Bullying and Cyberbullying: Who Is to Blame?

With the wealth of information that’s been in the media about bullying and cyberbullying, it’s on just about everyone’s minds. We know that growing up isn’t exactly easy. We adults face problems with bullying, but we’ve learned how to handle it or perhaps we ignore it.  I’ve watched students let uncomplimentary remarks slide off like water on a duck, and I’ve seen children who are highly sensitive to any slight.  We know that the middle years are usually the toughest when it comes to kid nastiness, but we also find it from the elementary grades on. There are young people everywhere who are trying to find their place among their peers. Sometimes it goes beyond normal, day-to-day kid behavior and can cause lasting problems for those bullied or ignored. Teachers, parents, coaches, and others who work with children watch for bullying, but as we know, it often happens when adults aren’t around or anonymously online. Who is to blame for the bullying mentality and how might we stop it? A generation ago we confiscated the so-called Slam Books that featured inappropriate information about students in our classes.  Today we continue to watch during lunch sessions for “cool tables” for the in-crowd, try to keep up with school-related social interaction online, work with students on thoughtfulness and respect, and do our best to keep parents informed on the topic. Recently I asked a group of eighth graders who is to blame for bullying, cyber or otherwise. They agreed that the kids who do it were the problem. I asked if schools and teachers were to blame. The answer went something like this, “No, not everyone is nice. That’s the problem and kids should remember that. If a teacher sees bullying and doesn’t do anything, then the teacher is wrong, but usually teachers don’t see it. Who would do something not nice when teachers and parents are around?” When I asked what is the answer to the problem of bullying, one said, “Stay with nice kids. Don’t try to get into a group that does things that aren’t nice.”  Nice seems to be the answer, but how do we get everyone to take on that quality?

Do Cell Phones & iPods Belong in Classrooms?

K-12 Computing Blueprint Newsletter for April 2010 features the results of a July 2008 poll about cell phones in the classroom At that time two-thirds of the teachers who participated in the poll answered, “Cell phones have no place in the classroom except for emergencies.” To find out if opinions on this topic have changed in the past two years, there’s a new survey ready for your ideas not only on cell phones but also on other digital devices like iPods in the classroom.  While in the polling area of the site, you can check the archive of Quick Polls for educator opinions on topics such as Twitter, Kindle, stimulus funds, Race to the Top,  etexts, 1:1 computing, and more.

Cyber Communication: Progress or Problem—What Kids Say

This year’s Optimist International Oratorical Competition for students focuses on the topic: Cyber Communication: Progress or Problem. After listening to many student speeches, these thoughts went through my mind. (1) Students, at least the ones participating in this competition, know the dangers of the Internet. (2) They know social networking sites have a minimum age, but they ignore it—it’s like it’s not there and doesn’t matter. (3) They realize cyber communication is here to stay and say people should get used to it and learn how to use it correctly. (4) They have no idea what to do about the problem of cyberbullies, but they know that it happens and feel for those who have been victims. (5) Although they text and video chat mostly, and still use email and instant messaging, many love to get written letters—one speaker even wrote an obituary of a love letter and then recited from one of Abigail Adam’s letters to John.  (6) They can’t imagine carrying a dictionary around or having to look words up in a dictionary. (7) It’s foreign to them not to be able to type their essays into the computer. “I couldn’t just sit down and write my stories on paper,” one commented. (8) They see cell phones as a necessary part of their lives, but they do not think parents should give cell phones to young children. (9) They are not sure about the option of technology to locate where they are. “That’s scary,” according to some. Others thought it could be useful for parents but noted that parents might purchase a cell phone for young children for this reason and not realize the other dangers present in cell phone options. (10) They see that cyber communication can be a powerful force for good in our world even though they realize that everyone doesn’t use it as they should—one speaker said, “You’ve got to remember that everyone isn’t nice.” Another said, “Alexander Graham Bell didn’t invent the telephone so that people could make crank calls or threatening calls. We must step forward with the technologies we have today thinking how we can help our world.”

 

Pledge to Spend Some Time Outside

According to the National Wildlife Foundation, “Today’s kids spend only four to seven minutes outside per day. They log more than seven hours [seven hours and 38 minutes to be exact] of electronic media.”  While we want our students and children to learn how to use 21^st Century digital tools, we don’t want them to sit at the computer or with their cell phones or in front of the television for so many hours. To help teachers, parents, and other adults in kids’ lives to encourage children to spend time outdoors “exploring, learning and playing” the Foundation has created a “Be Out There Pledge”. You can share your favorite outdoor memories and photos on the NWF’s Be Out There site, which is designed to help parents raise healthier and happier children who will grow up with a love of nature. Considering the amount of time teachers spend with children, it’s a good idea for teachers to get involved in this effort as well. 

Frontline: Growing Up Online

The Frontline report, Growing Up Online, features information and discussions on the questions, “Just how radically is the Internet transforming the experience of childhood?” It tackles questions related to students and their beliefs about privacy, private worlds of teens online, teens sharing personal information, teachers and tech, and traditional teaching methods.  The section, Keeping Kids Safe, focuses upon what parents need to know about their children and the Internet, fear of predators, cyberbullying, and state and federal efforts to keep kids safe. You can watch the full program online, view the follow-up report, and read what people who saw the program had to say about it. If you want, you can add your comments about the Internet’s impact on your students. Don’t forget to check out the readings and links, teacher’s guide, and information on what we’ve learned abut kids and the Internet and how our digital generation is doing.

How Much Media Is in Children’s Lives?

The Kaiser Family Foundation Report “Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to  18-Year-Olds” offers data that was collected in the Foundation’s third survey on young people’s media use. The survey, conducted between October 2008 and May 2009, studied 2002 students in Grades 3-12 and also followed 702 students through their 7-day media use diaries. You can download the January 2010 full report from the Kaiser site. Among the key findings are: “Over the past five years, there has been a huge increase in media use among young people”, “An explosion in mobile and online media has fueled the increase in media use among young people”,  “Youth who spend more time with media report lower grades and lower levels of personal contentment”, “Children whose parents make an effort to limit media use—through  the media environment they create in the home and the rules they set—spend less time with media than their peers”, and “Two groups of young people stand out for their high levels of media consumption: those in the tween and early teen years (11- to14-year-olds), and Blacks and Hispanics”. The study looked at use of television, computers, video games, cell phones, music and other audio, print media, and movies, and in addition, focused upon media environment and rules, and media multitasking, and demographic predictors.

Learn About WiFi From School or Home

On Wednesday, January 27^, 2010 at 2 p.m. EST, T.H.E. Journal and Campus Technology will host its free 60-minute Webinar, Getting Smart About Wi-Fi at School. During the session a network engineer and a computer services coordinator will offer information for K-12 schools about advances in Wi-Fi technology including affordable solutions, flawless uptime, improvements in 802.11n, ultra-simple WLAN management, and reduced client problems. Also on the agenda will be the topics: dealing with interference, supporting streaming multimedia applications, adaptive wireless messing, and extending signal range and coverage. For additional information about Wireless, go to our Power to Learn resources: Everything You Need to Know About Wireless (student interactive case study), The Wireless World: What Parents Need to Know, and other ideas available through our Digital Smarts blog.

ReQall Recalls for You

If you have a cell phone, an iPhone or a Blackberry, you may want to check out reQall. It’s a memory aid that’s voice-enabled and acts like your personal assistant for phones, the Web, Outlook, Google Calendar, email, Evernote, text messaging, instant messaging, Firefox, iCal and News Feed.  Using reQall is as simple as placing a call and telling reQall what you want to remember—like shopping lists, reminders about meetings and doctors’ appointments, notes about lesson plans, calendar items, etc. Your words are translated into text, which can be used in a variety of ways. There’s even a Memory Jogger that “ can also predict when you'll forget and send you periodic "’memory refreshers’ to prevent forgetting.” Think of telling your students about this memory aid, for it would be excellent for reminders about long term projects, papers, reports, and homework. The standard version is free; the Pro version is $24.99 a year or $2.99 a month. If you are interested in this memory aid, watch this  YouTube video about reQall.

Everything You Need to Know About Wireless

A new Case Study has been added to our Power to Learn Internet Smarts Library. Everything You Need to Know About Wireless is an interactive slide show that will help your students better understand how wireless technologies work. Emphasis is placed not only on the technical aspects but on avoidance of pitfalls that may arise when using wireless technologies such as laptops, smart phones, and PDAs. —And don’t forget to put the other case studies—Social Networking: Don’t Give Yourself Away; Digital Permanence: Forever is a Long Time; Cyberbullying: Not Just Name Calling; Misinformation: Truth or Spoof; Fair Use: Beg, Borrow or Steal?; Keeping Personal Information Private; and Music Downloading:Paying the Piper—to work in your classroom.

Coming Soon? Pocket Projectors

Imagine a projector that's 4.1"*0.2"*0.6 or one that's 3.46"*4.12"*1.46". It's tiny, can fit into your pocket, but it's not really ready for your classroom yet. Two of these miniature projectors are the Optoma Pico Pocket and the 3M Micro. They cost between $350 and $400, which sounds like a good deal when you think of the cost, size, and weight of most projectors. However, their projection is not as bright or extensive as traditional projectors, and they work best with devices like iPods and smart phones. The Pico Pocket isn't designed to work with laptops. Although you'll probably not want to rush out to buy one for your classroom, these first generation pocket projectors give a glimpse into the future, where this type of technology may become part of smart phones, iPods, and notebook and laptop computers. Think of how convenient that will be.