2. Why is this an Important Issue? Schools today are using more online learning experiences. The more time a student spends online, the more opportunities there will be for cyber bullying to occur.
3. What is it? Cyber bullying consists of: Name calling. Insults. Threats of physical harm. Threats of sexual harm. Inappropriate sexual comments.
9. Impact on the Student Low self esteem. Depression. Poor performance in school.
10. Impact on Schools Victims of cyber bullying may ultimately: Commit Suicide. Perform violent acts on other students.
11. What Are Schools Doing? Educating students about this issue. School Officials take action.
12. Legislation People are pushing for laws against cyber bullying. Laws are difficult to create. Laws would be difficult to enforce.
13. Conclusion Cyber bullying has a negative impact on students and the entire school. Schools are feeling more responsible for the safety of their students while they are on the internet. People are pushing for legislation. Legislation is difficult to pass and enforce.
14. References Whitaker, Jodie, and Brad Bushman. "Online Dangers: Keeping Children and Adolescents Safe." Washington and Law Lee Review (2009): n. pag. Web. 23 Mar 2010. <http://0-firstsearch.oclc.org.elibrary.mel.org/WebZ/FTFETCH?sessionid=fsapp3-47993-g5k13x5o-5mv8yv:entitypagenum=14:0:rule=100:fetchtype=fulltext:dbname=WilsonSelectPlus_FT:recno=1:resultset=3:ftformat=PDF:format=BI:isbillable=TRUE:numrecs=1:isdirectarticle=FALSE:entityemailfullrecno=1:entityemailfullresultset=3:entityemailftfrom=WilsonSelectPlus_FT:> http://law.wlu.edu/deptimages/Law%20Review/66-3WhitakerBushmanOnline.pdf Ford, Algeria. "School Liability: Holding Middle Schools Liable For Cyber Bullying Despite Their Implementation of Internet Usage Contracts." Journal of Law and Education (2009): n. pag. Web. 23 Mar 2010. <http://0-firstsearch.oclc.org.elibrary.mel.org/WebZ/FTFETCH?sessionid=fsapp3-47993-g5k13x5o-5mv8yv:entitypagenum=9:0:rule=100:fetchtype=fulltext:dbname=WilsonSelectPlus_FT:recno=2:resultset=2:ftformat=PDF:format=BI:isbillable=TRUE:numrecs=1:isdirectarticle=FALSE:entityemailfullrecno=2:entityemailfullresultset=2:entityemailftfrom=WilsonSelectPlus_FT:>. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3994/is_200907/ai_n35628074/ Stop Cyber Bullying. Wired Kids, 23 03 2010. Web. 23 Mar 2010. <http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/index2.html>.
15. References Cont. Pictures 1, 2, and 4 from clip art. Picture 3 "Exam Exhaustion." The Contented. Web. 24 Mar 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-contented/940982507/>.
Notas del editor
My name is Christine Rozwadowski and I will be discussing the implications of Cyber Bullying and what it means for schools.
Talking about cyber bullying is important because as schools are increasingly using online learning experiences, the schools are finding themselves more responsible for the safety of their students while they are online.
Cyber bullying can be defined when one person says any type of emotional abuse, threat of physical or sexual harm, or inappropriate sexual comments to another over the internet or other cyber technologies.
Cyber bullying mainly occurs over the internet on social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook. It also occurs through emails, chat rooms, and instant messaging. Cyber bullying can also occur in text messages.
Children between the ages of 9 and 14 are at the greatest risk of committing cyber bullying or being a victim of it. By the time most children have reached this age they have been introduced to the internet and have begun using it regularly. Also, children of this age have a tendency to be cruel without regards to other people’s feelings. When people are on the internet, they may feel The problem is compounded when parents and teachers allow children and students unsupervised internet access.
When a student is bullied they will experience feelings of low self esteem which may lead to depression. Low self esteem and depression can have a dramatic effect on school performance and the way the victim interacts with other students. So cyber bullying is an issue that directly affects schools.
Since cyber bullying affects the way a student performs in school and the way they interact with other students, schools are being impacted by this issue because they are responsible for the safety and well being of the students when they’re at school. If cyber bullying is not resolved by either teachers or parents, then the victim may commit suicide or perform violent acts on other students. When a student commits suicide, other students may feel overly distressed by this, which in turn will affect their well being and performance in school. When cyber bullying is involved, the safety of the student body is put in jeopardy because the victim may perform violent acts on other students.
Teachers are educating their students about cyber bullying. Teachers may talk about the negative effects of cyber bullying and how to prevent it. They discuss how to use self control on the internet. Having self control on the internet may decrease arguments between children that may fuel cyber bullying. When there is evidence that cyber bullying is happening on school grounds, the administration may suspended or expel the cyber bullies.
Since cyber bullying has such a negative impact on children and schools, many people are pushing for laws to be created against cyber bullying. Some states have already created laws that allow for school officials to punish cyber bullies even if the events occurred off campus. These states include Arkansas, Idaho, New Jersey, Oregon, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. These laws are difficult to create because there are concerns that they would impact a person’s right to free speech. These laws are also incredibly hard to enforce because of the sheer size and the anonymity it provides – it may be difficult to figure out who the bully actually is.
Since cyber bullying has such a negative impact on students and the entire student body, schools are feeling more obligated to protect their students while they are using the internet. School officials have already suspended students for cyber bullying on school grounds but people are pushing for legislation to pass that would allow school officials to punish cyber bullying no matter where it occurs. Regardless, laws against cyber bullying are difficult to pass because it may infringe upon a person’s right to free speech. Also, the laws are difficult to enforce because of the internet’s size and the anonymity it provides. Parents and Teachers could help by educating students and supervising their internet and phone use.