer: answer it
[9:42] Siva SMSJourneyer: The unit has taught me that body image is not everything and you should be happy the way uyou are
[9:42] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: they make people do things they dont rly want to do
[9:42] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: friends help u reach your goals and boost up your self esteem
[9:42] Natascha SMSJourneyer: truee datttt
[9:42] Disa SMSJourneyer: yeahhhh lol
[9:42] Siva SMSJourneyer: oh woops yeah tru
[9:42] Natascha SMSJourneyer: but why do people followthe things in the magaziness
[9:42] You: because of the media.. our generation is very unhelthy ( question 5)
[9:42] Siva SMSJourneyer: Beacause thatt's pretty quote
[9:42] Disa SMSJourneyer: okk questin
[9:43] Disa SMSJourneyer: 6
[9:43] Granada SMSJourneyer is Online
[9:43] Disa SMSJourneyer: it was different because um...we werent shyyy?
[9:43] Natascha SMSJourneyer: um i dont think everyone likes each other in a clasrooom so you try to be somehting your not
[9:43] Siva SMSJourneyer: It's better because like you don't see the people you see the avatars
[9:43] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: i think it was different bcos we rnt actually looking at the person
[9:43] Natascha SMSJourneyer: but when you can be whoever you are
[9:43] Natascha SMSJourneyer: your comfortable
[9:43] Siva SMSJourneyer: I mean what I'm wearing 2day is pretty crazy
[9:43] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: was yur interaction with eachother different in SL then it would've been in a regular classroom
[9:44] Granada SMSJourneyer: im bak
[9:44] You: its easier to tlk to ppl in SL
[9:44] Disa SMSJourneyer: yeahhhhh
[9:44] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: yup
[9:44] Granada SMSJourneyer: yea sure
[9:44] Sternberga SMSJourneyer: true
[9:44] Kobolda SMSJourneyer: its the same thing as online
[9:44] Siva SMSJourneyer: exactly you're not afraid to say anything
[9:44] Natascha SMSJourneyer: deff
[9:44] Siva SMSJourneyer: yeah so... we done

3 comments:

ipenda keynes said...

I love how this unit turned out. I had a question about who was "running SL" during the units. Since this unit was taught by the health/phys-ed teacher, was she running SL with the students? How many teachers do you have inworld now?

MaggieMarat said...

Yes ipenda, it was quite fascinating. The kids never cease to astound us. In response to your question, the teacher, Diane Whiting, is one of my pioneer teachers who worked in SL last year. She asked me for a quick refresher at the beginning of the unit, and I team taught the first few days as I always insist on giving any new classes the "pep-talk" I definitely get on my soapbox and explain to them that a great responsibility comes along with being the first middle school in SL. I also explain the rules-behavior, where they can build, no littering, dress code and "sletiquette". This year's 8th grade class are SO into SL because all they could do last year was watch the "big kids" work. often I would have "bands" of kids standing behind the lab are in the library watching the overhead screen and they were wide-eyed and envious...So, now that they are the "big kids" they are all over it!

MaggieMarat said...

Oh - and I now have accounts for every 8th and 9th grade teacher--and I am running a 2nd in-service this week (I ran one over the summer where 12 teachers attended)that has about 16 more enrolled.