Twenty 9th Graders from Georgia Take On Google
The Digiteen Dream Team, a group of passionate ninth graders who have been using Google's Lively as part of the Digiteen Project, are planning to protest this Wednesday against Google's decision to close down its virtual world environment, Lively, at the end of this year.
In their shutdown announcement, Google suggested Lively users capture their work by taking videos and screenshots, and thanked their users adding: "We've learned a lot about how users interact in rich social environments." Is this all Lively was about? An experiment in user behavior?
Soon after Google's announcement, here at ReadWriteWeb we speculated that the reason for the kill was that Lively didn't offer Google any relevant data. Today, we have to question why any company would discontinue a service without providing alternatives to their customers - paying or not.
Image: Digiteen Action Project
Teacher Vicki Davis, in a blog post on the Dream Team site said that the class had contacted Livelyzens (other Lively users) and found that there are classrooms around the world using the tool. "On a Skype call between my class and some Livelyzen's yesterday, we learned that one Livelyzen has built a translator for multiple languages to allow avatars to communicate and speak in their native language! So cool!"
The American Education System Needs Your Help
In an attempt to have their voices heard, the Digiteen Dream Team created a blog where they have been listing their goals, along with suggestions on how Google could turn Lively around. You have to commend them on their efforts.
The student led protest is planned for this Wednesday 2.15 - 3.00 p.m. (EST). These are the ways you can help:
- Create an account on Lively
- Create a room and host a protest. Let the Dream Team know, and they'll post about it
- Visit the protest room on Wednesday and show your support
- Sign the Lively petition
- Write a letter to Google about the use of Lively in education
- Pass the word on; promote the protest
With students around the world counting on virtual worlds, the economy in the sorry state it is in, and schools across the United States working on minimal funding, we need to find a way to provide a safe online environment for students to work in.
"My students have a dream to create 3D worlds for teaching digital citizenship - they are going to pursue this dream and I'm going to help them. We will not stop - but if we have to start over we want it to be the right place that is accessible to as many students as possible," Davis said recently on her post.
With the holiday season fast approaching, let's hope Santa has a few goodies in his bag - or at the very least, a trick up his sleeve.
Comments
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They could offer to pay.
Imagine that? A service you pay for. Just like in the real world.
Ever heard of 37Signals?
Posted by: Lincoln Rozelle | December 8, 2008 1:14 AM
"My students have a dream to create 3D worlds for teaching digital citizenship - they are going to pursue this dream and I'm going to help them. We will not stop - but if we have to start over we want it to be the right place that is accessible to as many students as possible"
I had dream of helping people, not putting people in a place where they would need to be helped.. Ugh.. Teach these kids social skill for their own sake!
Posted by: EllisGL | December 8, 2008 5:47 AM
@EllisGL - I don't think you understood what they are wanting to do - they have been part of the Digiteen project - http://wiki.digiteen.net and studying the 9 aspects of digital citizenship - some students are using Woogi world to teach digital citizenship but the older students want to use a virtual world to teach middle schools.
They have done amazing work in lively with our middle schoolers. Digital citizenship is something that should be taught because kids are not only having unsafe behaviors online but also our news is full of kids who don't know how to properly use technology.
As for paying -- we have a very small budget - we are a private school but don't have a significant budget - the $2300 for a world in second life each year is WAY out of the ballpark - we had budget $950 which was what it should have taken before the price increase - and that, was tough to get.
So, we need some less expensive alternatives where kids can make content.
It is a noble cause, whether or not it is understood. I'm happy to answer questions - I'm their teacher.
Posted by: Vicki Davis | December 8, 2008 6:58 AM
The headline says these kids are from Georgia, but the article does not. Wondering what city and school.
Posted by: Sarah | December 8, 2008 8:15 AM
With students around the world counting on virtual worlds
hmmm...Perhaps it's just me. Not all children count on virtual world. Let them breathe real, fresh air.
Digital citizenship is something that should be taught because kids are not only having unsafe behaviors online but also our news is full of kids who don't know how to properly use technology.
hmmm...so, digital citizenship will guarantee that teenagers use technology properly?
Posted by: ipanema | December 8, 2008 8:29 AM
Having read through the "Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship" (here: http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html) it all seems a little silly to me. Basically two professors defined some arbitrary rules agreed to by no one and are passing it off as "Digital Citizenship". Take #7...
7. Digital Rights & Responsibilities: those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world.
Just as in the American Constitution where there is a Bill of Rights, there is a basic set of rights extended to every digital citizen. Digital citizens have the right to privacy, free speech, etc. Basic digital rights must be addressed, discussed, and understood in the digital world. With these rights also come responsibilities as well. Users must help define how the technology is to be used in an appropriate manner. In a digital society these two areas must work together for everyone to be productive.
Tell that to people in China. I have no problem with teaching a little bit of Internet etiquette but it certainly shouldn't take more than a day to do. When I was in school we got a speech that started something like "before we go online I want you to keep some rules in mind..." and we all did just fine.
Beyond that a 9th grader is at the level where they should be learning how web pages are made (e.g. html, a programming language, etc...). I'd much rather see the time spent on this nonsense dedicated to something more practicle like that.
Finally, 9th graders should understand that something they got for free can be taken away if it doesn't make money. If their understanding of economics is so weak that they don't get that and think a protest is somehow going to change that I'm a little worried abour our future.
Posted by: Tom | December 8, 2008 9:00 AM
@Sarah - I decided to link to the Dream Team's site rather than the school site as the story was about the kids, but their school is Westwood Schools
@ipanema - Kids do need lessons in digital citizenship. And no, it won't guarantee they use technology better, but they will be better informed and not make the same mistakes we see people making today when it comes to online security and privacy.
@Tom - I think they do understand economics, however, surely the lesson here is that they try to do something about what they believe in, rather than sit back and do nothing. We have to applaud them for trying.
Lively shutting down is destroying everything my classmates and I have been working on. Many people may think that we are a little obsessed with Lively, but after we have put all the time and effort into it would be very upsetting. The students that we are teaching are learning very much and using it every time they get on the internet.We all use Lively daily and are planning to teach all ages of middle school kids about digital citizenship using Google Lively. We created rooms to help us teach everyone about the nine aspects of digital citizenship. We ended up making numerous rooms and now our seventh graders are using them. We each use a different room every week. We all access these rooms daily and it will change the way our daily class operates.
Posted by: Tinsley | December 8, 2008 11:39 AM
@Lidija - I don't applaud 9th graders for trying alone. 9th Grade is High School age and by that age you should know enough to be realistic.
If they raised funds, wrote a letter suggesting ways Google could profit from Lively, or anything that might actually stand a chance of making a difference I'd applaud that.
But a "virtual protest" is just them saying "Please give us free stuff or we'll be upset" and honestly that's a little childish. High School age is old enough to know nothing comes for free.
Posted by: Tom | December 8, 2008 12:21 PM
@Tom -- please read this - post - 10 Ways lively can make money - http://digiteendreamteam.blogspot.com/2008/12/10-way-lively-can-make-money.html written on their blog this PAST Friday.
If you take a look at their blog, you'll see http://digiteendreamteam.blogspot.com/ that they do understand this.
I'll quote from their blog:
"Additionally, we know and have discussed how Google is a for profit company that must maximize returns for it's shareholders -- so,
we're going to share ways we think Google can or could have made money from Lively and improvements that they should have or other virtual world companies should make in order to better serve classrooms. (Like the ability to remove an offensive person from the space.)"
The students said this.
What I see here is a problem that is overlying so much of US education -- that is a general disdain and distaste for the work of teachers.
I believe that the strategies we are using here do teach students to be effective citizens and if any of the commenters here took the time to see the archives and work we have done on our school wiki (http://westwood.wikispaces.com) - you would see that yes, there is programming, blogging, etc. - these students collaborate and manage global projects that are very meaningful and DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP is a huge issue.
Tinsley is a student in the class and I believe her response is a great one.
This is NOT about asking Google to not make money - this is saying that there is some great potential here for Google and they CAN make money while providing something students need.
So, criticize all you wish, but as their teacher, I decided to take our 2 week module on blogging and use it about something that they are passionate about instead of having them basically write a term paper for the internet as many people teach blogging.
It is highly likely that Google will ignore them, and that is OK too, a learning experience also, but you'll notice that they are also doing several other things:
* Evaluating other virtual worlds for use after Lively most likely shuts down
* Giving suggestions to make Lively profitable
* Writing about the effective use of Woogi world to teach elementary online safety
* Sharing their views on digital citizenship.
I will always defend their right to speak out and that they should not be looked down upon just because they are young.
Sometimes young people are right. I stand behind what they are doing.
Posted by: Vicki Davis | December 8, 2008 12:58 PM
It may be that Google shutting down Lively, and the resulting lessons (including exposure on ReadWriteWeb) may be even more useful than the original curriculum built on top of Lively. In particular, they'll gain insights into the difference between mutually beneficial communication and sharpshooting from naysayers. ;-)
Posted by: Erik | December 8, 2008 1:55 PM
I am a little disturbed to see how much negativity is being directed at the work of organized ninth graders. Do they identify the closing of Google Lively as the world coming to an end? No. Do they see the elimination of this service as something they can change? Yes. It's idealistic and, whatever the result, this is a valuable lesson to students preparing for digital and global citizenship. Come to think of it, most lessons that prepare students for global citizenship take place in a classroom before we send them outside. Recommending them to take a breath of "real, fresh air" is not only a little condescending, but it would also require them to throw all those valuable in-class learning sessions out the window. Why not allow them learn the intricacies of protest and the challenges of organizing one in a dying service? What if they change the outcome? What if they don't? What does anyone have to lose? I applaud their efforts and have done my small part to support them.
I also applaud the naysayers above, for serving their part as the "status quo." The drama would be nothing without you.
Posted by: Christopher | December 10, 2008 7:03 AM
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sharon
http://www.autoloans101.info
Posted by: Sharon | December 11, 2008 12:03 AM
some of these comments are rather hurtful us because many of you dont understand what we are trying to do. We understand that google has the right to shut down lively but we still want them to keep it up because it is very dear to us and has taught many great things about the internet and the revoulution of virtual worlds.
Posted by: ethan | December 12, 2008 11:13 AM
Lively is a great website. I am so sad it is shutting down. I think some of you guys have the wrong idea about what were trying to accomplish out of this protest. We have worked so hard in Lively and are using it for educational matters. I hope you will read the whole blog and try and understand before you give us so much grief about Lively.
And, we know they have to make money. Most of our parents are entrepreneurs - so we have suggested ways Lively can make money (as our teacher said above.)
Thank you very much.
Posted by: the wikinator | December 12, 2008 11:17 AM
I really believe that all aged children should learn this. What would people think if a 18 year old tries to protest? It does not matter the age. It shows that we are mature enough to know whats right and wrong. My classmates and I have been working on this for weeks. We just do not want to see a project we found helpful go down in flames without us having a chance to get the most of it. When there is digital citizenship involved, the whole thing needs to be explained completely. Lively is really a great way to learn and have fun. I from experience have found that all aged kids are becoming interested in the Internet in this advancing technology world. I really believe we can make a difference. It may not be helpful but it will get us somewhere. If we show more people how we used Lively, they would know that we are not looking for trouble. We are just trying to help people. Please take a look at our work. This is worth while. I really do not want to see our hard work be wasted. Please do not shut out our opinions because of our age. Save Lively!
Posted by: Kunjan | December 12, 2008 11:20 AM
Lively shutting down is not the end of the world to us, but it is still upsetting. Anybody who has ever worked hard on something and then had it taken away should know how we feel. We do have social skills and we do get fresh air. A lot of fresh air actually. I am glad that we live in a place that we can freely express our views, so here are mine.
Everyone who thinks this is not a good idea is wrong in my opinion, and here are my reasons: There is nothing wrong with trying to make the internet a safer place. Some of you are right when you say that some kids will still do unsafe stuff online even if they are taught digital citizenship, but if we can help only one person be safe online, then we feel like we have done our job.
Posted by: Krysten | December 12, 2008 11:21 AM
We have all worked very hard on this project. Lively is important to all of us, and we just do not want to see it go. We are being realistic, we realize Google has the power to shut Lively down, we just are just asking them not to. The kids we are teaching really enjoy this website, and are learning a lot about Digital Citizenship.
Thanks
Posted by: Jordan | December 12, 2008 11:39 AM
The way that we have used Lively is by teaching younger children the dangers of playing on the web. In my opinion, it's a great way for people to learn. Most people who have created many rooms are upset because all of their hard work is about to get taken from them. It wouldn't be the worst thing that ever happened in the world, but if Lively didn't shut down it would be a great way to express thoughts and ideas and a new way to teach people and children their way around the internet.
Posted by: Mason J | December 12, 2008 11:47 AM
Lively shutting down is very devastating to me and my classmates. We have been working in Lively for a few months. We use Lively every day and if Lively shuts down it would change the whole way our class operates. Since we have started using Lively our class has realized how great virtual worlds are for teaching things. We are using Lively to teach some middle school students about the nine aspects of digital citizenship. Come to our blog and support it!
Posted by: Sydnee` | December 12, 2008 11:50 AM
Thank you for the support. It makes me very sad to see lively
go down with out a major fight. I use lively every day to teach 7th grade students and talk to people from other countries. I was surprised to learn that people from other
countries use Lively to learn to speak English. My class and I really love lively, we use it to teach the 7th grade students at our school. We are trying to stop this, and are probaly having another protest next week. More info will be available on our blog.
Posted by: T-Rob | December 12, 2008 12:00 PM
I do not see this as anything else than a publicity stunt for Ms. Davis to yet again call attention to herself.
Google is not the Goliath and you students are not the David's here. Google is not the enemy.
As with other Google ideas, this one did not live up to the potential which they had hoped and it is being put on the shelf. They recently have done the same with Google Pages.
The reality is, Ms. Davis, is that you have used valuable classroom time to launch a crusade and dragging along students, for what end? What if Google does decide to extend Lively? What then?
Have you prepared your students for defeat? Do you honestly believe that their protests really have been seen and heard worldwide by enough to have google even take notice?
I believe that you think much to much of yourself. There are more important issues which your students might wish to crusade against. Perhaps some within your own neighborhood that deal with reality and not existence in a virtual world.
CW
Posted by: Clark Williams | December 12, 2008 9:30 PM
Clark-
You may impune my motives - go ahead. I'm a teacher in a small town who is perfectly happy to stay a teacher and raise my three children.
I love Google services and refuse to teach my ninth graders that they should be quiet when they are concerned about something. We LOVE Google. We're trying to let them know that Lively is a GREAT educational tool.
Do I think Google has noticed? No. Do I think they will notice? No. My students and I have honestly discussed that it is unlikely that Google will notice at all, however, there is a bigger picture of what I'm trying to TEACH here. We teach effective blogging and it is vital to find something that the students are passionate about -- here we have something that they are very passionate about. They are learning about blogging, the details of the terms of use policies (yes, we've read it and know that Google can do as it wishes). This experience is rich in learning about many things.
Now, if I wanted publicity - certainly I'd be using my own blog for this to get the links, etc. However, when I was in Illinois and the announcement came out about Lively, they sent me an email and said they wanted to do something about this and we met and determined the most appropriate Web 2.0 way to do something. They've done a lot more constructive things than just protest as you can see on their blog - http://digiteendreamteam.blogspot.com - however unfortunately - the "Protest" is what has gotten the attention to this issue that is important to them.
I celebrate their right to speak out about Google Lively, digital citizenship, and the effective use of 3d worlds as they state on their blog.
I'm proud of what they are doing and happy to take the blame from anyone who wishes to disparage their work. Yes, there are many important issues in the world -- but I also think that digital citizenship is one of them.
Personal attacks are always very hurtful, but they are part of doing anything in this world. Best wishes to you, Clark.
Posted by: Vicki Davis | December 13, 2008 6:19 AM
I'm late in commenting here, but just read through the comments, some of which really surprised me. Isn't this a great example of authentic learning - students learning about and responding to real-world situations (learning and teaching younger students about digital citizenship) by filling the roles of teacher and mentor?
I'm an online-safety advocate and journalist, not an educator, so the above are more impressions from me the parent, but I can say with the authority of one who follows online-safety research closely that digital citizenship and media literacy are the two most important online-safety topics for the vast majority of online youth going forward. Digital citizenship addresses the problem of online harassment and cyberbullying, which various studies show affect anywhere from one-third to three-quarters of online youth (millions of kids). Learning to respect themselves and each other as active participants on the participatory Web is key to their online well-being, one reason being that "youth who engage in online aggressive behavior by making rude or nasty comments or frequently embarrassing others are more than twice as likely to report online interpersonal victimization," according to researchers at the Crimes Against Children Research Center, writing in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/161/2/138). Teaching young people to be mindful Net users, good citizens, and critical thinkers is increasingly important, and helping them become the teachers is a powerful means to doing so, it seems to me, because of the social-norming factor. I hope the Digiteens program continues beyond Lively's demise!
Posted by: Anne Collier | December 16, 2008 11:00 AM
We have all worked very hard on this project. Lively is important to all of us, and we just do not want to see it go. We are being realistic, we realize Google has the power to shut Lively down, we just are just asking them not to. The kids we are teaching really enjoy this website, and are learning a lot about Digital Citizenship.
Thanks
Posted by: دردشة | January 1, 2009 4:55 AM
The headline says these kids are from Georgia, but the article does not. Wondering what city and school.
Posted by: دردشة | January 1, 2009 4:57 AM