ISCI 761 Blog Post 5

     As a teacher, I am well versed in all the ways we have to address cyberbullying. We teach lessons through homeroom. We give students resources and avenues to report cyberbullying. This year, we've started using formal lessons from the Neptune Navigate website. Each month has a different theme and students are required to complete the lessons in each module. The topics range from cyberbullying to the impact of their digital footprint. This is similar to the Screenshots digital citizenship curriculum used to measure the effectiveness of such programming in middle schools (Bickham et al., 2021). The study in this article concluded middle school students increased their knowledge of online behaviors, but when it came to conflict resolution, females did not engage as proactively as males (Bickham et al., 2021). I feel like this definitely reflects the attitudes of my students. They all are very aware of the impact of their online presence.  I always get the feeling of one collective "eye roll" from my eighth graders when I start a lesson on the topic.  They've all heard it over and over. Yet, within the last two years, I've had students with the most incidences of online bullying through social media than I've ever had in my entire teaching career.  It makes me wonder if all of the cyberbullying curriculum is really getting to the root of the issue or if we're missing something. Rather than "checking a box," how do I get my students to really understand the heart of this issue and the impact it can have on others? 

    Cyberbullying has been taken to another level post pandemic.  As Faucher et al. (2015) states "once believed to be the dominion of the schoolyard 'tough' kid, bullying is now viewed as a more complex and widespread problem" (p.111).  This largely has to do with the introduction of online forums and social media, which give bullies the opportunity to hide under the guise of anonymity and the lack of ability to see one's reaction to a hurtful message (Faucher et al., 2015). According to this Forbes article, one in four kids experiences some type of racism or harassment online (Suciu, 2022). The article goes on to say that cyberbullying is "more than stranger danger" with 58 percent of children reporting being bullied by someone they know (Suciu, 2022).  This article also makes a good point in that adults are also engaging in this type of behavior, not just children.  It begs the question: who is truly responsible for monitoring and policing such behavior? Is it the social media outlets, parents, or schools? I believe these groups need to work together to achieve a safer way for our students to communicate online.

Pictured above: A female student in the forefront in an orange sweater looking worriedly at her cell phone.  In the background, two female students are looking at the student in the orange sweater while one is holding a cell phone as if to imply they've sent her a message or know what she's seen on her cell phone to make her worried. 

    The resource that I thought was different and unique when approaching cyberbullying was the Seven Digital Deadly Sins website. It addresses topics that typical digital citizenship or cyberbullying sites do not.  This would be for older students as some of the topics may too complicated or inappropriate for younger students.  I would omit the "lust" section and a few other articles or resources if showing to a middle school or high school group. However, some of the videos and stories would be good to link into a Google Slides presentation.  For example, I really found the approach of "greed" to be something my students may relate to, as they are constantly talking about becoming social media influencers or YouTube stars. I think this addresses how the need to be seen or to make money can sometimes be detrimental.  For example the video on "crowd hoarding" provided a unique perspective on internet fame. I definitely would use Ophira Eisenberg's video as it touched on many of the feelings students express about being accepted on the internet.  There was also an interesting article in this section about the additive qualities of online gaming, especially those with a social media feature.  This is most definitely something my students can identify with, as they are constantly talking about playing video games with one another.  I think Dr. Ian's article said it best when stating "we've essentially created a dominant media environment of compulsive behavior." This type of behavior certainly determines not only how a student behaves under the veil of the internet, but also in everyday interactions at school.  If educators can address these behaviors in a more direct way, students may be more receptive to changing their perceptions of the internet and social media. 

References

Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in k-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal Of Education And Training Studies, 3(6), 111-125.

National Film Board of Canada & The Guardian (2024). Greed. Seven Digital Deadly Sins. https://sins.nfb.ca/#/Grid

Orech, J. (2012). How it's done: Incorporating digital citizenship into your everyday curriculum. Tech & Learning, 33(1), 16-18.

Suciu, P. (2022, August 10). Children are increasingly facing cyberbullying on social media. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2022/08/10/children-are-increasing-facing cyberbullying-on-social-media/