Group items tagged

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.

Advice for teens from www.kidshealth.org. Here are some things to consider to safeguard your online identity and reputation:
1. Remember that nothing is temporary online
2. Mark your profile as private.
3. Safeguard your passwords and change them regularly.
4. Don't post inappropriate or sexually provocative pictures or comments.
5. Don't respond to inappropriate requests
6. Take a breather to avoid "flaming."
7. Learn about copyrights.
8. Check your digital footprint.
9. Take it offline.

Move over, "texting thumb." A study came out this week about the rise of another physical ailment related to too much texting. Called cubital tunnel syndrome (CTS), it's basically a very unfunny funny bone: it occurs when a pencil-thick nerve gets pinched at the elbow. While it's not a new ailment-those of us over 30 call it tennis elbow-it's another reason to keep tabs on the volume of texts and Tweets your teens are tapping out. CTS is appearing more frequently in teens who keep their elbows bent while holding their cell phones or PDAs.

If you made a list of sounds you might hear at your local library, the rumbling of explosions and the loud hum of race-car engines probably wouldn't rank high on it. But in a darkened room at the Quincie Douglas Branch Library, about 20 preteens and teens gather around two screens. It's a mostly soundproof room, to make sure their efforts to rack up points on Nintendo's Wii and PlayStation 2 don't bother the consumers of decidedly more static media. It's a sight that could become more frequent at a library near you.

It's an animated website that claims it's for young audiences. Zwinky.com looks innocent enough. But is it a safe place for your tweens?

To parents, it's even more frightening than the huge monthly bills teens run up on their cell phones. To prosecutors, it's yet another way that technology has complicated their jobs.

It's not about technology, it's about the way that people behave toward one other.

Bullying isn't caused by technology and it's not cured by it either. It's about relationships.

PBS Kids tackles the topic of bullying, including how to handle it, innocent by-standers and online bullying. It's My Life is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to create safe, engaging, and educational online media for kids aged 9 to 12. Content is available in English and Spanish.

While reports and stories in the media focusing on Internet predators have become all too frequent, the closer-to-home threat to our children may really be cyberbullying, also known as electronic or online bullying. A recent survey of 395 students (11 to 19 years old) found that 28% of students have been cyberbullied, and more than 1 in 7 admitted to acting as the bully."Cyberbullying could be the biggest online threat facing teens today," says James Leasure, co-founder of Pandora Corp. "Of course Internet predators do still exist, but statistically, kids have a much greater chance of being involved in some way with electronic bullying." Most cases of cyberbullying go undocumented because, fortunately, many kids are able to shrug off the 'unkind words' and look the other way. But there are some cases that make national headlines when they turn into tragedies, such as the Megan Meier case in 2006. Larger cases like this have prompted several states to adopt legislation that makes online bullying illegal.

I'm surprised by this review of the Frontline program. I would have thought Eric would have been more critical. I agree that it's an important show to watch; however, I was concerned with a few things. One, I was concerned with the portrayal of a "helicopter" mom who wanted her kids' social networking passwords in case of emergency and I was also concerned about the kid who very cavelierly said he never read books. I also really wondered about parents who complained that their kids never turned off their cellphones at dinner time. I need to re-watch this program, but I think there is much here to be discussed that's not about the technology. It's about how we talk to and engage our students and children. It's really easy to blame bad behavior and scary incidents on technology.

[February 08] A summary of each chapter and commentary provided by Eric Grant.

Tech companies are releasing new software products that monitor and police kids' Internet use, helping them avoid cyberbullying and letting parents know when it's occurring.

Here's the newest from Sen. Ted Stevens, the man who described the Internet as a series of tubes: It's time for the federal government to ban access to Wikipedia, MySpace, and social networking sites from schools and libraries.

This Web Wise Kids cell phone safety program for middle school children is titled It's Your Call. Based on true stories, it is an interactive game that allows users to play out difficult situations in the safety of cyberspace before they live them out in real life. The game offers teens guidance about responsible cell phone behaviors and how to use these devices to enhance their personal safety. Players become a live action character in an interactive movie and are presented with a series of difficult decisions in a slice-of-life context. The teens must make tough decisions and view the consequences of their actions in the video.

This playlist is intended to offer tools to make the case that it's critical to teach digital citizenship. There are links to videos that can be used when teaching digitalcitizenship

thanks you.

It's important for parents today to realize they are creating an online dossier for a human being that will be with them for years to come. It's worth considering what kind of digital footprint or online history you want to leave for your child. When your child is a teenager or adult, what will they make of the information you are currently uploading now? 5% of babies under 2 have social media profiles, 7% have email addresses, 81% of two-year-olds have a digital footprint. The irony here is that Zogby International just published a survey of parents that found 90% of them think their kids share too much information online and social networks aren't doing enough to protect them. See the story at: http://bit.ly/CNNparentpoll

The Leadership, Education and Etiquette - On and Offline, or [Leo ] Student Leadership Training Project ended Friday with a debriefing and motivational words by the program's adult leaders. It wrapped up four days of training in which the 26 teens learned about cyber safety and social networking issues as well as peer-to-peer marketing and career preparations.