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School Administrators Charged with Child Exploitation After Investigating Sexting

Last spring, Brush High School (Brush, Colorado) assistant principal Bradley Bass was alerted to a student sexting issue at his school. He and secondary schools director Scott Hodgson looked into it. They talked to some students who were reportedly involved, and determined that intimate images had been shared consensually. At least one student voluntarily showed [...]

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Cyberbullying Research Center - How to Identify, Prevent, and Respond

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Cyberbullying presents a dangerous threat in today's digital world to youth and adults alike. Access up-to-date resources and research on cyberbullying for parents, educators, students, non-profits, and tech companies. Read victim stories, learn about cyberbullying laws, and download relevant tips and strategies.

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Photo by AFS-USA Intercultural Programs, CC BY 2.0

As teachers, we've all seen it in our classrooms: A student in the back of the room discreetly takes a selfie. We've probably all been frustrated by it at some point too. And many of us have probably wondered why our students are taking hundreds of pictures of themselves everyday.

Our students are using Snapchat, and what many educators fail to understand about the app is that students are not just taking a picture. They are having a conversation. They are telling a story.

Rather than being reactive about new technology in our classrooms, we should look for ways to be proactive and utilize Snapchat as a learning tool instead of viewing it as a distraction.

Go where the audience is

A recent Piper Jaffray survey revealed that Snapchat is now the most popular social media platform among teenagers. While I don't believe that teachers should flock to trending apps like Flappy Birds, I do believe that we need to work to reach students where they are engaged the most. Eighty percent of students who participated in the survey indicated that they use Snapchat at least once a month.

As a journalism educator, I'm constantly having conversations with my students about reaching our audience. It is not enough for us to publish a student newspaper. We have to look for ways to engage with our audience and encourage them to view our content. Social media is one of the tools we use to do just that.

If students are using Snapchat, teachers should look for ways to harness the power of the application for learning.

How to get started

Establish Goals: In my journalism class, we use Snapchat to engage our audience and encourage them to check out our website, YouTube channel and social media platforms.

Maybe in your class, you want an easy way to provide students with reminders. Maybe you want to use Snapchat to inform students about class related content you come across outside of the school day. Maybe you want to use it as a tool to showcase your classroom culture and the activities during your day. Maybe you want a way to connect with other tech-savvy educators who are using Snapchat in your professional learning network.

Having a clear purpose is critical before your begin.

Research Your School Culture: It is important to understand what your school or district policies are regarding social media and be aware of how they expect it to be used.

Is your school or district social media friendly? Different schools and districts use social media in different ways. Examining how your Snapchat can fit into your school culture is important.

Develop Policies Personally, I think that it is important to have a written policy about how your Snapchat account will be used. This will give you purpose and direction if you need prior administrative approval or encounter concerns.

This policy doesn't need to be exhaustive, but it should provide guidelines on the following: A mission statement, your Snapchat goals, a style guide for use, the user's role and responsibilities on Snapchat, appropriate actions and best practices for the platform.

Plan to tell a story

At its heart, Snapchat is a social storytelling platform, so it is important to plan how you will tell these stories.

While you don't need to write a script, be sure to put some thought into what you say and how you say it. Snapchat is a less formal medium, so your content should be conversational and fun, which will be more engaging for your target audience - teenage millennials.

You can create engaging social stories by using several of Snapchat's built-in features. Make a point to use the goofy Snapchat filters, (the dog face feature seems to be my students' preference), add emojis into your text, use geofilters to showcase specific locations, draw on your Snapchat videos and play your Snaps in the slow-motion or fast-forward features.

Start using Snapchat tomorrow

Here are five easy ways to start incorporating Snapchat into your classroom tomorrow.

1. Reminders: Snapchat can be used for one-way communication, so it is a great tool for reminding students about an upcoming assignment or activity.

2. Content Examples: When you come across interesting information or real-world examples that apply to class content, Snapchat makes it easy for you to share it with your students and colleagues.

3. Draw and Annotate: Snapchat makes it easy to draw diagrams or annotate text on the fly. Check out Tara Martin, who uses Snapchat to annotate and reflect on text that she is reading using the #booksnaps hashtag on Twitter.

4. Study Session: Use Snapchat to share the top ten pieces of information about an upcoming test or assignment.

5. Professional Development: Want to explore how other teachers are using Snapchat without having to post yourself? Check out Saba Quidwai, who is a Snapchat super user. Add her to expand your professional learning network and see how she models Snapchat and other digital tools.

Have students create the content

Many teachers will first think about how they personally can use Snapchat in the classroom. However, it is even more powerful to give students the responsibility of creating content. While many teachers might be apprehensive about turning over this responsibility to students, it has several advantages.

1. Allowing students to create and share Snapchat content gives students ownership over their learning outcomes and affirms students' voice.

2. It gives students an authentic learning opportunity to model responsible digital citizenship.

3. Creation is the highest level of critical thinking in terms of digital literacy.

In my class, we have a social media editor who is in charge of coordinating the content that is posted. But because we often have multiple students creating and sharing content on Snapchat, I routinely change and update the account password to protect the integrity of the medium.

The Journalism Education Association has compiled a list of high school journalism programs from across the nation that are on Snapchat. These are great examples of students taking the lead in producing the content and telling stories relevant to their audience.

Getting Started with Snapchat in your Classroom

Author

John Walter

John Walter is a journalism educator and student media adviser at Junction City High School in Junction City, Kansas and is currently in his third year of teaching. John is a graduate of Kansas State University where he studied journalism education and American ethnic studies. He focuses on 21st-century digital media skills and social justice pedagogy. John is an active member of the Journalism Education Association, Kansas Scholastic Press Association, and the Association for Career and Technical Education. Connect with John on Twitter at @John_MWalter.

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Getting Started with Snapchat in your Classroom

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As teachers, we've all seen it in our classrooms: A student in the back of the room discreetly takes a selfie. We've probably all been frustrated by it at some point too. And many of us have probably wondered why our students are taking hundreds of pictures of themselves everyday.

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Speaking in public is something many people find terrifying. Standing in front of a crowd and delivering a message takes tremendous courage -- even more so when the subject is a personal one. This skill is hard enough for adults; can you imagine teenagers volunteering to be vulnerable in front of their peers and sharing their deepest secrets in front of a crowd?

One school is breaking down emotional barriers by encouraging students to do just that. Since the 2012-2013 school year, the Freire Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been holding events that end with staff and students standing up in front of a crowd of their peers and unveiling their most personal anecdotes.

Sometimes what Freire students and staff reveal is terrible: the deaths of parents and friends, abusive relationships, thoughts of suicide. Oftentimes, the revelations are inspirational: how someone has turned his or her life around, the gift of a relationship with a loved one. The stories vary. But the results of the intimacy? Unvaryingly life-changing, say those who have participated.

Here's the story of Take Back the City, from the students and educators who made it happen.

Why Sharing Is Important

Many schools have programs designed to encourage school-wide empathy and kindness and decrease bullying, online and in real life. But with its emphasis on intimate sharing, Take Back the City is pretty unique. Why did this inner-city school with 500 students in grades 9-12 decide to start holding these events?

Teacher Chad Corbitt emphasizes the way Take Back the City gives students and teachers an opportunity to connect on a more personal level: "It is a time for us to help the students grow in other areas that are not measurable on a state test. It is a time for the school to come together and support one another."

At Take Back the City Time, students and teachers take time away from academics, says head of school Nick Fels. Students in each grade are assigned to mixed-grade classes to discuss important topics, such as racism. "Activities are set up for students to expand knowledge on specific topics while interacting with students that they never talked to before," says student Semaj Herbert.

The final event? A school-wide meeting at which students and staff give speeches, written or off the cuff, about personal experiences connected with each year's Take Back the City theme -- or, as Fels puts it, "students, staff, and community members baring their souls and talking about who they are in a powerful way."

What They Hear, How It Feels

So what do speakers share? Fels says, "Students and staff generally share about their past, about things they have struggled through. Themes include unimaginable loss, heartache, redemption, struggles, incredible triumphs, inspiring caregivers, and more."

Student Herbert remembers hearing about "diseases that other students did not know their peers lived with, deaths, and tragic experiences that affect how that particular student is today. I shared about the death of my father when I was 11 years old."

It's amazing to "see a student giving a speech and to see them struggle, either with stage fright or just the weight of the topic, and then to see other students show love and support."

What is it like to sit in the audience and listen as people you may not even know reveal their most personal thoughts, experiences, and feelings? Incredible, says the Freire family.

It's amazing to "see a student giving a speech," says teacher Corbitt, "and to see them struggle, either with stage fright or just the weight of the topic, and then to see other students show love and support. It is common [to hear] shouts of 'you can do this!' and 'we love you!' and for students to actually get on stage and stand with the speaker to show support."

"While many of the stories shared during Take Back the City have impacted me greatly, nothing has stirred up more emotion than the reaction that the student body has to student speakers," says Michael Dziura, head of academic supports. "When a student is breaking down and sharing a personal moment with the crowd and pauses to collect themselves and 500 students stand up, clap passionately, and yell out words of encouragement, that is the greatest feeling. That's when this place feels less like a school and more like a true community."

How Does Take Back the City Find and Support Speakers?

Take Back the City's success, students and teachers agree, is due entirely to the intimacy and power of what speakers share. Just how does Freire find students and staff with a story to share and convince them to tell it publicly?

Finding students with a story to tell is pretty straightforward, says head of academic affairs Christopher Moore, who says that after the announcement goes out that a Take Back the City event is coming and speakers are needed, some students volunteer of their own accord, and "oftentimes this organic approach yields the best results."

"Some students are targeted and asked to speak or share if a staff member thinks they'd really bring something powerful to the event. We encourage kids to get out of their comfort zone but would also not ask a student to do something they are scared of doing," adds Moore.

Most people would find confiding in a crowd pretty scary, however. How does Freire help give participants the courage to speak?

"Take Back the City speaks to who we are. We are about people first. We are a school and community that values social justice ... "

"For some, it is challenging," says teacher Jason Falconio. But a space "to voice their issues is so strongly desired by teenagers that they tend to jump at the opportunity."

Staffers and students also say that Freire's atmosphere is uniquely supportive. "Freire is a school that builds community, and because of this strong community, students can be at ease and vulnerable," says student Isaiah Exum-Lee. "Students are encouraged to share with the support of their friends. For most it is extremely difficult to share out, but for a few it is very simple, and the energy those rare students have can easily be spread."

"Take Back the City speaks to who we are," says Fels. "We are about people first. We are a school and community that values social justice, and Take Back the City is one example of us putting our money where our mouths are. We are a family. This staff is the smartest and most caring group you could imagine. The students are here for the right reasons. We all share a purpose: to make a better future for all, through empowering our students to be compassionate, successful, community-minded adults."

Still, some students need a little more hand-holding, and Freire staffers are ready to help out, working with students to refine their thoughts and give them support.

"Oftentimes students want a support person -- a friend or staff member -- to be up on stage with them," says Moore. "There is some rehearsal beforehand so students feel adequately prepared. Some students need to have a script, and many others have such a compelling story or message, they can speak straight from the heart."

"It is incredibly difficult, but that is why it is so moving," says Fels. "The strength it takes to open up in front of hundreds of people cannot be overestimated."

What Happens Next

You might be saying to yourself: This sounds like a great event, but what about the next day (or week, or month) when the community feeling wears off a little; do speakers regret what they've shared? Are they teased for their revelations?

No, say staff and students. The problems that convinced Freire staff to implement Take Back the City -- a lack of connection and mutual respect between staff and students -- have noticeably decreased. Instead, the school feels closer, more like a family, ready to offer support to one another.

"The teachers and staff members are so supportive and easy to talk to, so I believe that is what allows people to be so open," says student Sydney Blackwell.

"Some of our students have been in situations that I would not wish on anyone and yet have come out stronger, better, and more ready to take on the world."

"Freire is a school that not only helps students academically succeed," says student Tabitha Gee."[It also helps its] students grow into exceptional human beings."

"I think what I have taken away from Take Back the City is the resilience of humanity," says teacher Falconio. "Some of our students have been in situations that I would not wish on anyone and yet have come out stronger, better, and more ready to take on the world."

The takeaway that sticks with him most, says Moore, "is that if you give students the opportunity to voice themselves, to engage with one another in an unscripted and potentially uncomfortable way, you see and hear some really profound things. The authenticity that is created is a good reminder of what we need to be like as people and as professionals."

But perhaps Fels sums up Take Back the City's long-lasting effects best. "Take Back the City is who we are. We build academics on a foundation of culture. But culture and character must always come first. Otherwise, the academics mean nothing."

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How One School Builds Empathy Through Public Confessions

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Speaking in public is something many people find terrifying. Standing in front of a crowd and delivering a message takes tremendous courage -- even more so when the subject is a personal one. This skill is hard enough for adults; can you imagine teenagers volunteering to be vulnerable in front of their peers and sharing their deepest secrets in front of a crowd?

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I began teaching digital citizenship for students in 2010 - it was a much more innocent time. We were only worried about the students believing all websites were real. I directed students to he The Dog Island website , where you could pack up your dog in a crate and send them off for a week long romp on a beach. The site was very believable; pictures of dogs, and even information about how to ship your dog. There's other sites too; you can learn how to save t from extinction. They're cute, but harmless. There are other sites though that drift a little into the lunatic fringe; Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie will prevent aliens from getting access to your brain, thank goodness. This site would start a conversation about questioning resources.

I would tell the story that Alan November wrote extensively about; a student working on a Holocaust report used a website created by a Northwestern University professor. The problem was the professor believed that the Holocaust didn't happen and the concentration camps were lice disinfestation treatment centers. That was the beginning of the dark side of the internet for me. I knew I had to explicitly teach my students that you can't believe everything you find on the Internet and false information is easy to find. Both then and now, it is incredibly important for our students to be able to tell the difference between truth and lies in media.

Digital Citizenship for Students

In 2012 I noticed my students were behaving irresponsibly online. It wasn't malicious behavior, it was more not knowing any better, like using simple passwords and leaving them around for other students to see. I found Common Craft videos that explained Digital Citizenship concepts in simple straightforward ways, and they're awesome. I created a worksheet with items to locate from the videos and my first true Digital Citizenship lesson was born! Since then I've gotten fancier. Today my students create a slideshow from what they learn in the videos, but it's still a solid lesson I use every year.

I kept looking and finding more and more resources. It was nice to see the educational community addressing the issue. I use a number of resources, including, EVERFI's Ignition - Digital Literacy & Responsibility program. It is an online module that students can complete at their own pace. It's relevant for today's student; one piece has the student trying to convince their friend to put down their phone and concentrate on driving. I like assigning it for homework so parents end up sitting down next to their kids and learning a few things too. The quiz at the end of the module is great for assessing them and makes them accountable for the learning.

Just last year, I was part of the team that created Digital Citizenship resources for NYC teachers. We made infographics and activity books for teachers and parents to use about the rules to follow when using the internet in school and at home. It made me really think about how best to approach this subject as a student, teacher, and parent.

From all these years teaching Digital Citizenship, my philosophy could be boiled down to this: Students will live online for a lot longer than we will, and they will be creating a digital footprint that could follow them for decades. Trying to keep them off the internet until they're old enough is as dangerous as keeping them in the backseat of a car and then handing them the car keys on their 18th birthday. We need to guide them as they learn to navigate the internet, allowing them to make small mistakes now rather than big ones later. I encourage them to put as much positive stuff out there as possible. They need to create their own digital footprint, or someone else will do it for them. Avoiding the issue is not the answer. Play offense, not defense. They should develop their voice and share it with the world. That's what I try to instill in my students.

Digital citizenship is not a subject that is required yet, but it obviously should be. I'm hoping it's a subject that any teacher can master, as long as they have the support and training that's needed. It's too important of an issue to just hope for the best. We've come a long way from just worrying about Aluminum Foil Beanie websites, and we will be constantly trying to keep up. We owe it to our students to prepare them for wherever they will go.

Eileen Lennon is an EVERFI Teacher Ambassador and EVERFI Certified Teacher from New York, NY where she teaches technology. This excerpt was originally shared on Ms. Lennon's Blog, "One Teacher's Approach to Digital Citizenship."

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Digital Citizenship for Students: STEM with Responsibility | EVERFI

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I began teaching digital citizenship for students in 2010 - it was a much more innocent time. We were only worried about the students believing all websites were real. I directed students to The Dog Island website, where you could pack up your dog in a crate and send them off for a week long romp on a beach.