Cyberbullying: It's implications and responsibility of educators by Kaeleigh Tucker

Cyberbullying: It's implications and responsibility of educators by Kaeleigh Tucker https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325 This Padlet serves as a resource for teachers to use within their classrooms for their own knowledge, educating students/parents/colleagues/peers and promoting awareness. en-us 2018-03-02 01:48:24 UTC 2023-01-20 15:16:19 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Apple.png What is cyberbullying? katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237255698 Cyberbullying can be defined as, "willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices" (Hinduja & Patchin, 5)

Cyberbullying occurs through many platforms and devices, a few examples include, instagram, twitter, facebook and youtube.

Where does it happen?
Cyberbullying is unique in this nature... It can happen anywhere at anytime, all that is needed is a device and access to various applications and websites through the Internet. It can happen in a classroom, at a movie theatre, in the playground, at home and even right before your eyes. ]]> 2018-03-02 02:05:30 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237255698 My Inquiry Question katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237259313 What are the responsibilities of the teacher when cyberbullying occurs and how can teachers teach their students about the implications of it?]]> 2018-03-02 02:30:08 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237259313 Responsibilities of the Teacher katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237259469 REPORT, REPORT, REPORT.

The largest responsibility of a teacher is to provide support for their students and to offer a safe, caring, and respectful classroom space to learn and engage.

A teacher has the duty to report any incident of bullying or any suspicions of it to their principal, where in turn they will deal with the allegations, investigate and determine if further actions need to be taken. In some instances the police authorities will be involved. The only circumstances where teachers should not respond is if it "would cause immediate physical harm to themselves, a student or any other person. In these cases staff are expected to report the incident to the principal as soon as it is safe to do so" (A Resource for Board Employees, 2).

Code of Conduct
Every school has a code of conduct and within this legal document are the implications of bullying/cyberbullying and the individual school/school board's policy on the matter. It is the teacher's responsibility to make sure that students fully understand and are aware of this document.

Educating Others
Everyone has an obligation to educate those around them - their peers, colleges, friends or family as well as their students about the responsibilities and duties of any involvement within a bullying or cyberbullying incident. Reports can be made to teachers, principals or even the local authorities.

Know the Signs
Possible symptoms of the vicim:

Withdraw or become isolated from peers, family or friends
Complain of physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, or feeling unwell
Become anxious when a new message is received
Exhibit mood swings or changes in behaviour or regular patterns
Become distressed after using the internet, or display emotional anguish
Suddenly shut down a computer screen or mobile phone when someone else draws near
Be reluctant to answer questions about computer or phone use or about what is happening on the internet

Possible symptoms of the perpetrator:

Spend long periods at the computer, especially late at night
Become agitated or angry when computer or mobile phone use is restricted
Suddenly laugh or snicker when using the computer or mobile phone
Suddenly shut down a computer scree nor mobile phone when someone else draws near
Be reluctant to answer questions about computer or phone use or about what is happening on the internet

Restrict Access to Certain Areas of the Internet at School
Below is a photo taken from S. Hinduja and J. Patchin's book, Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard, it can be found on pg. 142.

]]> 2018-03-02 02:30:50 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237259469 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237266722 What if the Bullying Doesn't Occur on School Property?
Nope! If teachers become aware of any incident that resembles any of the follow scenarios they must report it to their principal where the allegations can be investigated.]]> 2018-03-02 03:19:19 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237266722 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237266758 2018-03-02 03:19:32 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237266758 Teaching Students About the Implications of cyberbullying katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237266837 Cyberbullying or bullying of any kind can be a tough subject to talk about in schools. It may give students anxiety, bring up negative situations and cause negative thoughts. While these are very important things to consider and be mindful of, if we did educate our students and provide them with all the necessary information and resources, there potentially wouldn't be situations in the first place.

Open Discussions
Once a positive classroom environment has been created where students feel safe enough to discuss touchy subjects, the teacher can facilitate discussions that revolve around bullying and cyberbullying. Discussions could include topics such as morals, ethics, how it makes you feel, why people do it, the rights and obligations of those involved (vicim, perpetrator, bystander), etc.

Build a Positive Classroom Environment
There are a lot of factors to be considered when we create a positive classroom environment. There are: physical environment, socio-emotional environment, learning environment, community partnerships, parent engagement and student voice.

The Characteristics of a Positive School Environment ]]> 2018-03-02 03:20:12 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237266837 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237275988 Building Community with Values
Teachers are often with students more than their parents/gurardian's are during the day and so it is our responsibility to educate students to value the importance of respect, empathy, and building meaningful relationships. If we are able to install these values into our students, it is less likely that so many instances of bullying would arise. When students learn how important it is to care and respect one another, and especially if they have built a relationship with said person, it makes it more difficult to hurt that person.

Cyberbullying and the Law
This is really where the implications come into play. Student's often don't realize the impact of their actions. This is especially true when they think they can get away with it by using various platforms of social media. It is so important to educate our students about what could really result in something they chose to do or take part in. There are serious consequences including suspensions, expulsions and even criminal charges and jail time. There is a book by Judge Tom Jacobs called Teen Cyberbullying Investigated: Where do your rights end and consequences begin? This book has a series of cyberbullying scenarios that have happened in real life and have made their way to court. It summarizes the scenario, asks you to reflect on what you think should be done and concludes with how the court ruled. It also provides similar cases to the chapter case. I think this is a valuable resource to teach students that their actions do have consequences. If students understand this, they would likely fear the consequences and refrain from participating in acts of bullying.

There is a Bullying Awareness week done in schools across Ontario. I think this is an amazing step by the Ministry of Education; however, a week is not long enough, more needs to be done. In my classroom I would use the book I just mentioned and every week move throughout the book chapter by chapter. This way it is always in the forefront of our students minds and it could be used as a "Big Idea" for the year and other assignments and tasks could be assigned around it. The more important we make this issue visible in classes, the more serious students will view it.

Specific Lessons or Incorporating it into Lessons
Below are links to some lesson plans designed specifically for teaching cyberbullying, provided by mediasmarts.ca]]> 2018-03-02 04:11:50 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237275988 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237278649 2018-03-02 04:31:54 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237278649 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237278736 2018-03-02 04:32:31 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237278736 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237278837 Provide Resources
It is important to provide students with resources to access. These resources can be for those experiencing bullying, those participating in it, those who want more information, etc. Below are links to helpful resources:]]> 2018-03-02 04:33:18 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237278837 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237279005 2018-03-02 04:34:44 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237279005 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237279029 2018-03-02 04:34:59 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237279029 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237279067 2018-03-02 04:35:11 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237279067 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237279189 A resource for schools to promote positive learning environments. Click to enlarge.]]> 2018-03-02 04:36:11 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237279189 Cyberbullying's Connection to Critical Digital Literacy (CDL) katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237279344 Using and Consuming
Cyberbullying is all about using and analyzing tools and texts. Cyberbullying requires the perpetrator to find information that they will eventually use to exploit them. This could include messages, photos, personal moments and thoughts in the form of status' or tweets, etc. The perpetrator then has to apply the information that they found in a way they choose to whatever/wherever their target audience is.

Making Meaning
Participating in cyberbullying requires people to relate information to other information in order to exploit their victims. It has to deal with the perpetrator expressing some negative feeling that they have towards someone else in a digital form to a particular audience.

Decoding
Cyberbully requires quite a bit of decoding whether you are the victim or the perpetrator. In order to utilize online platforms to exploit a victim, it is necessary to know how to use the platform's functions whether that be navigating it, creating a message and outputting it.

Persona
Personal deals with the person side of things. When you choose to participate in cyberbullying or bullying of any kind for that matter it can be harmful to the personal image you are trying to portray to the outside world. Not only can participating be harmful to your reputation, it can also harm your victims reputation. This is really important to think about because in many cases the things that bullies say are not even evidence based. Bullies act out in anger for whatever reason it may be, and say a lot of things that are not true. Persona also ties into educating your students about building a personal identity that they can be proud of. It's important to let students know that once something is online, it's next to impossible to get rid of. Students should post things about themselves that they are proud of, such as their relationships with their friends and family, activities they enjoy doing, any hobbies, etc. In this growing technological world it is so important to build an identity that you are proud of. ]]> 2018-03-02 04:37:34 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237279344 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237281409 2018-03-02 05:01:06 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237281409 Where does this take us? katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237281708 With a faster growing technological world, bullying is becoming easier to do because students have moved to the online world and it's communities. Cyberbullying is much easier to do because students say extremely hurtful things since there is no face-to-face communication. With this increase in cyberbullying it's more important than ever to educate our students about it and the implications of it. It is important for educators to be on the lookout for any of the signs as I mentioned above and any changes/disruptions in normal behaviour. Educators need to be proactive in their duty to support students and encourage a safe and positive school climate.

REMEMBER! REPORT, REPORT, REPORT. Anything you may suspect might be bullying mention it to your principal. These situations have extremely harmful effects to the physical, social and emotional development of a student. It is better to be safe and report it, than be sorry you didn't later.

Do your due diligence, my colleagues, parents and friends. ]]> 2018-03-02 05:05:38 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237281708 Additional Supports for Teachers katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237282030 2018-03-02 05:09:45 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237282030 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237282105 Promoting a positive safe climate, a resource for schools]]> 2018-03-02 05:10:43 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237282105 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237282193 2018-03-02 05:11:46 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237282193 katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237282354 2018-03-02 05:13:27 UTC https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237282354 References katucker1 https://padlet.com/katucker1/h0ggpmeaz325/wish/237624545 Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2009). Bullying beyond the schoolyard: Preventing and responding to cyberbullying. Corwin Press.

Jacobs, T. A. (n.d.). Teen Cyberbullying Investigated: Where Do Your Rights End andConsequences Begin?

MediaSmarts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/lessonplan/cyberbullying-and-law-grades-7-8-lesson

MediaSmarts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/lessonplan/cyberbullying-and-law-grades-9-12-lesson

MediaSmarts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/lessonplan/challenging-hate-online-lesson

MediaSmarts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/digital-issues/cyberbulling/cyberbullying-role-witnesses

MediaSmarts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/digital-issues/cyberbulling/cyberbullying-law

MediaSmarts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/digital-issues/cyberbulling/cyberbullying-posters

MediaSmarts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/lessonplan/classroom-resources-counter-cyberbullying-portal-page

PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pacer.org/bullying/

Poore, M. (2016). Using social media in the classroom: A best practice guide. SAGE.

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