Educators and other school professionals have a responsibility to keep students safe, which includes helping combat bullying and cyberbullying. Because cyberbullying can occur outside of school, adults may not be aware of the issue. Adults may also lack awareness of cyrberbullying because "many targets choose to suffer in silence rather than report what they are experiencing," (Faucher, Cassidy, Jackson, 2015).
Adults who work with children should engage in digital citizenship conversations and activities with students. Digital citizenship is defined as "the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use.... [and] is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology," (Ribble, 2017).
There are many resources available for educators to assist with digital citizenship education. We must remember, though, that it is not a one-size-fits-all curriculum. Teaching digital citizenship is a deeper concept and it "means embracing the reality that we’re all interconnected through the Internet, and that we therefore need to understand the responsibilities and risks that come with life online," (Hicks, 2015).
Here are a few resources to help get you started with teaching digital citizenship and addressing the topic of cyberbullying:
Resources:
Faucher, C, Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in K-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 3(6), 111-125.
Hicks, K. (2015, July 9). Teacher's guide to digital citizenship [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/teachers-guide-digital-citizenship/
Ribble, M. (2017). Digital citizenship today. Retrieved from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/home.html
What is Cyberbullying. (2018, July 26). Retrieved from https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html
What is Bullying. (2018, July 26). Retrieved from https://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/index.html
Alex, thanks for the wonderful resources. I particularly liked the Edudemic article because it provides a quick breakdown for teachers of what cyberbullying is and how they can help to prevent it. This week's module has made me consider teaching a cyberbullying PD at my school and this resource would help to create an easy handout.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought it so important for teachers to be constantly reminding and teaching students about Digital Citizenship throughout the semester but it seems that most schools just have a quick review at the beginning of each semester, and that's it.
ReplyDeleteTeaching students about digital citizenship is so important and should really begin as early as possible. I remember a couple years back there was an issue with cyberbullying where the parents felt the school needed to take action, but the school claimed they couldn't because it happened outside of school. It can be a real grey area hence the reason to try an combat it before it can happen. I also think that it's important to give multiple reminders about what to do if you witness cyberbullying.
ReplyDeleteAlex- I found the Common Sense Media website to be extremely helpful! So helpful that I might include it as part of my tech trainings during faculty meetings. The lessons and games are very interactive and a great way to teach digital citizenship.
ReplyDeleteAlex, thank you for pointing out that cyberbullying curriculum is not one-size-fits-all. I would add that Digital Citizenship is not a week of lessons that emphasize netiquette, but an ongoing and on-growing emphasis that changes with the issues that the student population experiences. Digital etiquette looks far different for a first grader vs a fifth-grader.
ReplyDeleteAlex,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your great post. I found several great videos on Brainpopjr. and Brainpop.com that are great resources for teaching our students about both cCyberbulling and Digital Citizenship. Brainpopjr has a direct link to Mike Ribble's Digitial Citizenship