1. Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.
2. Students who are cyberbullied are often bullied in person as well according to www.stopbullying.gov. What is especially difficult about cyberbullying is that students could get bullied at any time in the day, even if they are physically not near a bully. Also, in many cases, cyberbullies can remain anonymous. They do not have to include their name or could create an "alias" profile in order to have their identity hidden.
3. According to bullyingstatistics.org, around half of teens have been the victims of cyber bullying
4. This website (http://cyberbullying.org/resources/educators) is a very good resource for a huge range of types of cyberbullying. There is information on preventing cyberbullying by creating a positive school climate, something called a Words Wound Curriculum, and Staff Development Questions. All of these resources are directed toward educators and seem to revolve around making difficult conversations more frequent to make them easier.
5. Luckily I have not had to deal much with cyberbullying myself or with anyone that I know that I would need to intervene. What I would imagine would be most difficult is what to do if a student is getting cyberbullied. How do you intervene? What conversations do you have? What terrible things might students say to one another and how does that influence what you would say? This link is a good resource to give teachers opportunities to prevent cyberbullying, identify it, and navigate difficult conversations.
Here is a great resource for responding to cyberbullying. It is a quick list of ten ways people can respond to cyberbullying. I like that provides concrete steps or advice to help navigate cyberbullying.
Andy-
ReplyDeleteGreat resources for us to prevent cyberbullying! Your 5th point highlights a lot of questions that I personally would struggle with answering quickly. I did not think about the possibility for someone to create an "alias" and then post comments online that hurt others. This is a real realm that I had not considered.
Based on my experience from my current placement, I have not seen or heard about much of an issue with Cyber Bullying. I am at a middle school, so maybe Cyber Bullying is not as much of an issue at this grade. However, your post mentioned that about half of teens have been victims of cyber bullying; therefore, I wonder if in middle school it isn't as much of an issue or if my location plays a role. My school also has one to one technology, making it seem that cyber bullying or abuse of internet privileges may be a common occurrence. However, the school blocks social media websites and other websites like YouTube in effort to decrease the likelihood of abuse and bullying. My school also has a mantra or theme of speaking kind words to one another. Maybe this helps create a community in my school that hinders bullies? This also brings me to the question of am I just being naive? Is Cyber Bullying occurring all around me but I am just unaware of it? Personally, I think that cyber bullying is under-reported because students may be more likely to try to brush it off because its "just online." Consequently, I was wondering what you think. Do you see evidence of cyber bullying at your placement? Also, did you find any information on whether cyber bullying usually comes from one's peers or older perpetrators?
ReplyDeleteI have seen very unkind words between students on google classroom during peer review time where one student couldn't take constructive criticism when another student did what the teacher asked by offering feedback on a writing assignment. I do not believe the teacher was aware of it. If technology is used it must be monitored. This teacher was busy yet if this was assigned then it should be monitored. This was 4th-5th graders. My point is, it's happening and these are the 'teaching moments' regarding technology.
DeleteRecently I was talking to my Assistant Principal and CT and he said that if he was to create a pie chart of what he deals with on a daily basis, 90% of his day is dealing with cyberbullying. I found this incredibly alarming, especially since our students get into a lot of physical fights and altercations (our 7th grade class has been branded the 'fighters' because they have the most write-ups for fighting the school has seen in awhile). Recently we had a student get suspended because he routinely harassed a student calling him "faggy boy" and "gay." The student does come across like he may identify as LGBTQ, just he hasn't realized it himself yet, but it still doesn't make the behavior of the other student okay.
ReplyDeleteFox New 13 recently posted a story about how Michigan is actually ranks one of the worst in the nation for bullying. WalletHub.com used data from the CDC looking at 17 metrics to gather their results. Michigan's overall received the worst ranking but we are also ranked 5th in "Bullying Prevalence" and 17th for having anti-bully laws. We also are 3rd for percentage of students being bullied on campus and 5th highest percentage of students who are bullied online. Less than 40% of school districts offer LGBTQ protection to their students. Also, cyberbullying is not a criminal act. The WalletHub reporter mentioned that 10% of MI High School students have attempted suicide and the most common reason is cyberbullying and lack of LGBTQ protection. She thinks that better preventative measures and stricter penalties for engaging in such behavior will help this percentage out. The Great Lakes Cyber Academy has had an increase in enrollment from students who do identify as LGBTQ as a means to rid themselves of the bullying they experience at school.
It's incredibly alarming at the rate bullying and cyberbullying is presenting itself, especially with technology being so readily available to the students at younger ages. It's certainly in our best interest to educate teachers, administrators and parents. My placement school had a representative from the MI Attorney General's office come in to talk to students about Bullying and Cyberbullying and give them a list of resources and apps to help minimize the bullying, but also a way to anonymously report any bullying that happens (OK2Say). The part that didn't fare well with our students was that he ran out of time and some of the resources were predominantly white students, when my school is diverse. Since they didn't see the diversity in the presentation, they checked out.
Brenzing, B. (2016, August 16). Report: Michigan ranks worst for bullying | Fox17. Retrieved October 22, 2016, from http://fox17online.com/2016/08/16/report-michigan-ranks-worst-for-bullying/
Because I am placed at an elementary school, I have not seen or heard any forms of cyber bullying at my placement. Our students have technology class 3 times a week where they go to the computer lab. They also do not have individual computers or ipads to have access to the internet. I know for a fact that homeroom teachers do not allow students to have their phones during class. Most classrooms have cubbies for cell phones so they are not a distraction during school hours.
ReplyDeleteIt is shocking to me that around half of all teens have been victims of cyber bullying!Teens especially can be so ruthless online and on other social media apps. One tragic story I stumbled upon was about Tovanna Holton, a 15-year-old girl in Florida who committed suicide due to cyber bullying. Earlier this year in June, Tovanna's "friend" recorded her in the bathtub using Snapchat, and sent the video to friends. The video spread like wildfire and her friends and family took screenshots of her naked state. The pictures ended up all over social media. Her ex-boyfriend posted it to expose her and cause humiliation. This cyber bullying had occurred before and Tovanna took her own life the following evening on June 5th, 2016.
Tovanna's story is not unlike that of many others. At my school, we hold students to a high moral standard. We expect respect from students towards peers and teachers. I think this can help prevent all kinds of bullying and reduce the number of victims like Tovanna.
Here is the link to the story of Tovanna Holton: http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/06/a-nude-snapchat-video-and-cyberbullying-lead-to-teens-suicide/
The resources that you provided are excellent and make it very easy for teacher's to respond when they see bullying. Great post. I hope you and your classmates who read your post will use them.
ReplyDeleteIt was also an excellent point that I haven't heard yet, the fact that students can be bullied anytime if digital means are used. Very damaging to a student.