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research on what young (6-12, 13-20) think about internet, their know-how and digital fluency comparing to their teachers, and what are their fears and problems face attacks

Lesson Introduction to Cyberbullying - Avatars and Identity Overview With the layering of identity through the use of nicknames and avatars, as well as a sense of anonymity, it is easy for young people to sometimes forget that real people - with real feelings - are at the heart of online conversations. In this lesson, students are provided with opportunities to explore this concept and discuss the importance of using empathy and common sense when talking to others online. Learning Outcomes Students will demonstrate:  understanding of how online communication differs from faceto- face conversation  awareness of how the distinct attributes of online communication may contribute to inappropriate or bullying behaviour  recognition of cyberbullying behaviour  understanding of the crucial role played by bystanders, including themselves, in fuelling or stopping bullying behaviour - online and offline  awareness of the impact of cyberbullying on targeted individuals  knowledge of appropriate action to take when cyberbullying occurs  awareness of rules for "good Netizenship"

Discussion: MySpace and Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) The following interview with Henry Jenkins (co-director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at MIT) and danah boyd (PhD student at the School of Information, University of California- Berkeley) was conducted via email by Sarah Wright of the MIT News Office. An abbreviated version was published by the MIT News Office on 24 May 2006. We are providing a full transcript of our interview online because we believe that it provides valuable information for parents, legislators and press who are concerned about the dangers of MySpace. "MySpace did not create teenage bullying but it has made it more visible to many adults, although it is not clear that the embarrassment online is any more damaging to the young victims than offline. Regardless of medium, the humiliation occurs when the entire school or social community knows of the attack; MySpace and other online mediums may help spread rumors faster, but they have always spread in the halls of schools pretty quickly. No one of any age enjoys being the target of public tormenting, but new media is not to blame for peer-to-peer harassment simply because it makes it more visible to outsiders. In fact, in many ways, this visibility provides a window through which teen mentors can help combat this issue."

Online safety as we know it is obsolete by Anne Collier, NetFamilyNews.org and ConnectSafely.org I. Why obsolete? a. Rooted in the ancient past - Web 1.0 - the Web of hyperlinked, static, one-tomany "content" and clunky discussion boards and chatrooms, with users as consumers/downloaders, and young users seen and referred to pervasively as potential victims. (Obviously we've moved on to a multiplatform, fixed and mobile highly user-produced environment, with users as full participants.) b. Online safety 1.0 is dominated by lawyers and law enforcement people - wellmeaning, of course - but experts in crime (many online -safety meetings for parents and students in schools are still given by police, ICAC members, FBI agents, etc.) c. When crime is where expertise lies, criminals - predators - become the focus of all discussion, and fear underlies it. Yet we know now that probably less than one-tenth of 1% of teens are at risk of sexual exploitation as a result of any Internet activity (and even fewer children under 13), according to UNH's Crimes Against Children Research Center, and meanwhile the most common risk online kids face is peer harassment - non-criminal adolescent behavior. d. The predator p anic