Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship

AdweekMedia challenged agencies to create campaigns aimed at teens to reduce the incidence of cyberbullying. Six agencies participated and some of their work is presented here.

Carla Franklin, who believed she was cyberstalked, is claiming victory in a case involving harassment when defamatory comments about her were posted online. A Manhattan judge has ruled that Google must release the names of the online tormentors who made the crude comments about Franklin, a 34-year-old businesswoman.

A class action Settlement has been reached with Google Inc. that resolves litigation about privacy concerns arising out of Google's social networking program, Google Buzz.

Today's college students have never received digital citizenship in middle school or high school. Kids need to receive instruction at a much earlier age.

Cyber Bullying has gained national attention in the case of Phoebe Prince, an irish immigrant attending South Hadley High School in Massachusetts. Though this case has shed new light on the issues of cyber bullying, there are many cases of what has been dubbed "bullycide" where students bullied both on and off line have taken their lives. Regardless of where the bullying is taking place, it is still an issue that must be dealt with on every level in order to prevent further tragedies.

Technology Honor Code from Castilleja Independent School for Girls (Palo Alto, CA).

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.

Yahoo session, Digital Citizenship Conference

Professor Eric Faden of Bucknell University created this humorous, yet informative, review of copyright principles delivered through the words of the very folks we can thank for nearly endless copyright terms. View as streaming video, download as an MP4 file or watch it on YouTube.

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

Carrie James speaks at the Social Good Summit 2010 about the ethical sensibilities of digital youth and describes the need for students to develop important cognitive and analytical skills when using social media. Much of the work was described in the GoodPlay Project.

Creative lesson on digital footprint and online safety in Clarence Fisher's class!

On college campuses, the incident raised awareness about the dangers of cyberbullying and the strains felt by students who have been digitally harassed. The issue is likely to be a topic of conversation on Thursday (October 14), when President Obama takes the stage for an MTV youth town hall special called "A Conversation With President Obama."

Middle School curriculum at this wiki is aligned to the 9 elements of digital citizenship descibed by Bailey and Ribble.

Sample Matrix for a middle school digital citizenship program.

In the wake of a Rutger University student's suicide, researchers who study youth and the Internet say schools need to do a better job of teaching kids the basics of digital citizenship.

In response to the recent rash of teen suicides related to cyberbullying, Perez Hilton appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week to say that he will be ending his crusade to bully people online. Hilton made a name for himself as a celebrity blogger, making nasty comments about celebrities and attempting to "out" gay and lesbian stars. See his YouTube video for the announcement. http://bit.ly/perezhilton_bullying The message is a bit rambling but he's definitely someone who influences teen behavior.