Thoughts on Cyberbullying and Teaching

Image Retrieved October 12, 2021 from https://www.upr.org/post/study-details-cyberbullying-problem-and-how-counter-it-home-0#stream/0

When I was watching the “Wrath” video from The Seven Deadly Sins project, it was stated that there is an undeniable good feeling when you are in a majority that is against the minority and you’re all against one person. I was thinking to myself that I did not identify with feeling good when feeling anger and being against someone. But when I read the section entitled, “I click to get angry,” I had a sort of ‘ah hah’ moment where I realized that clicking on articles you know are going to make you angry, CAN lead to that feeling for me (NFB Digital Studio Vancouver, The Guardian, & Jam3, 2014). And then I realized that when I do this…I immediately go to the comment section of these articles. A few times I have even argued with people that I consider to be very wrong about something, and yes, I do feel angry. And I can see how I would feel good if more people joined me in ‘schooling’ that person. I think it is important to show students a variety of different cyber bullying senators that are common, so that it is more likely they will identify with one of them and realize this is something happening to everyone, and it is all around us. The Seven Deadly Sins project would be a great way to do this, because several different scenarios were included in an interactive way that was very informative. I can see this starting as independent classwork/homework, that could end as a great way to have a class discussion to delve further into the topic of cyber bullying. I am set to work with elementary age students, and I do see that there are some parts of the Seven Deadly Sins site that could be inappropriate (especially some of the lust section), so I would want to look into how to adjust the lesson for the younger audience. Richard Byrnes explanation is definitely important to tell teachers to check out before sharing this with students, in case there was a teacher who wasn’t prepared to check out the full resource ahead of time (Byrne, 2014). I think it is important not to wait to discuss these matters, because some researchers think that cyberbullying could peak in the middle school years (Cassidy, Faucher, & Jackson, 2015). Therefore it should be addressed prior to that.

I think one of the most important reason there is to address cyber bullying with students is the fact that it can be such a secretive thing, where many students feel alone and like they can’t discuss what they’re going through. The more we discuss the issues and bring them to light, the less shameful some might feel about seeking help. I think there are probably some students who also don’t realize how prevalent it is. In the article, From the Sandbox to the Inbox: Comparing the Acts, Impacts, and Solutions of Bullying in K-12, Higher Education, and the Workplace, by Faucher, Cassidy and Jackson, it is stated that,

“Further, cyberbullying is seen as the new frontier of workplace bullying and harassment” (2015).

Image retrieved from https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/08/seven-digital-deadly-sins-goodmaterial.html#.WjMOYFQ-fBI

I think students need to realize that this is something happening all around them, and whether they’re experiencing it now or not, it is something that could come up at any point in their lives. It is important to acknowledge that adults are also dealing with these issues, and it comes up even in the workplace. Giving students the tools to cope can help them throughout their whole careers. The Faucher, Cassidy and Jackson article goes on to state that cyberbullying affects students of all kinds; different races, genders, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds are all included. There is even an overlap between cyber bullies, and those being bullied. (Cassidy, Faucher, & Jackson, 2015).

Another way to make students understand the realness of what cyberbullying is and can be, is to have them hear from their peers. That’s why the article, “How it’s Done: Incorporating Digital Citizenship Into Your Everyday Curriculum,” was so helpful as it discussed how older students can make great cyber mentors for younger students (Orech, 2012). Peer mentoring of things they have learned from their own experiences is something that appeals to me. I know tweens are greatly influenced by their peers, and they also tend to not trust things that adults say, so this seems like a great solution.

Resources

Byrnes, R. (2014, August 4). Seven digital deadly sins - Good material for conversations on digital citizenship. Free Technology for Teacher-Byrne Instructional Media, LLC.

https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/08/seven-digital-deadly-sins-good-

material.html#.WjMOYFQ-fBI

Cassidy, W., Faucher, C., & Jackson, M. (2015, November). 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.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1078204.pdf

NFB Digital Studio Vancouver, The Guardian, & Jam3. (2014). Seven digital deadly sins.

http://sins.nfb.ca/#/Grid

Orech, J. (2012). How it's done: Incorporating digital citizenship into your everyday curriculum.

Tech & Learning, 33(1), 16-18.

Smith, S. (2019). Study details cyberbullying problem and how to counter it at home. Utah Public

Radio. Retrieved October 12, 2021 from https://www.upr.org/post/study-details-cyberbullying-

problem-and-how-counter-it-home-0#stream/0