Tania's Posts

CYBER-BULLYING : Turn off your phones and internet? 

 

abc.net.au

Cyber bullying is a growing phenomenon with as many as one in ten Australian teenagers experiencing cyber-bullying every few weeks.  It is constantly in the spotlight and as such, I have decided to base my blog around this very topical issue. 

 

 Professor Donna Cross, head of The Child Health Promotions Research Centre of the Edith Cowan University (ECU) Western Australia, conducted formative research into cyber bullying behaviour in Western Australian schools during 2008 and 2009.  The Cyber Friendly Schools Project (PEET) aimed to assist parents and schools to address the problems associated with cyber-bullying. http://chpru.ecu.edu.au/assets/documents/Cyber-Friendly-Schools-Project-(PEET)-Final-Report-May-2010.pdf  Cross (2010, p.4) states “cyber bullying is bullying behaviour using digital communication devices, such as the Internet or mobile phones, to intentionally hurt or upset others by sending nasty text messages, emails, or distributing embarrassing photographs and videos.” 

 
Parry Aftab and the Wired Safety Group (http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/) expand on this statement by saying that cyber-bullying involves only children or teenagers.  When the bullying involves an adult, it is no longer bullying. 

In an interview with the Courier Mail (April 10, 2010), Cross reveals that 92% of young people who were being-cyber bullied were also being face-to-face bullied. www.abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20090406/bullies/

Whilst there are definite differences between face-to-face bullying and cyber-bullying, Cross believes that they are similar behaviours being delivered through different modes.  With this in mind, it is important to think of these two types of bullying collectively.

Primarily, the intended goal of the bully is to emotionally or physically hurt the victim. Victims of bullying of any kind typically feel powerless to fight back against the continued and repeated threat of their aggressor. In face-to-face bullying, the bully may hold the power due to age or size.  In cyber-bullying, the very act of bullying affords the perpetrator the power.  The available anonymity of the internet may also present the bully with power.

Cyber-bullying magnifies the impact of statements made about victims and adds a new dimension to the powerlessness experienced by victims.  This is due not only to the possible longevity of the online written word and the Internet’s ability to reach a global audience but also by its ability to reach them 24/7.  Previously, bullying was limited to the school-yard.  Victims had a respite from their aggressors after school, on the weekends and in the holidays. Now bullying can be perpetrated from wherever a young person uses the internet or a mobile phone.  A target can no longer rely on his or her home as a reprieve from bullying. 

Young people today are brought up in a world where technology and access to it, is the norm.  Social networking and interactive communications are an integral part of their daily lives.  New media advances and ever-increasing access to the internet have allowed young people to participate more and more and at younger ages in networked public spaces.  Young people are so technologically savvy that their ability to use new media often surpasses their understanding of ethics.  As James et al., (2008) asserts “psychological research on moral development suggests that capacities for moral decision-making and action evolve over time and are affected by social contexts and experiences.”    They download music, movies and software, copy and paste text and images, upload videos and photos and alter their own online identity without being completely aware of the moral and legal implications of their actions.  This often leads to young people putting themselves into situations where they can become a target for bullying or they themselves become the bully.  Abrahams, N. and Dunn, V. (2009, p.3) report that “the impression of anonymity in the online world leads young people to feel less accountable for their actions and provides a false bravado to would-be bullies.  In fact, a recent study has shown that, of bullies surveyed, 70% had engaged only in cyber-bullying.”

It’s easy to say turn off the computer and mobile phone and block social networking sites, but is it really practical? 

Danah Boyd (2008, p.120), states that “by allowing youth to hang out amongst their friends and classmates, social network sites are providing teens with a space to work out identity and status, make sense of cultural cues and negotiate public life.”  The social lives of young people are supported by these social networking sites.  They hang out in these sites because their friends do.  To ask young people to stop using their phones and social networking sites would be equivalent to asking parents to stop driving.

While the media has often linked cyber-bullying with suicide, the full effect cyber-bullying has on its victims is still uncertain.  The research being carried out by organisations such as the ECU and The Human Rights Commission will go a long way in providing an understanding of cyber-bullying and, (we hope), effective methods of addressing this trend.   

The students involved in the Cyber Friendly Schools Project Summit thought that education was the key approach to combating cyber-bullying. (p.23)  Interestingly, they did not include penalties imposed by the law as a method for reducing cyber-bullying.    Given the subjectivity of bullying, and the young age of many cyber-bullies, the traditional legal approach does not seem to be an appropriate course of action except in the most serious of cases.

Education was the students’ suggested means for combating cyber-bullying. 

• Educating young people about cyber bullying – why not to do it and how to deal with it. 
• Educating parents about technology and cyber-bullying so they can understand what their children are doing online and talk to them about it. 
• Educating teachers and schools about changes in technology and the potential for technology to be used by cyber-bullies.  Continuing education of effective programs to implement in an effort to deal with cyber-bullying. 

The students involved in the project expressed a high interest in being involved in finding solutions to cyber-bullying.  This led to the establishment of the Cyber Friendly Student Reference Committee (CFSRC).  Being of the technological generation, the students felt it was their role to educate, as well as learn from, their peers.  Although a positive program to ensure young people felt empowered and actively involved in stamping out cyber-bullying.  Whilst the students’ intentions were good, they found

limited student interest and a lack of time resulted in deficient peer-mentoring.  (Cross, 2010, pp.23-24)

There are many programs available to assist teachers in combating cyber-bullying.  One only has to enter the words ‘cyber-bullying’ in the computer, to be inundated with cites providing programs to help in this epidemic.  Cybersmart, developed by the Australian Communication and Media Authority, is an initiative of the Australian Government to provide activities resources and practical advice to all those involved in using the internet.  It has components for young people of all ages, from fun and friendly activities for early primary children, to confronting and thought-provoking videos for teens.  http://www.cybersmart.gov.au

Another program that provides some good advice and a cyber detective agency game for parents and students in an effort to reduce cyber-bullying is http://www.stopcyberbullying.org produced by Parry Aftab and the Wired Safety Group.  I thought their instructions to “Stop, block and tell!” succinct and effective.

   

• Stop for five minutes to calm down
• Block the cyber-bully
• Tell a trusted adult

Bullying happens, but it should not be accepted as inevitable.  Much has been done by schools and parents in recent years to raise awareness of and to reduce off-line bullying.  This has been achieved without resorting to specific off-line bullying laws.  Similarly, cyber-bulling needs to be targeted and stopped at the ground level.

REFERENCES:

Abrahams, N., and Dunn, V., (2009).  Is cyber-bullying a crime? Retrieved 11.10.11 from http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/biztech/is-cyberbullying-a-crime/2009/05/21/1242498854929.html

Aftab, P., and The Wired Safety Group (2006)  STOP cyberbullying.  Cyberbulling – what it is, how it works and how to understand and deal with cyberbullies.  Retrieved 10.10.11 from http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/

Boyd, D., (2008). “Why Youth  Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics In Teenage Social Life.” Edited by David Buckingham.  The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008.  119-142. doi: 10.1162/dmal.9780262524834.119

Cross, D., Brown, D., Epstein, M., and Shaw, T., (2010). Cyber Friendly Schools Project: Strengthening School and Families’ Capacity to Reduce the Academic, Social, and Emotional Harms Secondary Students’ Experience from Cyber Bullying (CFSP (PEET)). Child Health Promotion Research Centre, Edith Cowan University, Perth. Retrieved 10.10.11 from http://chpru.ecu.edu.au/assets/documents/Cyber-Friendly-Schools-Project-(PEET)-Final-Report-May-2010.pdf


James, C., Davis, K., Flores, A., Francis, J.M., Pettingill, L., Rundle, M., & Gardner,                    H. (2008).  Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media: A Synthesis from the   Good Play Project.  Retrieved 22.08.11 from Good Work Project Report Series, Number 54: http://www.goodworkproject.org/research/digital.htm


Courier Mail ( April10, 2010) Cyberbullying hits 1 in 10 Australian teenagers.  Retrieved from http://www.couriermail.com.au/life/families/cyberbullying-hits-1-in-10-australian-teenagers/story-e6frer7o-1225852147677

CYBER-BULLYING AND THE LAW: WHERE DO WE STAND?

In the news report “New laws to crack down on cyberbullying” (9 News, 16/3/11) Lin discusses South Australia’s Attorney General John Rau’s proposed cyber-bullying laws with regards to a disturbing video of a schoolyard brawl.  http://www.ninemsn.com.au/national/8224642/south-australia-plans-to-crack-down-on-cyber-bullying  The laws, ranging from fines to jail sentences for repeat offenders, are proposed to target the people who upload the material to a site rather than the websites organisers.  Mr Rau elaborated on this in a statement saying “ If you knowingly allow someone to use your computer or phone to upload the images you could be covered by the laws.  If you knowingly participate in someone’s humiliation – while someone else films it – you could also find yourself charged with a serious offence.”  Interestingly, ninemsn chose to publish the video on its website.
 
Where does that leave them?

The Crimes Amendment (Bullying) Bill 2011 (‘the Bill’) was introduced by the Victorian Government on 5 April 2011 and provides for the criminalisation of serious bullying.  
         http://www.google.com.au/#pq=cyberbullying+laws+australia&hl=en&sugexp=kjrmc&cp=51&gs_id=n&xhr=t&q=Crimes+Amendment+(Bullying)+Bill+2011+5+April .The Bill was passed in June 2011 and focusses on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) with regards to Brodie Panlock, the case of a 19 year old woman who ended her life after persistent workplace bullying.  http://www.mondaq.com/australia/x/134076/Harassment/Brodies+Law+targeting+workplace+bullying+passed+in+Victoria.  Serious bullying falls within the definition of stalking which carries up to ten years’ imprisonment.  The Bill aims to ensure the stalking provisions apply to serious bullying.  In this way, perpetrators of bullying can be convicted and charged with a serious criminal offence under the Crimes Act rather than being fined under the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004.

WHERE DO WE STAND?
Behaviour that may be considered bullying (as listed in the Bill) includes:
•         Abusive language or behaviour that offends, frightens, belittles or humiliates,
•         Intimidation or threats,
•         Interfering with a person’s property or work equipment,
•         Undue public criticism,
•         Withholding information necessary for the person to do their job,
•         Spreading gossip or malicious rumours,
•         Social or physical isolation,
•         Overloading a person with work or not giving them enough work,
•         Teasing, name-calling or regularly making someone the brunt of practical jokes or pranks.

Cyber-bullying is bullying behaviour using digital communication devices to intentionally and repeatedly hurt or upset others.  As stated by the Attorney-General, the Hon. Robert Clark in the second reading speech for the Bill, (2011, p.2) “the worst cases of serious bullying demand redress through the criminal law.”

If we don’t want to see young people convicted under these laws, we ALL need to be vigilant in the battle against cyber-bullying.

- Tania Navin



References:
Lin, A(2011) New laws to crack down on cyber bullying.  Retrieved 20/10/11 from http://www.ninemsn.com.au/national/8224642/south-australia-plans-to-crack-down-on-cyber-bullying

Ross, C., & Delacorn, A. (2011) Research Brief. New reports, bills and updates of latest research.  Crimes Amendment (Bullying Bill 2011.  Retrieved 20/10/11from www.parliament.vic.gov.au/crimes-amendment-bullying-bill-2011

CYBERBULLYING LAWS – A ‘Claytons’ Law?

In his personal blog post ‘Banning Murder on Thursdays' http://www.geordieguy.com/?p=240, Geordie Guy expresses his concern that authorities are introducing new laws that are covered by existing laws which already are not upheld.  He terms this process as ‘Banning Murder on Thursdays’ because, as he states “A law banning murder on Thursdays is useless and unnecessary because murder is already illegal.”  This brings to mind Claytons, the brand name of a non-alcoholic, non-carbonated drink packaged to resemble whisky.  It was promoted as “the drink you have when you’re not having a drink”

It seems to Guy, that, just as a drink of Clayton's was the drink you have when you’re not having a drink is synonymous with introducing a new cyber-bullying law.

Although for the most part, I do agree with what he is saying, perhaps the reasoning behind this ‘Clayton’s law’ on cyber-bullying; the law you need when you don’t need a law, is to ensure that perpetrators are so well-bound with legal tape that there is no room for escape from criminal recourse.  It appears that no matter how many laws we seem to be able to make up, there always seems to be another loop hole, just waiting to be found by some clever lawyer to jump into at just the right time.  In much the same way as banks are constantly finding new and clever ways to deter fraudsters with the use of ATM skimmers and identity theft, there is always someone clever enough to crack the new system. So perhaps, our legal system is simply hedging its bets and doing its best to ensure that slippery criminal types don’t continue to slide under the radar.

      Innovative Pedagogies Transforming Classrooms: An Educators' Playground

 

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoon/cartoonists/cgo/lowres/cgon45l.jpg

         Without a doubt, the rapid and multi-faceted development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has played a crucial role in changing the way we learn, work, communicate, create, and spend leisure time.  In short, it has dramatically changed the way we live. Within this new technological context, the implications this has in education is a matter for much consideration. 

         ICT integration in education already has and will continue to irreversibly affect schools and will contribute to the transformation of both teaching and learning processes.  Educational experiences need, of course, to meet students’ individual needs but must also take into account the ICT-saturated environment in which they live and are extremely well-versed in.  This will afford educators the ability to provide rich instructional environments where meaningful learning motivates students to discover. 

         

         The Internet provides students’ with many powerful learning tools and it is a teachers’ function to harness these tools in their pedagogies.  For the purpose of this blog, I will concentrate on digital gaming and social networking.  Technologies that, although controversial, I feel would prove beneficial for use in the classroom.  

       Why digital gaming and social networking?

         Simply put, these technologies provide teachers with the ability to teach concepts in new ways.  Digital gaming and social networking have become almost a ‘right of passage’ with young people.  It is the way in which young people form their identities and stay connected to their peers.  Digital gaming and social networking allows educators the opportunity to harness the popularity of this technology in their classrooms.  “

         Undoubtedly, without those recent technologies (i.e. digital games, Web 2.0, etc.) in the classroom, strong lessons can still be achieved, but there’s a sharp disconnect between the way students are taught in school and the way the outside world approaches socialization, meaning-making and accomplishment.  It is critical that education not only to seek to mitigate this disconnect in order to make these two ‘worlds’ more seamless, but of course also to leverage the power of these emerging technologies for instructional gain.  (Klopfer, Osterwell, Groff & Haas 2009)

       Gaming

         There are many commercial games on the market that whilst not made specifically for educational purposes, have been touted by educators as having educational benefits.  Games such as World of Warcraft (WOW) and Civilisation allow players to form teams and collaborate on strategy efforts.  Players of Civilisation learn about history, gain advanced terminology and knowledge of geography and generally increase their interest in this area of study.  Kurt Squire and folks at the Games, Learning and Society group have created materials for the educational setting.  Their website supporting this work can be found at http://civworld.gameslearningsociety.org  Supporters of WOW, Green & Hannon (2007) as cited by Klopfer et al. 2009) suggest WOW gamers attain skills in “attracting, evaluating and recruiting new members, creating apprenticeship program, orchestrating group strategy and managing disputes.  Klopfer contends that these skills are highly sought in the workplace and therefore, have a place in the educational setting.  Hsu (2008) in his article “World of Warcraft Video Game Succeeds in School” states “It's not unusual for videogame players to speak of a routine that involves ordering pizza, getting a sugar jolt, and then playing "World of Warcraft" for hours. But the person talking in this case is Constance Steinkuehler, an educational researcher who organized an afterschool group for boys to play, for educational purposes, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game.”     

A student plays World of Warcraft in an afterschool group.
CREDIT: Constance Steinkuehler

        For more on this interesting article go to: www.livescience.com/5109-world-warcraft-video_game-succeeds-school.html

  

       The following video comes from students’ perspectives on the benefits of WOW in school: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTnr95vrzBI

        For more educational games, go to www.educationarcade.org

       Social Networking

         Social networking is immensely popular with young people but has been the cause for dispute amongst educators and the public alike.  Social networking sites allow the user to connect with peers, post a profile, photos, videos, chat and blog.  It plays an important role in the way in which they form their cultural identity. A report published by the National School Board Association (2007) as cited by Klopfer found that the topic of most conversation at these sites was education with 60% saying they use the sites to talk about education topics and more than 50% used it to talk about specific homework.  There are many sites advocating the use of social networking in schools.  University of Minnesota researcher Christine Greenhow discusses how her studies of students in a Minneapolis high school have shown social networking sites to have a positive impact for learning.

         Social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook have received such negative reports from schools, fearful for the online safety of students, that many alternative sites have emerged to provide teachers with more suitable ‘safe’ (and some, very importantly, free) sites to integrate into their classrooms.  Here are just some of those sites: http://www.edmodo.com/; http://edublogs.org/; http://kidblog.org/; http://www.ning.com/

         REFERENCES:

         Greenhow, C. (2009) Social networking sites have educational benefits.  Retrieved 24/10/11 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxrlrbP4UNo

         Hsu, J. (2008) World of Warcraft Video Game Succeeds in School.  Retrieved 24/10/11 from www.livescience.com/5109-world-warcraft-video-game-succeeds-school.html

          Klpfer, E., Osterweil, S., Groff, J., & Haas, J. (2009) Using the technology of today, in the classroom today. The Instructional Power of digital games, social networking, simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them.  Retrieved 20/10/11 from http://education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf

World of Warcraft in School: Student Perspectives.  YouTube (2010)  Retrieved 22/10/11 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTnr95vrzBI

         Google Image "School sports day - fat boys playing computer game"  Retrieved 25/10/11 from http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/directory/c/computer_games.asp