Posts Tagged ‘facebook’

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Up to 1 in 10 US Students Have an Inappropriate Relationship With Their Teacher

August 16, 2014

andrea connersSurely there aren’t as many student/teacher relationships as suggested in this article. If it is anywhere near as bad as that, it is a terrible indictment on our profession:

 

Critics suggest that as many as one in 10 U.S. public school students — or about 4.5 million children — are involved in some kind of inappropriate teacher-student relationship.

But it’s not easy to identify — accusations involve everything from physical contact to inappropriate comments or looks — and can have a crippling effect not only on those involved but on the student body and their parents and educators.

“It’s devastating to the rest of our students,” said Dan Unger, president of the Northwest Local School District Board of Education. Two of the three teachers from his district have already been convicted and this year imprisoned. The third case is pending.

“When (the other students) think about the accomplishments of the class of 2014, they’ll think about that. This is what they will remember,” Unger said.

It’s become easier in a digital world where smart phones can dominate conversation, for teachers and students to communicate. That’s good when it’s used to discuss school work. But sometimes it can turn criminal.

“The biggest reason this occurs now is social media,” Abbott said.

A text, Facebook post, Instagram or Snapchat message can give teachers and students greater access to each other than ever before. All three of the Northwest Local School educators relied heavily on Snapchat, Facebook and text messages to communicate with the victimized students.

“It seems to be when the conversation goes private like that, the teacher says and does outrageous and outlandish things they’d never say in person,” Abbott said.

Those private contacts allow predatory educators to exploit students, enhancing the control teachers have over their students. Students want to be liked by or get attention from the educator.

 

 

Click on the link to read Facebook Exposes Yet Another Bad Teacher

Click on the link to read Why I Won’t Be Celebrating Facebook’s 10th Anniversary

Click on the link to read If You Ever Wondered How Some Kids Become Bullies …

Click on the link to read The Researchers into Cyberbullying Should Review Their Findings

Click on the link to read The Use of Facebook in Cyberbullying Activity

Click on the link to read A Positive Approach to Tackling Cyberbullying

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Posted in Professional Conduct, Social Media | 2 Comments »

The Perfect Cyber Safety Clip for Parents to Watch With Their Kids

August 3, 2014

 

I know I have posted this film before, but with the ongoing issues of social media and child safety, I think it is more apt than ever.

 

Click on the link to read 5 Internet Safety Rules to Share With Your Kids

Click on the link to read Introducing the App that will Give Parents Nightmares

Click on the link to read Teachers Who Rely on Free Speech Shouldn’t be Teachers

Click on the link to read Bullying is Acceptable when it’s Directed to a Teacher

Click on the link to read Punish Bullies and Then Change Your Culture

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Facebook Exposes Yet Another Bad Teacher

March 25, 2014

 

facebook

Teachers have to be extremely careful when they post their opinions on social media sites. They must be careful to avoid criticising their students, especially when the students has committed suicide the week before:

A Northern Territory teacher who allegedly branded a former student a “brat” and a “bully” in a spiteful Facebook rant just days after he committed suicide has been sacked.

The teacher, who has not been identified, is accused of posting the insensitive message after the teen boy’s suicide last weekend, the NT News reports.

“You were a bully to kids smaller and younger than yourself, I saw you intimidate, stand over and beat up on younger kids (never anyone your own size),” the teacher’s alleged message said.

“You made life hell for genuine students wanting to learn and teachers trying to teach.

“You were a moody, disrespectful little brat in and away from school who was always given excuses by your parents and soft people in authority.

“Your (sic) gone, good no sympathy or empathy from me.”

Dozens of parents who saw the post reportedly called on the teacher to be sacked, the newspaper reports.

The Territory’s Education department deputy chief executive, Susan Bowden, confirmed the teacher had been stood down and tendered his resignation, effective 14 April.

“The teacher is not at school and will not return. This type of behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the Department of Education,” Bowden said.

“The Department of Education deeply regrets the stress to the family and friends cause by this teacher’s alleged actions at this difficult time.”

It is believed the boy was not a student at the school at the time of his death.

 

 

Click on the link to read Why I Won’t Be Celebrating Facebook’s 10th Anniversary

Click on the link to read If You Ever Wondered How Some Kids Become Bullies …

Click on the link to read The Researchers into Cyberbullying Should Review Their Findings

Click on the link to read The Use of Facebook in Cyberbullying Activity

Click on the link to read A Positive Approach to Tackling Cyberbullying

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Posted in Social Media | 1 Comment »

Why I Won’t Be Celebrating Facebook’s 10th Anniversary

February 5, 2014

 

 

Facebook has proven not only an extraordinarily popular success but also an enduring one. In the ten years the social medium has been in circulation Facebook have become only stronger rather than a passing fad that one could be forgiven for assuming they would be.

But for all the good that Facebook offers, let’s not forget about the negative aspects.

1. Cyberbullying – Facebook has become the place for cyberbullies to insult and intimidate their victims. Even though Facebook claims to be vigilant when it comes to bullying, time and time again we have seen evidence to the contrary.

2. Privacy and Stalking – Unfortunately,  we constantly warn children about using the privacy settings because there are sick people out there who can potentially exploit them through their Facebook page. Nothing is private anymore.

3. Self-Esteem – Studies have shown that Facebook makes people feel worse about themselves.

4. Trivialising the concept of “Friends” – The meaning of the word “friend” has been greatly devalued thanks to Facebook.

5. Too Easy for Young Kids to Access – It might say you have to be 13 but a startling number of under aged children have their own Facebook page.

 

Click on the link to read If You Ever Wondered How Some Kids Become Bullies …

Click on the link to read The Researchers into Cyberbullying Should Review Their Findings

Click on the link to read The Use of Facebook in Cyberbullying Activity

Click on the link to read A Positive Approach to Tackling Cyberbullying

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Posted in Social Media | 2 Comments »

10 Essential Facts About Cyberbullying for Parents

October 24, 2013

bully

Courtesy of Caroline Knorr:

Q. What is cyberbullying?

A. Cyberbullying is using digital communications (like the Internet and cell phones) to make another person feel angry, sad or scared, usually again and again.

Many experts agree that intent and context are important, too. If the behavior was intentional, that’s clearly cyberbullying and there should be consequences. But if a kid inadvertently hurts another kid, then he or she may just need to learn better online behavior.

Either way, if your kid feels bad as a result of someone else’s online actions, then they may have been targeted and you should take it seriously. Kids’ conversations can be rowdy and rude. But if they’re not deliberately (and repeatedly) designed to inflict cruelty, and no one feels wronged, then chalk it up to juvenile antics. But keep an eye on it.
Q. How is cyberbullying different from bullying?

A. All bullying is extremely hurtful to the target and can make kids feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, helpless, sad and angry. But cyberbullying is a particular form of bullying that often spreads faster and further to more people and can occur at any time of day or night.

Online messages can be more confusing or scarier than in-person communication because there are no face-to-face cues to help you understand people’s intentions. Helping kids recognize bullying will help them learn to better deal with it.

  • Kids may use more hurtful and extreme language online than offline. It’s not uncommon for cyberbullies to say things like “I wish you would die,” “You’re ugly,” and “Everybody hates you.” If a kid said these things out loud in public, a teacher, a parent or even another kid would probably overhear and intervene.
  • Cyberbullying can happen anytime, whereas regular bullying generally stops when kids go home. Your kid could get a text, an email or see a post — or posts — on Facebook at any moment.
  • Cyberbullying can be very public. Posts can spread rapidly to a large, invisible audience because of the nature of how information travels online.
  • Cyberbullies sometimes act anonymously, whereas, with traditional bullying, it’s often clear who the bully is. Anonymity is a cloak that bullies hide behind. Not only does it encourage the bully to be more brazen, it makes him or her hard to trace.
  • In-person bullying can cause both physical and emotional harm. Cyberbullying causes “only” emotional harm (though it can lead to physical bullying, as well).

Q. What are some examples of cyberbullying?

A. Usually, cyberbullying is characterized by repeated cruelty. Whether this was a thoughtless, one-time prank or a more deliberate act of cruelty, it sounds as if your kid was humiliated over and over as every kid saw the picture. That’s what matters most. Hopefully, the kids’ parents were notified and your kid recovered.

Here are some other examples of behavior that could cross the line into cyberbullying:

  • Sending a mean email or IM to someone
  • Posting mean things about someone on a website
  • Making fun of someone in an online chat
  • Doing mean things to someone’s character in an online world
  • Creating a hostile environment in an online world or game
  • Impersonating someone online — including creating a fake online profile
  • Repeatedly texting someone to the point of harassment
  • Directly threatening or intimidating someone online or in a text
  • Starting rumors or spreading gossip online
  • Stealing someone’s password and logging into someone else’s account
  • Taking a photo or video and sharing it without the subject’s consent, knowing it might be embarrassing

Q. How do you have the conversation with another parent about their kid’s bullying?

A. If your kid is bullied by someone he or she knows, you should probably talk it over — face-to-face — with the kid’s parents. These steps can help you achieve a cooperative conflict resolution that will get everyone working together.

  • Schedule a meeting. While your impulse may be to confront the kid’s parents immediately, it’s better to set a time to meet and discuss the situation in a civilized manner.
  • Explain that you’re there for your kid. Say that your kid reported the incident and you wanted to follow up. That takes the heat off of the parents and allows you both to discuss your kids’ actions.
  • State your goal. Yes, you’re angry and hurt, but your goal should go beyond blaming. You want to end the bullying and have your kids stop engaging in destructive behavior.
  • Let the other parent talk. Hear them out; they may have information that you don’t know.
  • Bring the evidence. Show printouts or the devices on which the bullying occurred.
  • Work together. As much as possible, try to enlist the other parent so you can work as a united front.
  • Talk about next steps.Create a plan for how to proceed as well as a check-in schedule so you can see how things are progressing. Depending on whether things calm down or escalate, you may need to bring in a neutral party — a teacher, counselor, even a community leader — to deal with the problem and help you all move forward.

(more…)

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Posted in Cyber Bullying | 2 Comments »

Who is Going to Do Something About Cyberbullying?

October 3, 2013

fb

Cyberbullying continues to grow, even considering the increased public awareness of the problem. This is simply not good enough.

For too long schools have been avoiding the issue, claiming that what is done outside of their gates is not within their domain – Wrong!

Parents have all too often decided to ignore whether or not their children are of age to use social media and whether they are using these sites responsibly – Wrong!

Bystanders, aware of Facebook hate sites have often decided to stay out of a potential conflict and have either opted to sit on their hands or worse, tacitly encourage the bullying – Wrong!

Facebook claim they are working overtime to ensure that cyberbullies are not rampant on their site – Wrong!

When are the stakeholders and custodians of this problem going to take their collective blindfolds off and start fixing this terrible form of bullying?

More than a million young people are subjected to ‘extreme cyberbullying’ every day, according to the largest ever survey into online abuse.

The report found young people are twice as likely to be bullied on Facebook than any other social network.

Experts say cyberbullying can have a ‘catastrophic’ impact on self-esteem and have called for parents and regulators to recognise the seriousness of the issue.

Liam Hackett, founder of national anti-bullying charity, Ditch The Label, which produced the report, said many people assume cyberbullying is not as hurtful as face-to-face abuse.

But he said it can be even more distressing because it is more public.

The survey of 10,000 13 to 22-year-olds found that levels of cyberbullying were much higher than previously reported.

It found that 70 per cent of youngsters had experienced cyberbullying and one in five said it had been ‘extreme’.

Of those surveyed, almost 40 per cent said they were bullied online frequently.

Mr Hackett said: ‘I think there’s a tendency for older people to think that cyberbullying is a lesser form of bullying because there is this idea you can delete a comment or you can block it and it’s gone.

‘But actually, we have seen that content becomes viral very quickly and when comments are put out on a public platform it can be more distressing for the victim because a lot of people are exposed to this content, so it’s incredibly harmful.’

Facebook, Ask.fm and Twitter were found to be the most likely sources of cyberbullying, and 54 per cent of Facebook users reported cyberbullying on the network, the survey said.

Click on the link to read Engaging in Gossiping Isn’t as Pleasurable as it Seems

Click on the link to read The Explosion of Online Bullying

Click on the link to read The Researchers into Cyberbullying Should Review Their Findings

Click on the link to read The Use of Facebook in Cyberbullying Activity

Click on the link to read A Positive Approach to Tackling Cyberbullying

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The Use of Facebook in Cyberbullying Activity

May 29, 2013

 

rate

This is yet another example of the humiliation and offensive nature of cyberbullying:

Bosses at one of Britain’s top universities today warned students face being kicked off their course for naming and shaming sexual partners on an ‘offensive’ Facebook page.

Students have been posting details of sexual liaisons and links to the personal profile pages of those involved on the Loughborough Rate Your Sh*g page.

Similar pages have been sprung up at universities across the country, although social networking giant Facebook has said it has removed all of the pages which have been reported.

The pages see students give their peers marks out of ten on a range of factors. The Loughborough page has attracted around 2,500 likes in just a few days.

Furious bosses at high-ranking Loughborough University, Leicestershire, today branded many of the comments ‘personal’ and ‘offensive’.

And they vowed to discipline students who posted on the site, for contravening their policies on acceptable use of IT and harassment.

The institution – known for its sporting prowess – is ranked 12th in the Sunday Times 2013 university league table.

The page encouraged students to send their reviews to an administrator who then posts them anonymously on behalf of the users.

(more…)

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5 Tips to Help Your Children Use Social Networking Safely

April 26, 2013

Written by Dana Udall-Weiner, Ph.D  courtesy of  psychcentral.com:

1. Talk to your teen about their time online.

 Talking to your kids about how they use social media and technology helps them break out of autopilot and become more mindful of their actions and reactions, Udall-Weiner said. “[This] is an important skill when it comes to developing emotional competence.” It’s important for teens to understand how being online affects them (such as their mood).

 She suggested asking your kids these questions: “Which websites do you often visit?  How do you feel emotionally, both during and after using these sites? Have you ever had any uncomfortable experiences online, or seen anything upsetting? Do you believe that there are any downsides to viewing the sites you regularly visit, or to using the Internet in general?”

2. Teach your teen to be media literate.

 A mistake parents often make, according to Udall-Weiner, is that they don’t teach their kids about media literacy. But it’s vital for kids to understand that what they see isn’t what they get online. For instance, “Parents need to actively remind their children that images are not reality—that no one is as thin, perfectly-muscled, unwrinkled, or flawless as that person in the ad.” She suggested visiting Media Smarts for more information.

3. Set time limits on Internet use.

 Teens are still developing their executive functions, which include monitoring behavior, organizing information and setting goals, she said. Plus, spending too much time on sites like Facebook can make teens feel worse. “My clients regularly tell me that they become very upset after looking at Facebook, since everyone looks happier, thinner, or more popular than they feel.” So parents might need to set restrictions on Internet use.

4. Surrender all phones before bedtime.

 “This is a way to ensure that kids aren’t up late texting or surfing the web, rather than getting precious sleep,” Udall-Weiner said. This rule also applies to parents’ phones, “since kids emulate what they see.”

5. Know the research about Internet use.

 Research has suggested that looking at images of thin models — which are splashed all over the Internet — may be associated with various negative consequences. “After seeing these images, people report things like decreased self-esteem, poor body image, depression, guilt, shame, stress, and an urge to engage in eating-disordered behavior, such as restricting food intake,” said Udall-Weiner. She also specializes in body image and eating disorders and founded ED Educate, a website with resources for parents.

Research also has suggested that the Internet makes us feel more disconnected from others, she said. “It’s important for teens to know the research on Internet use.” Talk to your kids about these findings.

 

Click on the link to read Monitoring Children’s Social Networking Activities Proving too Difficult for Parents

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The People Who “Liked” This Should be Struck Off Facebook

March 23, 2013

child

Aside from the fact that this material should never have found its way onto Facebook in the first place (where posting innocent pictures of breast feeding can get you banned), what kind of sick individual would press “like” to a video containing a girl being sexually abused?

Facebook has sparked fury after a graphic child abuse video went viral on the social network, reportedly being ‘shared’ over 16,000 times.

Thousands of users logged onto their accounts last night to find the horrifying footage appear on their personal news feed and instantly took to Twitter to vent their disgust.

According to users who saw the clip, apparently of a young girl being abused by a grown man, it had already been shared over 16,000 times and received almost 4,000 ‘likes’.

Even more disturbingly, users then began uploading and sharing screen grabs of the video on Twitter in an apparent bid to alert fellow Twitterati of the horrifying content.

Of course the people that “shared” this video are even worse. They should get the same treatment from the law as any other who disseminates child porn on the web.

 

Click on the link to read How Giving Your Children a Bath Can Get You on a Sex Offender Registry

Click on the link to read Don’t Look for Rolemodels from Our Sporting Stars

 

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Monitoring Children’s Social Networking Activities Proving too Difficult for Parents

March 20, 2013

social

It is very easy to advise a parent to take an active interest in their children’s online activities. It is much harder to put that advice into action:

After Friendster came MySpace. By the time Facebook dominated social media, parents had joined the party, too.

But the online scene has changed – dramatically, as it turns out – and these days even if you’re friends with your own kids on Facebook, it doesn’t mean you know what they’re doing.

Thousands of software programs now offer cool new ways to chat and swap pictures. The most popular apps turn a hum-drum snapshot into artistic photography or broadcast your location to friends in case they want to meet you.

Kids who use them don’t need a credit card or even a cellphone, just an Internet connection and device such as an iPod Touch or Kindle Fire.

Parents who want to keep up with the curve should stop thinking in terms of imposing time limits or banning social media services, which are stopgap measures.

Experts say it’s time to talk frankly to kids about privacy controls and remind them – again – how nothing in cyberspace every really goes away, even when software companies promise it does.

‘What sex education used to be, it’s now the “technology talk” we have to have with our kids,’ said Rebecca Levey, a mother of 10-year-old twin daughters who runs a tween video review site called KidzVuz.com and blogs about technology and educations issues.

More than three-fourths of teenagers have a cellphone and use online social networking sites such as Facebook, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project.

But Facebook for teens has become a bit like a school-sanctioned prom – a rite of passage with plenty of adult chaperones – while newer apps such as Snapchat and Kik Messenger are the much cooler after-party.

Even Facebook acknowledged in a recent regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was losing younger users: ‘We believe that some of our users, particularly our younger users, are aware of and actively engaging with other products and services similar to, or as a substitute for, Facebook,’ the company warned investors in February.

Educators say they have seen kids using their mobile devices to circulate videos of school drug searches to students sending nude images to girlfriends or boyfriends. Most parents, they say, have no idea.

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Posted in Parenting, Social Media | 1 Comment »

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