Thoughts on the Macarthur Study

When I first read the article we were assigned about the findings in the Macarthur study, I found myself agreeing with quite a bit of it. I especially agreed with the fact that students are a lot more motivated to learn from their peers because they can connect around a shared interest. I also loved the idea of kids learning through exploration because unlike a teacher lecturing in a classroom, there are no set defined goals. However, the next reading, which was a blog praising the findings really made me question my agreement with the study. The author of the blog put such emphasis on pointing out how youth respect one another's authority online and that what adults would call "hanging out online" can be viewed as kids learning basic social skills. The more I thought about it, the more I can honestly say I don't fully agree. Although kids might be learning social skills, it is often at the price of reinforcing what they are learning in language arts and literacy. There is no set curriculum on teaching kids that spelling and grammar that is socially acceptable in the online world is not in an educational context. Also, just as kids can be cruel to eachother in person, they can be just as cruel to eachother online. The more kids are using computers and the internet earlier and earlier, the more cyber bullying that is prevalent. Although the findings of the study are great, if we are to promote using these technologies in the classroom, we need to device and promote a curriculum that teaches kids the difference between online social etiquette and real world social skills.