http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/06/24/am.intv.walsh.cnn
For my Professional Development Plan I researched Cyberbullying to understand why it is a problem, in and outside of a classroom.
To better understand cyberbullying, I looked at STOPcyberbullying.org to see exactly what it was and why it is such a problem. The facts shocked me. The website has seperate pages for differen
t age groups, as young as 7 years old! Just the thought that seven year olds were being bullied or actually bullying themselves made me realize how much technology and the Internet has changed.
What exactly is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is when a child intentionally threatens, harrasses, or humiliates another child via technology such as the Internet and phones. It is done through direct attacks through messaging or through proxys. Many schools however, cannot directly intervene. Many times the child just keeps the fact that they are being bullied to themself.
How to handle cyberbullying
STOPcyberbullying.org and Cyerbullyinginfo both explain how to handle different instances of cyberbullying based on the persona of the bully. The following are different scenarios of cyberbullying.
The 'do gooder' cyberbully doesn't realize that they are the bully. To them, they are just righting a wrong that happened to them or one of their friends. In this situation, it is important to explain to the bully how their actions are wrong. But directly telling them may not be the best answer. Reporting them to an anonymous site or informing for parties of parents will give the bully a support system when dealing with their bullying problem.
Some cyberbullies bully out of revenge and malice. Their motives are intentional, and they know it. They typically were the victims previously but have found cyberbullying as a solution. These cases should be handled by a higher authority (parents, school officials, and in some instances police) because they are typically targeted one on one and use a higher technology to accomplish their bullying.
Some children are inadvertantly a cyberbully. Typically this is only once or twice action in which they are hurt and don't think before sending a message. These are the easiest cyberbullies to deal with, for typically they realize what they have done and will make amends themselves. Otherwise, just talk to the bully and explain that their actions were wrong.
Outstanding work!!!
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