Cyberbullying, Internet Safety, and Online Privacy

Last fall, for IST 605 (Reference and Information Services), our class had to design an online library guide on a topic of interest to us.  I chose the topic of "Internet Safety" because it was and continues to be a topic I feel very passionate about as an educator.  My guide can be found here. On the home page of my guide I shared the following analogy:

"The internet is much like a big city--a big city that you wouldn't just drop your children off in and let them wander about unsupervised or without proper preparation."

While I still think this analogy holds true, I can now recognize the fear underlying this statement. At the time, I felt like very little education was being directed at this topic in my children's own school, as I discovered kids as young as third grade with Facebook accounts freely surfing sites like YouTube and Google.  I felt very strongly that young people needed guidance in this area. The solution, it seemed at the time, was to limit, rather than to encourage the use of technology.

Over time however, my philosophy on the topic has shifted to more of the frame of reference that Boyd and Marwick describe in their article "Bullying as True Drama:  Why Cyberbullying Rhetoric Misses the Mark,"

"Interactions must focus on positive concepts like healthy relationships and digital citizenship rather than starting with the negative frame of bullying." (2011)

By teaching students how to navigate this "big city" we call the internet and by giving them guided practice, they are more apt to have positive experiences online.  If we merely limit their interactions with technology and solely focus on "what not to do," we shouldn't assume that they will learn what they should do.   We need to prepare them for the authentic lives they have ahead of them.  

As a school librarian, there are numerous ways to help students create positive interactions online.  The following AASL Standards could be used to frame these lessons:

• 1.3.5:  Use information technology responsibly. 
• 3.1.6:  Use information and technology ethically and responsibly. 
• 3.2.2:  Show social responsibility by participating actively with others in learning situations and by contributing questions and ideas during group discussions.
• 4.3.4:  Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction.

An example of a lesson focusing on the positive application of technology would be a lesson that asks students to blog about a curricular topic and to respond to the blogs of their classmates in a positive and responsible manner.  By setting rules and modeling positive interactions, students learn what it means to interact responsibly online.  Students could participate in discussions on a classroom Ning or collaborate together on a class Wiki. Helping students think about how technology can assist them throughout their learning process, helps them become more informed users of technology as well.