Week Seven: Cyberbullying

I am so glad that I did not grow up in an era where cyber-bullying was prevalent.  Though my household got our first computer when I was a freshman in high school, the contact I had online was friendly as we were all learning how to navigate chat rooms.  Compared to the dystopian hellscape that seems to dominate communication on much of the Internet these days, my teenage years on the Internet were pretty tame. In chapter 12 of Adolescent Online Social Communication and Behavior: Relationship Formation (Zheng & Burrow-Sanchez, 2010) entitled, "Cyberbullying Internationally Increasing: New Challenges in the Technology Generation" research on cyber-bullying, along with anti-bullying instruction models, are presented to inform educators to make them aware of challenges in the online world and to urge them to be more proactive.

As with any introduction to technology that is connected to the Internet, school librarians must be ready to infuse digital citizenship at every opportunity. In my school district (at the elementary level) we are required to teach digital citizenship skills at third, fourth, and fifth grades.  Librarians cover topics including keeping personal information private, digital citizenship, cyber-bullying, and Netiquette. The fifth graders also get a visit from the Naperville Police Department about being safe online in both fourth and fifth grade. However, the more I work in the library, the more I believe that this is just the basics and we should be teaching much more. Students these days are basically born with devices in their hands.  It may be cute that the two-year old can unlock the iPad and access their favorite app, but as soon as they can comprehend, they need to be introduced to proper behavior and safety online, lest they become yet another YouTube troll. Ayoma and Talbert (2010) reveal some startling statistics about cyber-bullying, such as “…however, several studies have shown that approximately 15% to 57% of school age students in the U.S. have experienced some types of cyber harassment” (Ayoma and Talbert, 2010, p. 186).  Students need to know what to do in case something occurs and make sure they are taking steps to not be part of the problem, either.

Librarians also need to communicate more with the parents in their schools about the dangers of cyber-bullying. According to Ayoma and Talbert (2010) parents are struggling to create a safe environment for student because they do not understand the dangers of cyberbullying. Ayoma and Talbert cite Shariff (2008) by reporting, “Shariff (2008) also reports that 32% of parents in her survey thought online bullying could not hurt children because ‘it is just words in cyberspace.’” (Ayoma & Talber, 2010, p. 192). School librarians must show all stakeholders the consequences of such thinking and that that they can be an asset. The authors comment, “Even for adults who are aware of danger, the majority of them are not confident to instruct appropriate use of mobiles and the Internet to their children (Ayoma & Talbert, p. 192).  As technology evolves and our parents feel left behind, librarians can provide information to assist them and alleviate some apprehension. This can apply to classroom teachers as well. It cannot only be the librarian’s responsibility to teach digital citizenship; students need to hear about it from all of their teachers, as well as their family members.

One of the most comprehensive sites found online about digital citizenship education is from Common Sense Media (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/digital-citizenship). This site provides a full scope and sequence for educators to implement lessons from kindergarten through twelfth grade. It goes ways beyond the requirements of our district and has activities for students, Nearpod lessons already developed, and a full array of digital citizenship skills interwoven. They are aligned to the Common Core State Standards and also have “Family Tip Sheets” to send home with every lesson. As I increase my instructional time with students next year and we continue towards become and one student, one device district, digital citizenship will be a cornerstone part of instruction in the library.  Students need to feel safe and confident in their abilities to navigate the Internet without becoming targets or bullies themselves. They need to learn that just like in real life, words and actions have consequences.  The more the librarians can do to bridge those concepts between ‘real life’ and online, the better citizens we are going to raise overall.

References:

Aoyama, I. & Talbert, T. L. (2010). Chapter 12 Cyberbullying internationally increasing: New challenges in the technology generation. Adolescent Online Social Communication and Behavior: Relationship Formation on the Internet. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. DOI:10.4018/978-1-605660926-7.ch012.

K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum. (2016). Common Sense Media. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/digital-citizenship.

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Currently listening to: Jason Isbell via Spotify. Secret confession time—though I don’t love country music, I can be found listening to alt-country/singer-songwriter fusion A LOT on Spotify. (I also enjoy bluegrass, but that’s a different story for a different day)  Jason Isbell takes all the good of country music and makes his singer-songwriter folksiness even better. His Spotify radio includes people like Dawes, John Prine, and Ryan Adams.  He’s earnest and soulful without being over the top. Check him out today!