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Well-integrated technology opens social networks for students and allows children to develop key social skills, according to two recent studies conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

8-minute animation which has been created how to keep kids (age 5-7) understand how to keep safe online, to treat each other well, and to understand what personal information is.

In this activity, teenagers explore online names by looking at sample e-mail addresses to determine what they can tell about the person who uses the account. After this exploration, teens choose a screen name or e-mail address for themselves as well as decide on personal details to include on a safe online profile.

Olivia Gardner, a northern California teenager, was severely taunted and cyber-bullied by her classmates for more than two years. News of her bullying spread, eventually reaching two teenage girls from a neighboring town, sisters Emily and Sarah Buder. The girls were so moved by Olivia's story that they initiated a letter-writing campaign to help lift her spirits. It was a tender gesture of solidarity that set off an overwhelming chain reaction of support, encouragement, and love. In Letters to a Bullied Girl, Olivia and the Buder sisters share an inspiring selection of messages that arrived from across America-the personal, often painful remembrances of former targets, remorseful bullies, and sympathetic bystanders. Letters to a Bullied Girl examines our national bullying epidemic from a variety of angles and perspectives, and includes practical guidance from bullying expert Barbara Coloroso, author of The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander. Though addressed to Olivia, the letters speak to all young people who have been bullied, offer advice and hope to those who suffer, and provide a wake-up call to all who have ever been involved in bullying.

There is also a video interview with the Buder sisters on this site.

A new Tacoma program gives kids a taste of the professional world.

Have you ever been the victim of a bully? Ever stand silent and let a bully pick on someone? Most people wouldn't consider bullying a crime -- but it could be creating criminals right before our very eyes. A study from a group called Fight Crime: Invest in Kids concluded that nearly 60 percent of boys whom researchers classified as bullies in grades 6-9 were convicted of at least one crime by the age of 24. And get this, 40 percent of those same boys grew up to have three or more criminal convictions. In other words, today's bully could be tomorrow's criminal.

Unlike a typical social network page, a blog can be seen by anyone and at least one young fashion blogger says she's been recognized by strangers on the street - a worrisome turn for adults worried about privacy and predators. For the bloggers, it's a chance to keep track of their obsession, with input from friends or other fashion fans.

Students reflect on the rewards of cyberspace and then consider bullying scenarios in which they examine their personal comfort levels. They learn to recognize such feelings and responsibly handle the unacceptable behavior of others.

The world of chatrooms and instant messaging is foreign to many adults, but a British advocate for children's cyber safety says they need to understand its importance to young people.

First-person account of cyberbullying incident involving a classmate.
Two years ago, two of my classmates were the masterminds behind an insidious plot to bully an innocent schoolmate. Her name was Honey. She was obese and had a weird behaviour. Everyone ridiculed her online eccentricities - she would always boast about guys chasing after her. My classmates, Jasmine and her accomplice, Jenny, decided to create an entirely fake Friendster account and use it to 'befriend' their target. They were curious and wanted to know who the guys were as there were no pictures posted in her Friendster profile. It was an attempt to prove if she was fabricating the stories or otherwise....

Social Networks may be on the increase in populations, but marketers still struggle with how to get users to respond to advertising.

Olivia's Letters is a lesson plan about bullying and cyber bullying that is designed to develop empathy and bystander awareness in children and youth. It was inspired by a cyberbullying incident in Marin County, CA. Two Mill Valley teens empathized with the young girl who had been victimized and took it upon themselves to start an "Olivia's Letters" campaign to boost her spirits. Their actions resulted in over 14,000 letters to Olivia from people across the country and around the world.

The Today Show interview with Olivia Gardner might be a useful addition to the lesson plan on Olivia's letters.

The Today Show interview with Olivia Gardner might be a useful addition to the lesson plan on Olivia's letters.

Teachers warned about communicating with students via social networking sites

Volunteer agency founded in 1997 to fight online harassment through education of the general public, education of law enforcement personnel, and empowerment of victims. The site lists cyberstalking-related laws for all 50 states. They also have a Kids/Teen division.

Via Dan Shareski. Is the way we read changing the way we think? Interesting implications for our students, who have grown in this environment yet are often taught in "the old way".

This is the cover story for the current issue of the magazine so it is attracting a lot of attention from readers. You can follow the commentary at: http://digg.com/tech_news/Is_Google_Making_Us_Stupid_Nicholas_Carr

Excellent article in the June 2008 edition of Edutopia Magazine on the award-winning Cyberbullying Film Project of Debbie Heimowitz, Adina's Deck.

Cyberbullying is becoming so prevalent in Canadian schools and society that it should be made a separate Criminal Code offense, according to a new policy that will be adopted Saturday by the Canadian Teachers' Federation.

Delegates at a meeting of a national teachers' organization have unanimously voted in favour of urging the federal government to make cyberbullying a criminal offense. Members of the Canadian Teachers' Federation endorsed the policy of taking a tougher stand against cyberbullies at the group's annual meeting Saturday in Moncton.