Bullies in Cyber-Space

 This week we learned about copyrighting, fair usage, and online safety (including cyber-bullying and netiquette). I have to say, I had picked up most of the copyright information while working as a librarian assistant in an elementary school because the Librarian was our campus copyright "go to" person. Yes, Kelly, I WAS actually listening when you talked and soaked up all the wisdom you offered. (Mega brownie points, I'm sure!)  This is information all educators should, not just be familiar with, but get to know well! A very helpful educator's "Cheat Sheet" can be found at: http://dwb.unl.edu/dwb/courses/CURR880/copyright_chart.pdf.

http://erikjheels.com/803.html; Erik Heel explains copyright laws to a child.

 The topic I was most interested in, and in which I took the most away from, would have to be the cyber-bulling topic. I know it is a topic that we see a lot of, so is it really information that is new to me? No. But this time I actually took it to heart. I have teenage daughters. I have seen first hand how mean kids can behave. Both of my girls have strong opinions of who they are and what they believe and neither are shy about standing up for it, but being strong didn't exempt them from being targeted. My oldest experienced the rumor mill, and it was devastating to think someone would be so hateful to start such vicious rumors. Experiencing the "Did you hear?" was bad enough, I can hardly begin to imagine the pain from hateful remarks being sent to any child directly. 

We need to teach our children Netiquette (etiquette in the cyber-world) and talk to our children about technology. If we are allowing them on social web-sites and in possession of an e-mail account or a cell phone, then we need to make sure they understand the risks. Parents should be monitoring their children's computer usage daily. Know who your children are friending on Facebook. Make sure your child knows how important it is to let you know right away if they come across something that makes them uncomfortable. If anyone sends them an inappropriate message over the internet or through their cell phone, they need to know how important it is to show it to you and not delete it. According to Bullying UK, it is important these messages are not deleted so they can be traced back to the person who sent it if needed. Explain the dangers of posting personal information like the school they attend, their address or phone number, even letting "friends" know when they are home alone. I have had to get on to my kids for posting their phone numbers on Facebook. They didn't see the harm. I mean, come on, only 400 of their closest friends can see it...it's safe! 

 

After several teen suicides and school massacres over the last dozen or so years, you would have thought parents would take bullying, or cyber-bullying as the case may be, more serious. We must get on board and start teaching our children netiquette. The Boston Public Library offer parents fantastic tips called Netiquette for Kids. This is a great way to open this topic of conversation with our children. It might seem easy to a kid to get revenge or feel they can speak more freely on the internet or through text message, but it is our responsibility to help them understand words on-line don't hurt others any less. Children depend on the adults in their lives to guide them. We must take this responsibility serious. Children's lives could depend on it.