Reflective Blog #3 - Cyberbullying

     Upon completion of visiting the following websites, I have familiarized myself with the startling reality of cyberbullying, cyberharassment, and cyberstalking.  It is truly unbelieveable to me that all of this has escalated to a new level in the twenty first century.  According to several of the websites, because of the anonymity aspect, bullies feel more empowered.  You never know who is talking to you in the chat room, or if they are truly who they say they are.
     According to the USA Today article located in the second required website, this terrible situation is not always obvious to parents of teachers.  It is the jobs of the parents and teachers to make themselves aware of the sites children are visiting while at school and especially at home.  As a parent of a teenager, it scares me to think about all the potential harm the internet and technology can have on my son.  We have to monitor our children.  Additionally, these sites I researched talked about prevention and awareness.  As stated earlier, the key is to become aware of what our kids are doing on line.  The website entitled "Put an End to Cyberbullying" discusses some options parents do have.  One option, which I thought was particularly necessary, was obtaining a software product that monitors and records details of PC/internet use.  It is called SpectorPro, and it seems to be an excellent idea.
     Some of the articles that I read while researching were very disturbing.  Paricularly the story about Lori Drew, which I clearly remember in the news, is a true sign of the times.  Unfortunately, there were no legislative laws against cyberbullying at the time of her trial.  Although a jury found this mother of teenagers, guilty, the judge had to overturn the ruling.  Lori Drew played a cruel joke on a young Megan Meier, acting as a love interest via My Space.  Lori's motive behind this cruel act was to obtain information about her own daughter.  Pure gossip and lying cost this young 13 year old her life.  She was vulnerable, as most 13 year olds are, and when she received a message from "Josh" aka....Lori, that the world would be a better place without her, Megan committed suicide.
     Some of the websites were awesome, in that they offered help, information, and just made people more aware of this horrible situation.  The MTV site is geared more towards teens, which I feel is great.  Perhaps if a teen knows someone who is being cyberbullied or is a cyberbully, they can refer to the site for advice.  The other sites offer parents warning signs and ways to prevent cyberbullying. 
     I think that because the internet is such a vast platform for communication, parents and educators need to become more aware of its harmful results, as stated in the aboveformentioned stories.  As a future educator, I will hopefully not encounter too many situations where cyberbullying is a problem.  Although, technology is always changing and you never know what the future holds.  I will try to ensure that my students are well informed about cyberbullies, cyberharrassment, and cyberstalking.  It is all about abolishing ignorance and becoming aware as a community, whether it is in the classroom or at home.  Some of the statistics are startling, and many of the required websites provided such statistics as a way of making our world aware just how dangerous the situation is.
      Some obvious problems that can arise from cyberbullying are missing school, drop in grades, low self esteem or self worth.  A lot of kids will stop eating or act depressed.  Some of the sites mentioned how boys have a tendancy to cyberbully in a sexual manner, whereas girls usually bully about how someone may look.  The fact that the "bashing" can be seen by the victim's entire peer group can have devastating results.  Through IM, texting, email, chatrooms, and internet web sites, these bullies find their way to their victims.  In the technological world we live in, it seems unavoidable, but it is not.  It is best to educate ourselves, learn more about how to prevent situations from arising, as well as blocking incoming communication from a potential bully. 
      In closing, I want to make sure that my kids and my furture students are aware of cyberbullying.  I want them to know that they do not have to take abuse and that it is necessary to tell an adult immediately.  We can confront bullies, cyber or otherwise, and put an end to their destruction.  I have included some additional sites regarding cyberbullying.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/07/drew_court/

http://www.cyberbullying.org/

http://www.online-bully.com/index.html

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-03-06-cover-cyberbullies_x.htm

http://www.athinline.org/

The following site was an article taken from Fox News as recently as last month.  A young girl from Ireland, who had been experiencing ridicule and harassment from her classmates, committed suicide.  The article talks about the Facebook harassment and texts that two teenage boys engaged in with the young 15 year old, Phoebe Prince.  There are charges pending.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,584057,00.html

The following site is a "Workshop" for kids with games, real stories, activities, and help.  This month's feature topic was a series on cyberbullying.

http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/reallife.htm

The next informational site features many icons entitled, GIRLS, BOYS, TEENS, SCHOOL, CYBER, DVDs, BOOKS, HELP.....It is a site to visit to gain more insight into the growing problem.

http://www.stop-bullies.com/cyber-bullying/index.html

Again, the following site is totally informational.  It is geared toward parents and preventing cyberbullying.  There is a feature article from Teri Brown regarding Cyberbullies and how they are on the rise.

http://www.preteenagerstoday.com/articles/safety/cyber-bullies-974/

Lastly, this site feature tips on preventing cyberbullying from starting in the first place.  An article by Linda Criddle lists many different warning signs to look for, as well as what to do if your child is being bullied.  It is a PTA.....every child, one voice site.  It also talked about what to do if your child is the one doing the bullying.

http://www.pta.org/2210.htm