Monday 27 January 2014

Internet Safety

So... of course this post deleted itself... ha! well, in brief, I just wanted to write about a few things I learned... Having been "victim"* to bullying myself growing up, I was curious to see what Cyberbullying really entailed.  This is what I learned from my readings and my classmates:

There are many different ways that people can cyberbully. Some are listed:
  • Sending messages or emails containing insults or threats
  • Spreading hateful comments or rumors about a person through email, messages, or posting on social networking or blogs
  • Stealing passwords and sending out threatening emails or messages using the assumed identity
  • Building websites to target students
  • Posting embarrassing pictures of video footage of someone
  • Posting obscene messages on online message boards or creating slanderous websites

I'd wager that the most prominent way would be of people posting rude or offensive comments, videos or even websites that will harm children emotionally.  I'm seeing that cyberbullying brings about the same kinds of consequences in the lives of the children.  

*I put the "" because if I am to be honest, I almost owe those junior high bullies a favor.  I grew to be able to stand up for myself and to learn what real friends were.  After all, "all [they]'re ever gunna be is mean".

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1 comment:

  1. Unknown8 February 2014 at 16:42

    Thanks for your post. I have also gone through bullying in school growing up. I think bullying has always been a big issue and will continue to be an issue. With the internet now it's harder to keep tabs on the bullying that is occurring. I agree with you that there are many different ways to cyberbully. I think that you are right in saying that being able to stand up to bullies helps to make people strong. It is a good test of character and can change people having to learn how to deal with bullies. However, as much as it can make people stronger it can also do the opposite, it can make some students feel alone and helpless, even to the point of taking their own life, Amanda Todd is a sad example of the extent of harm that cyberbullying can cause. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/11/amanda-todd-suicide-bullying_n_1959909.html)
    As a pre-teacher I sometimes get overwhelmed by the amount of different ways that people can cyberbully. I think that it is important as a teacher to be aware of all the risks and to be there to take a stand against bullying of both kinds. I found a good link from Scholastic that talks about how to recognize cyberbullying and steps that can be taken to prevent it. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/cyberbullying-what-teachers-and-schools-can-do

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