Emerging Dangers all Teachers need to be Aware

10% of students accepted to Universities had those acceptance letters rescinded because of their actions on the internet!  If it's on the internet, it's not private!

Cell Phone Cameras & Text Messaging 
Students are using them in ways which have implications at school.

Pictures of tests
Texting Answers to tests
Status & Ease of Use makes them pervasive
Harassment of teachers as well as other students
Use at Parties
Blog Postings
Planning where to meet after school.  (At one school in Wisconsin because of the use of cell phones over 500 people showed up for a fight which started out to be between two people.)

Where do kids hang out?  Social Networking Sites instead of the gym or park

myspace
bebo
facebook
xanga

Cyber Bullying

Cyber bullying is the term that refers to harassment via computer or other electronic means, and it is much more prevalent than you might think.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Serviced describes cyber bullying as:

Sending mean, vulgar or threatening messages or images.
Posting sensitive, private information about another person.
Pretending to be someone else to make that person look bad.
Intentionally excluding someone from an online group.

According to i-SAFE (isafe.org), an organization dedicated to online safety, 53% of teens admitted they had said hurtful things to someone online, while 7% said they did it "quite often."

Many kids wanted to report the cyber bullying or other inappropriate or dangerous internet behavior but didn't because of the fear of overreaction by the adult.  Know where your students use the internet.

What you should do as a classroom teacher  Create a Cyber bully Classroom Code or  Creed.  As a class discuss the many ways that bullies (online and otherwise) can be hurtful.  See how many of the classmates have either been bullied, witnessed bullying, or have been bullied themselves.  (The "Mean Girls Syndrome" is still bullying.)  How did each of these circumstances make them feel?  Now decide on ways to stop cyber bullying among your classmates.  What can each of you do to change the cycle?

Some of the information on this page came from the article "Go on the offensive with cyber bullies" by Dr. Bob Wilmott found in the St. Louis Post Dispatch December 17, 2007 pg H6.

More articles on technology and schools

Virginia Tries to Ensure Student's Safety on the Internet

When Young Teachers go Wild on the Web

Another great website to be aware of when it comes to younger students is iKeep Safe  a kid friendly Internet safety program.   Check it out.