Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship

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.

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.

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....

Nancy Willard and Anne Collier offer eight ways to deal with cyberbullies in this article.
1. Identify and block.
2. Set boundaries.
3. File a complaint.
4. Contact the school
5. Send the parents a certfied "cease and desist" letter.
6. Call an attorney.
7. Contact the local police.
8. Talk with your kids about what's acceptable.

A warning from the head of a prominent cancer research institute has rekindled fears about the possible health risks associated with extensive cell-phone use, especially among children--and it comes as a growing number of children are using cell phones to communicate.

K-8 Digital Citizenship Wikifrom Forest Ridge District 142 in Oak Ridge, Illinois. Includes links to videos and cybersafety tips.

California State-approved technology plans that meet certain criteria must be in place before federal funding for technology may be secured by a school district. Education Code Section 51871.5 also requires the addition of a component to educate students and teachers on cyberbullying and Internet Safety, among other topics.

On this edition of "Dr. Syd's House Call," pediatrician Dr. Sydney Spiesel talks with Emily Bazelon about a recent study on children and the Internet. It turns out sexual predators are not nearly as common as old-fashioned bullies.

Parents today have responsibilities in both the real world and the virtual world, Kane County Regional Office of Education Director Phil Morris told the Elgin Academy community Tuesday.

There are hobbyists and there are fanatics. I cannot imagine the pricetag for the computer set up shown here and have to hope that these 11 computers used simultaneously to play world of warcraft are put to "good use" at other times during the day. I also see someone who is online but is not connected with others. To me, if I do things online - I like social spaces because of the "interaction" -- sort of like creating your own friend network of 36 different people and tweeting yourself all day -- sort of Sybil-ish, I think. Addictive behaviors is definitely part of digital health and wellness and helping people know when to draw the line.

Suzie Vesper's wiki on internet safety

Research suggests that it'snot giving out personal information that puts kid at risk. It's not having a blog or a personal website that does that either. What puts kids in danger is being willing to talk about sex online with\nstrangers or having a pattern of multiple risky activities on the web\nlike going to sex sites and chat rooms, meeting lots of people there,\nkind of behaving in what we call like an internet daredevil."

Contains dozens of classroom-tested exercises and hundreds of links to Web sites, documents, and resources, Safe Practices for Life Online offers practical advice to help middle and high school students stay safe by making better choices and minimizing their risks.

More parents are looking to cell phones to help keep their children safe. But mom and dad should be aware: Kids who talk on a cell phone may be more likely to step into traffic, a new study shows.

Google Latitude lets cell-phone users share their whereabouts with friends and family

Good advice for blocking bullying online and a public service announcement to spread the message. While the video is in English, the text on the web site is available in over 20 languages. Developed as part of Europe's Information Society portal, the web site celebrates "Safer Internet Day" (Feb 10th) by promoting safer use of the Internet and new online technologies, particularly for children.