Agenda Overview Uses Cyberbullying Work session

Star Wars Kid

To start our day, I thought I might begin with a little humor to lighten the mood!

Star Wars Kid – Clone Wars

Our kids are more creative than we could ever imagine. Watch what some students did with this simple video after it was posted on the internet.

Edublogs: A Source of Collaboration or Destruction

Chad Mims

PPLD: June 18, 2009

What do you hope to get out of today’s workshop?

Blogs

First called web logs

Now called blogs

“Blog” was named the 2004 Word of the Year by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Online journal or electronic bulletin board

Edublog

Blogs used for educational purposes

4 types of edublogs: Individual Classroom Collaborative Staff development

Individual Edublog

Individual blogs are typically created and operated by a single individual.

It is used as a place for the author to reflect on different topics, respond to other people’s views, and post resources.

Best serve older students since they can be difficult to create and maintain.

Classroom Edublog

Used by teachers as a discussion forum

A teacher can post topics for the students to discuss and debate dealing with related issues being learned in the classroom.

This type of blog can be useful for most age groups and helps build collaboration and communication among students.

Collaborative Edublog

Normally used by multiple classrooms.

Students interact much in the same way as they would with a classroom blog.

These are especially useful in having older students mentor younger ones.

Staff Development Edublog

A staff development blog provides teachers with continuous support over the course of the school year using an online forum.

Use of Edublogs: Pros

Allow teachers to use the site as an efficient way to communicate with students and parents.

Assignments and materials can be posted on the site, cutting out excuses.

Teachers can post tips, detailed explanations, and work samples of what is being taught in the classroom.

Used to further develop student learning in reading, writing, and language arts.

Used as a showcase for student work

Use of Edublogs: Cons

Unfair to students who do not have access to computers and internet outside of the school. This can be avoided by not requiring students

to use the blog, providing any resources available on the blog, and providing extra time at school for blogging.

Facilitator must be effective in asking probing questions that spur continued discussion

Use of Edublogs: Cons

Issue of Safety Online predators Cyberbullies

Cyberbullying: defined

One of the newest and under-addressed problems facing our schools today is cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying- the misuse of technology for the purpose of harassing, intimidating, or terrorizing another person.

Cyberbullies use the world wide web, instant messaging, cell phones, chat rooms, emails, and even websites specifically set up to ridicule another student.

Cyberbullying: Why is it effective?

Kids have created an interactive world online that is unsupervised by adults.

Many parents and teachers are not technologically proficient enough to even begin to monitor their children or students online.

Able to belittle their victims, not in front of a classroom full of students, but in front of the entire world. The audience has grown exponentially.

There are now no limits. Bullying is no longer bound by time, space, or geography. Students can be bullied 24 hours a day, from all over the world, and have no safe refuge to retreat to.

It is nearly impossible to undo cyberbullying. Once the act is published, it is incredible difficult to completely erase it from the internet.

Cyberbullying: Results

Victims of cyberbullying rarely speak to adults about the problem.

If anyone is sought for help, it is normally a friend.

Some victims admitted that they struggled with episodes of depression and thoughts of suicide.

There have also been reports that cyberbullying was painful enough to cause the victim to seek psychiatric treatment.

Star Wars Kid

After having videos of him posted on the internet and becoming a cult phenomenon, Star Wars Kid had to finish his school year at a psychiatric ward.

His parents have begun litigation against the school and the boys who posted the video.

Cyberbullying: What can we do?

Educate students and adults alike Schools need to have well defined policies regarding

cyberbullying and post these policies in handbooks, on walls, in literature sent home, and on the school’s website.

Students should also know that there are consequences for cyberbullying. Electronic devices could be confiscated or turned off. They should also know that some violations are even

punishable by law. Parents should begin early to try and keep communication

open with their children about their online activities. Parents should not tolerate any behavior online that they

would not tolerate in their own home.

Cyberbullying

Mark Franek says, “Big Brother may not be watching, but mom, dad, teachers, and decision makers in the technology industry should be pretty darn close”.

Conclusions

The positives of using edublogs far outweigh the negatives.

Take every effort to ensure the ultimate safety of each student. The students should use usernames and all comments are first sent to an adult for mediation.

Conclusions

I have had my site for a year now. I have had nearly 15,000 visitors. Students have posted over 1,300 comments. Their love of this educational medium has helped

motivate them to spend more time in our studies of Social Studies related topics.

I would highly recommend more teachers to educate themselves on this technology medium and implement edublogs into their curriculums.

My Edublog

http://mrmims.wordpress.com/ http://mrmimsliteracy.wordpress.com/ http://outcold.wordpress.com/