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A well-documented week of middle school activities in celebration of Digital Citizenship Week.

A group of high school students said recently that cyberbullying is on the rise in their schools, just as it is nationally. Cyberbullying is loosely defined as using computers or cell phones to harass or bully another. It can happen by cell phone text messages, on social networking sites and even on online games that allow chatting. "It's growing and it's going to continue to grow," said Rich Horner, the police superintendent for North Franklin Township in Washington County, on the southwest side of Washington. "A lot of this stuff is kids being kids. There's always been bullying. Now, they have more avenues to do it. It's enough of a problem that the state attorney general's office created a video about cyberbullying and will launch it in May, said Diana Woodside, assistant director of education and outreach.

The results of a survey showing that 35 percent of middle school and high school students with cell phones have used them to cheat at school is indeed alarming. And perhaps more alarming is the finding that nearly a quarter of the students don't even think it's cheating. Cheating is cheating regardless of whether you use technology or old-fashioned paper notes. I'm appalled that kids may be using technology to cheat in school, but I'm just as appalled at how schools are cheating kids when it comes to technology.

Full Middle school Curriculum in three strands: Safety and Security, Digital Citizenship, and Research and Information Literacy

This model program for "restorative justice" is used by trained 8th grader facilitators at Del Mar Middle School to handle school incidents that would previously have been grounds for student suspensions. Cyberbullying is included in the restorative justice program. Students make amends for their actions, learn from their mistakes and become part of the solution, rather than the problem.

Middle school friends, talking off-campus, criticize a classmate. A video is posted on YouTube. Now the case is in federal court.

Because cyberbullying is such a new phenomenon, school and law enforcement officials in the United States and other countries are still sorting out the legal technicalities. "Most of what is done online is protected as free speech," says Frannie Wellings, policy fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, DC.

Middle school children who have a television or computer in their room sleep less during the school year, watch more TV, play more computer games and surf the net more than their peers who don't - reveals joint research conducted by the University of Haifa and Jezreel Valley College.

For the last 11 years Marje Monroe and Doug Fodeman have worked to educate schools, parents and students about the issues that affect children in an online world. Their Web site, ChildrenOnline.org, offers practical articles, resources, research, and a monthly newsletter on the topic. Recently, the team, which has a long background in education, self-published Safe Practices for Life Online, intended to show middle and high school students what scams target them and how to use the Internet more safely. A teacher's edition of the book will be available through the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) in November.

Florida's Cybersafety Initiative consists of SafeSurf Web sites for Kids, Teens and Adults and a cybersafety school assembly program that specifically targets middle and high school students to educate them about cyberpredators and personal internet safety.

The school has an anti-bullying program and a zero-tolerance policy for bullying. And even though the bullying didn't occur on school grounds, administrators stated that the district has a responsibility to get involved when an incident creates significant disruption or concern at school.

Lessons have been developed to be consistent with national student learning standards, including the ISTE Standards and the National Council of Teachers of English. Right now, lesson plans are only available for high school students but elementary and middle school curriculum is coming soon.

Lewsisville Independent School District [Flower Mound, TX] has created this excellent Cybersafety Course for Middle School Students, using moodle. It includes a week-long curriculum with videos, web sites to explore, discussion questions and quizzes.

Gina Healy didn't expect to hold an assembly with her middle schoolers about sexting. But after the school newspaper wrote about an alleged incident involving 8th graders sending nude photos over cell phones, Healy consulted with the Newton, PA, police department-and then talked to her students.

Organized around the way middle schoolers use the Internet, the CyberCitz Project provides teaching materials on Internet safety, security and ethics. This new project includes an Educators' Guide, a youth website, technology citizenship posters, and e-lessons on a K-12 learning management system. This project was produced in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Educational Technology and IIIA at James Madison University. Navigate through the curriculum content using the sidebar on the left side of the screen.

Bumped in to this today -- would you belive in coincidences -- Parents as Partners at joined by Steve Hargadon tonight 14 April 9pm PDT (too late for GMT me) -- participate at chatroom http://edtechtalk.com/live -- to discuss web2.0 pedagogies in schools and best practices for educating parents -- I so wish I could stay up but will have to leave that for others (aka feedback request please) -- although thinking about it I might manage to get up early the following day (ouch).

Produced in Canada, this new interactive program targets middle school students. Designed for school usage, it explores the social and ethical challenges of the cell phone era. In some locations, it is used as part of the DARE program. The story is set in the fictitious BRAINCELLS HIGH, which is in turmoil. After students begin carrying cell phones, a group of older boys start to steal phones from the younger students. Eddie is the leader of the gang and he forces a younger computer geek named Oliver to hack into the school computer and "adjust" his grades. The venture creates an uneasy bond between the two teenagers. Oliver uses his cell phone to commit the crime for Eddie and Eddie eases Oliver into the inner circle of teens at the high school. Finally, Oliver has to make a decision. Will he go to the police? The story is told through quizzes, animations, activities and games.

NCSA launched the Cyber Security Awareness Volunteer Education Project (C-SAVE) in April of 2009. The program will teach youngsters not just to be wary of online predators and bullies but alert to the tricks of data thieves and scam artists. Curriculum is customized for three grade levels: K-2, 3-5 and middle/high school. What makes this program unique is that they plan to use "tech pros" from the technology industry to deliver the curriculum in the classroom.