Cyberbullying - Putting a Face to the Anonymous

"Research reveals that children consider the death of someone close to be the only experience worse than being bullied. It is a deeply emotional experience for children of all ages." (From: Protect Your Child on the Internet by John Lenardon).

This is a powerful statement with profound implications. Bullying is not a new problem, but it is a problem that has taken on a different M.O. This has led to traditional approaches to educating students about the dangers and strategies we can use to combat bullying to be out-dated and inefficient.

The rise and prevalence of cyber bullying has lead to an outpouring of public discussion, school training and countless student presentations. We, as educators, have identified cyberbullying as a growing concern in our schools, but we need to do more to target the underlying causes and methods that are leading to its proliferation. Here are some links to my school board's information and tips concerning cyberbullying and internet safety for parents.

One of the ways to minimize (or even eradicate) the growing dangers online is to teach digital citizenship at its core principles as part of our instructional program. Through media, language, computers, health or other subjects, appropriate online actions and "netiquette" should be taught in a way that explicitly deals with the actions and consequences of online choices. Currently, we are improving on our ability to identify online incidents and deal with them in a more informed and efficient manner. But we need to begin from the grassroots level - from the ground up - and instead begin laying the foundation for positive and well-intentioned online actions in our earliest grades. Involving parents and the community of these tips and strategies help to instill in them the impetus to drive these digital citizenship core values community-wide - not just school or class-wide.

A article/video entitled, "Can anything be done to stop cyberbullying?" is found on CBC's "The National" webpage. It contains some tips and links to other websites that contain information you can use to help prevent internet harassment from happening to you.

At any rate, the problem of cyberbullying has been identified. Students (and parents) are being taught how to deal with it or prevent it within their household. It is time to take a more proactive approach towards the prevention of cyberbullying by educating our students on their roles and responsibilities, rather than a reactive approach to merely deals with specific incidents. Digital citizenship is paramount to incorporating 21st century technologies into our teaching practice. It cannot be done without front-loading the moral responsibilities of the students to act appropriately.

Web 2.0 and You

This "GoAnimate" animation has been created to explain what Web 2.0 is. There are many programs being used by students that are interactive and user-based; rather than content-based. With these tools and applications, though, comes responsibility. It should be the role of the parents and schools to educate students on how to use these Web 2.0 tools, in order to facilitate digital citizenship values in our youth. Digital citizenship is the next great frontier of curricular development needed to further our students in the coming years.

These kinds of technologies have exploded into our lives - so fast that there has not been the framework and support system put in place in our education system to properly equip students for their 'online' lives. Teachers find themselves caught in the middle between traditional methods of teaching that appear to be relatively safe and known, and web-based methods of teaching that are still somewhat unchartered due to their constant development and innovation.

Choosing to stay 'ahead of the curve' when it comes to implementing technology into your classroom practice, also means that you will need to show the professional commitment and initiative to map out these rich areas of 21st century learning in order to be successful. There are many opportunities for personal and professional growth in this learning realm, should you jump on board and began your ride. The key is the confidence and resilience you will need to experiment with your methods, evaluate your pedagogy, and forge a new teaching identity to your students.

Web-Constructors of Knowledge

During a meeting with a couple of teachers today, I was asked by a colleague whether I felt that new web-based technologies (i.e. glogster, blogging, wikis, prezis) were being implemented in classrooms today because they are ideal for how our students learn or was it for us to 'hook' them into learning.

I told him that I felt that these programs are non-linear and so is student thinking and learning preferences today. Students today are interacting with data and online applications in a constant manner. They move and click, manipulate, comment, and tweet. When all else fails, if students encounter something that does not excite them or allow them to make it 'their own' - they do just that.....make one of their own. Our students are online collaborators. They are webpage authors and facebook administrators. They have been raised in an online environment that is built on collaboration and integration of ideas (between web and self).

Our students are in control of what they do online when they spent their time that way - and they are increasingly choosing to do this. They want author rights to things. They do not enjoy the same artistic license and opportunity in many of our lessons. They are largely passive and static unless personally engaged and challenged to be a creator of something. Use these web-based technologies to both hook and adhere to their preferred learning style, that is, one that is egocentric and grounded in their ability to control and manipulate the information. We need to teach them the digital citizenship skills required to keep these tools and goals in line with educational priorities; but it is they who will need to invest in the adoption of vital online rules and expectations.

I think we are headed in the right place with new programs and learning opportunities that embrace the web and its many applications. The nature of schooling today is in flux. There is a great battle between traditional and non-traditional ways of teaching and those teachers and principals that have not opened themselves to the expanding possibilities of technology are finding themselves on the outside looking in. They might want to be a part of this educational revolution, but feel that they lack the fundamental skills and knowledge needed to be an active participant. Educators need to collaborate on these issues in appropriate and engaging ways (just like students!). When our classrooms become places that integrate self and learning - it will be lasting and dynamic. It's the reason we are shifting to differentiated instruction techniques and it should be reason to incorporate more web-based programs and new online learning tools.

Video Games and Learning

As humans, we fear the unfamiliar. As teachers, we fear what is unfamiliar to us and knowledgeable to the students. Video games fall into that category for many teachers. Students today are playing more video games than ever before. They are spending hours each day in on-line gaming communities and fantastical environments and peaking in personal interest and motivation - with no classroom in sight. First-person shooter ("war-type") games are highly successful in their marketing and excitement to many kids - but flawed in their moral message and 'harm' when de-sensitizing us to violence. If school could become an online format of social networking sites and high-interest video games - students would never leave. The reality is that many video games can be a positive experience for a child as a reward, motivator, social experience or simply as fun. If we can tap into their love and dedication to these game series as teaching tools, it can lead to amazing results.

When assigning your next project, try a webpage creation assignment - let the focus be that favourite video game. Even if "Halo" or World of Warcraft" is not your comfort zone - it is the student's world. Not only will they be motivated and successful in delivering the content - they will appreciate your attempt to be a part of their own personal environment. Sure there are inappropriate websites and plot lines and character photos that could emerge, but as teachers we are no longer responsible for keeping the knowledge under lock-and-key for students to have peeks at the next great nugget of knowledge when they time is right. They will access these sites on their own time anyway. In fact, they will find ways to do it at school through proxy sites and internet back doors as a challenge, if they sense that it will cause an uproar. We need to relinquish our perceived control.

Our historical role in the classroom today has been replaced by "Wikipedia." They can search faster online for an answer to any question they have and have instant gratification. We are now responsible for building digital citizenship and critical thinking skills about: WHAT they research? WHO is providing their search results? HOW reputable is the source? We need to take a step back and let their technological world run our classroom instruction. Each day should present a "teachable" moment when you observe what your students do out of habit and comfort. These are the opportunities to learn from them and provide the guidance and support needed to further their own sense of accomplishment and drive for knowledge. The problem is that our sense of order and control is cultivated by this illusion that rules and careful curriculum planning do keep the peace for us. So we find ourselves waiting to enter into their world. The deep, dark abyss that is the student mind - unfamiliar, and therefore, scary.