Social Media Gets Formal

On Wednesday, EHS hosted Josh Gunderson (www.joshgunderson.com) for November’s Evening Seminar. Mr. Gunderson is a social media safety and anti-bullying specialist who spoke to our students about digital civics, safety and their online lives. He is an actor by trade and thoroughly entertained the students for an hour as he demonstrated to them both the benefits of certain social media tools and the common, and often costly, pitfalls of naïve or uninformed users. It was a lecture even adults could learn from and enjoy.

 

We also realized it was a topic on which the student body had quite a bit to share and discuss. Guided conversations at every table throughout the formal dinner immediately following the presentation were filled with insights, questions and the occasional spirited debate. It was clear the lessons shared that evening resonated with our student population. I hope at the very least it makes every student on campus a more informed and thoughtful participant in those social media spaces when they choose to access them.

 

Lastly, faculty and resident counselors guided final discussions on the dorm floors after the dinner. They worked through exercises that explored different forms of cyberbullying, what it means to be a bystander, and even some of the legal and permanent ramifications. I even overheard more conversations continuing yesterday at lunch.

 

Of course, not all of the dialogue and work was through the lens of gloom and consequence. In fact, much of Mr. Gunderson’s presentation was about the unique power of many social media site and apps. The dorm floor exercises concluded with the ways they’ve been used for good and to promote change. You can see one of the dorm floors new bulletin board in the photo above.

 

The next seminar will be Wednesday, January 7th and focus on “New Year’s Resolutions: Commitments to Community and Morality”