Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship

A survey of 1200 teens and young adults (conducted by Knowledge Networks for the Associated Press and MTV) found that 22% of the digital youth reported they have been targeted for digital abuse, either through cell phone, email or internet monitoring by someone they were dating.

The digital native-digital immigrant metaphor has been used to make a distinction between those with technology skills and those without. Metaphors such as this one are useful when having initial conversations about an emerging phenomenon, but over time, they become inaccurate and dangerous. Thus, this paper proposes a new metaphor, the digital melting pot, which supports the idea of integrating rather than segregating the natives and the immigrants.

Leonard's class at Wiregrass Ranch High School in Wesley Chapel, a middle-class Florida suburb about 30 miles north of Tampa, is one of a growing number around the country that are abandoning traditional policies of cell phone prohibition and incorporating them into class lessons.

When University of Texas researchers began studying Facebook friends, they expected that users also would exaggerate accomplishments and offer an enhanced version of themselves. To their surprise, they discovered that Facebook profiles typically gave an accurate and realistic impression of the user's real-life personality.

Teen death is only the second known case of a suicide linked to bullying after "sexting" - the practice of transmitting sexual messages or images electronically. In March, 18-year-old Jesse Logan killed herself in the face of a barrage of taunts when an ex-boyfriend forwarded explicit photos of her following their split.

Larry Magid discusses the shift in thinking -- from a focus of constraint and protection against predators to one of developing a culture of responsibility and digital citizenship. For those "at risk" students, school psychologist, Patti Afgatson, suggests that we consider using health prevention models for Internet safety education - basic safety advice for most youth and intense counseling from mental health professionals for the small minority of young people who are taking extraordinary risks both on and offline.

There is no single solution to the problem of cyberbullying. It needs to be regarded as a live and ongoing issue. An effective approach requires clearly defined responsibilities, reporting lines and coordination. A member of the senior management team will need to be designated as the lead - preferably, the member of staff who takes overall responsibility for bullying cases.

The Twitter feed for Lucas Ames' class in American history has shown some lively exchanges of ideas and opinions among students at the Flint Hill School. One day this month, 11th graders at the private school in Oakton, Va., shared articles on the separation of church and state, pondered the persistence of racism, and commented on tobacco regulation in Virginia now and during the Colonial period-all in the required Twitter format of 140 or fewer characters.

According to the Bakersfield Californian, a Stockdale High School student, who was physically assaulted by five older students, has settled his suit against the Kern High School District, the students who committed the assault and two other students for $260,000. The case illustrates the degree to which students and their parents can be held financially accountable in bullying cases. It also shows that students can be held financially responsible even if they are witnesses or simply know about such incidents, but don't tell authorities.

Kevin Honeycutt's Cybersafety and Cyberbullying Programs for GR K-6 and 7-12.

SVSD SAG Harvest of Opportunity 2009

"Bound by Law translates law into plain English and abstract ideas into 'visual metaphors.' So the comic's heroine, Akiko, brandishes a laser gun as she fends off a cyclopean 'Rights Monster' - all the while learning copyright law basics, including the line between fair use and copyright infringement." -Brandt Goldstein, The Wall Street Journal online