Cyberbullying: a sign of the times

Cyberbullying is any kind of threats people make against each other on the computer. We do have this problem at North Greene. I have seen it and worked on it for a few years now. I cringe when I hear the words "My Space." People think that they can say things on the computer that they wouldn't say in person. They think people cannot connect them to what they have typed as easily as they could have in person. Actually once you post something you never know what will happen. The situation is out of your hands and out of your control. You can be tracked down easily on the computer, more easily than you think. They are several good websites that can show this.

WebSmartz.org - This site has a video "Tracking Teresa." It shows just how fast a person can find you through internet posts. It is shocking. This website also has lesson plans for teachers either at the junior high level or high school level. There are many resources on this site. There are whole presentations that can be downloaded about cyberbullying.

meganmeierfoundation.org & ryanpatrickhalligan.org - shows the consequences of cyberbullying.

lingo2word.com - translates the computer lingo that is used so you know what's really being said.
Want an example? Try to translate these:

I 1ly av 1 lyf lll neva av 2 bt as lng as am aliv i wana spnd it wive u

yr wrk s hrd coz kdz ch@ n act %-) sumtyms

teenchatdecoder.com - also translates text acronyms. Know what POS or PAL means?

Know what your kids are doing on the computer. Talk to them about cyberbullying. This is a real problem that's probably only going to get worse and can have dire consequences. Psychological impacts can include poor academic performance to suicide. More schools are including statements about cyberbullying in the school codes and more states are coming out with laws against cyberbullying.

Presentation about cyberbullying given by: Dr. Karen Slovak, Associate Professor of Social Work at Ohio University on 10/25/08.