Cyberbullying: The Surprising Facts
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Chantal Faucher, Wanda Cassidy, and Margaret Jackson define bullying as the “repeated aggressive behaviors that are intended to cause harm to a victim with relatively less power to defend themselves.” However, cyberbullying is not always initiated by what we think of as the typical bully. The reality of cyberbullying is that it can be initiated by anyone, at any time, through multiple platforms. This idea is what I found very interesting about cyberbullying because cyberbullying, quite frankly, can happen to and by anyone.
I believe that it really is easier for kids to be cyberbullies than a "traditional" bully. It is easier to say things behind the comfort of a computer screen and keyboard. I see this daily on social media platforms, such as Facebook, where people make rude comments or remarks to total strangers. Adults are guilty of being cyberbullies just as much as children.
Emma's Story: Cyberbullied by a Best Friend
Cyberbullying is a huge concern of mine as my district moves to eLearning because every student will have access to technology at home. While this is a wonderful initiative which will level learning gaps across the district, it also opens up a whole new world of potential for cyberbullying. Even though I am in an elementary building, that does not mean that I will not have students who face cyberbullying. Before devices begin going home with students nightly, my plan is to teach a series of digital citizenship lessons in the library, especially with the students in grades 3 - 5 because that is the age group where I anticipate the most potential for problems to arise.
NetSafe: Cyberbullying
Common Sense Education provides a wealth of resources on digital citizenship, including cyberbullying, and you can locate lesson ideas by grade level.
Other Resources on Digital Citizenship and Cyberbullying
I agree with you that is can be easier for kids to become cyberbullies than traditional bullies. I think the anonymity the internet provides can give kids more confidence. Also, I found the article you posted from Edutopia very helpful.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that one of the things that makes cyberbullying a real problem is that it could be anybody, anywhere, at any time and that there is very little accountability for it. I have not worked in an elementary school but imagine that it would still be a problem in them as it seems that every child now has a smart phone, tablet, computer, or at least frequent access to them. Also, being on the internet, it may not even be their peers that cyberbully them. I appreciate you embedding the videos with information and testimonies as well as including the resources at the end.
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