Cyberbullying and Netiquette

With the prevalence of technology in our students’ everyday lives, cyberbullying is on the rise. According to Aoyama and Talbert (210), 15% to 57% of students have experienced cyberbullying, (p. 186). That statistic is startling. Unfortunately, cyberbullying is not going away any time soon. Aoyama and Talbert (2010) wrote, “teachers, administrators, and parents are not well-prepared to handle cyberbullying. When it comes to technology, it is possible that younger generations are much better versed than adults,” (p. 185). Students may be tech-savvy; however, schools and libraries can be proactive by teaching students how to be digital citizens and using precaution. In order to protect all of our students, it requires a collaborative effort between administration, teachers, librarians, and parents.

Cyberbullying poses challenges for teachers and librarians. Despite Aoyama and Talbert’s (2010) claim, “…cyberbullying is more likely to happen outside of the school,” (p. 192), administrators, teachers, and librarians need to be aware of how students are using electronic devices, social media, and other Web 2.0 tools because cyberbullying can happen anywhere. These same technologies that students are using to harm others can be used in schools so students learn how to use them appropriately. It is critical that teachers and librarians learn the various technologies students are using, and that the develop lessons that incorporate these tools so that students can be taught how to use them purposefully and responsibly. Many schools lend out laptops or tablets to every student to use for assignments, class discussions, or research. Students now have more opportunities to engage in unethical and irresponsible behavior. Librarians can work with district officials to block certain sites that are irrelevant to student learning. Instead of employing Facebook to share information with others, teachers and librarians can use password-protected learning management systems such as Edmodo where the leader must approve discussion responses before anyone else in the closed class can view them. When presenting a new technology to students, I think it is important for librarians to share the purpose of the tool, how to use it appropriately, and what could happen if it is used for purposes other than those intended. For example, students need to learn how ad companies use a user’s search history to create pop-ups, or how Facebook can share photos posted on a person’s site with anyone. Students are unaware of these types of “hidden” things, and do not know the implications they can have.

There are different expectations at home and school for technology use, making it difficult for school personnel to monitor how students use technology outside of school. This poses another problem for librarians. Librarians can monitor students using technology in their libraries; however, once the students go home, rules no longer have to be followed unless enforced by a parent or guardian. To make parents aware of the dangers of technology, librarians can provide information on digital citizenship and safety by holding an evening workshop, writing a newsletter that is sent home, or speaking at curriculum night. Parents may be unaware of the dangers, or what their children are using technologies for.

Administrators, teachers, and librarians recognize the need to teach students about digital citizenship; however, they are at a loss for how to teach it. According to Nicole Krueger (2014), author of 9 Resources for Teaching Digital Citizenship, “In classrooms where digital citizenship is taught effectively, the teachers often share two things in common: They model ethical technology use for their students on a daily basis, and they naturally incorporate conversations about it whenever technology is part of their lesson plan.” Teachers and librarians can help students understand netiquette is by modeling the behaviors themselves. When using technology with students, teachers and librarians need to model safe, responsible, and ethical practices so their students see the value in “doing the right thing.” Also, rather than teaching digital citizenship in an isolated unit, teachers and librarians should weave it throughout the school year in lessons where information and technology are used. The more times students hear the message, the more likely they are to remember it and apply it. In addition, librarians can educate parents about the hidden dangers of technology, and encourage that they oversee what their children are doing on the devices they are given.

Also, teachers and librarians can help students by teaching lessons on empathy. According to Aoyama and Talbert (2010), “Perpetrators are often less restrained in their attacks on the victim because they cannot observe the consequences or pains the victim suffers,” (p. 190). The authors further explain, “In real life face-to-face settings, our behaviors are modulated by the emotional reactions of others; however, because perpetrators face no social/peer disapproval and the threat of punishment in cyber-space, their behaviors can be more extreme than they normally would be,” (Aoyama and Talbert, 2010, p. 190). As technology use increases in school and at home, students are no longer learning how to read social cues because opportunities to communicate face-to-face are eliminated. Teacher and librarians can read children’s literature such as The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, Mr. Peabody’s Apples by Madonna, or Be Good to Eddie Lee by Virginia Fleming. These books lead to powerful discussions about bullying, and help students understand the impact these behaviors have on others.

In my elementary school, the librarian teaches students about the importance of being an ethical and responsible digital citizen. Our librarian models appropriate use of technology, and holds students to the same standard. Lessons with technology provide students opportunities to demonstrate that they can use it safely, responsibly, and respectfully. The local police department also comes out to talk to students and parents about Internet safety.

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

Krueger, N. (2014, December 23). 9 Resources for Teaching Digital Citizenship. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=242&category=ISTE-Connects-blog