Cyber Stalking

Cyber stalking someone is a form of harassment that can exist only online or come into the real world. The victims of this sort of harassment are often young late childhood to the early teens. When we are talking about these young victims we call the cyber stalker an online predator. Harassment is defined both online and in the real world as following someone from one place to another, communicating with them, watching them at home, work or anywhere else, and threatening them or their family.
Now online predators normally are male, seductive, introverted, sadistic, and sexually indiscriminant. They seduce their “prey” in a number of ways. Most show the child affection and kindness sending them gifts often times tickets to come and see them. They are willing to devote much of their time money and energy toward the child. They keep up to date on the latest shows, movies, and music and will really listen to what kids have to say making them feel important. Some even start with sexually explicit conversations right away.
Teenagers usually get caught in this because they are trying to form relationships outside the family. They are curious about the sexually explicit material and gravitate towards those whom will explain and show it to them. Especially those that are close to their age…and even if it isn’t technically pedophilia it is still dangerous.
Kids at risk are ones who feel lonely and isolated and just want affection, or sometimes they are the children who are rebellious and trying to get out from under their parents thumbs. Most often though it is a combination of both along with the fact that they may be new to the internet and don’t understand the etiquette of online.

http://www.edutopia.org/online-education-virtual-classrooms

This resource is about the excellent impact online learning has had on the students, teachers, and schools all over the country. It is the assisting effect, on different situations, that online learning has had. How it has helped all different people in many different situations where a strict, traditional school would be restricting and constraining on some students. It really explains how the lives of different students have expanded and flourished because of online learning. How the flexibility and diversity has helped many students thrive in situations that they wouldn’t have been given the same opportunities in

traditional classroom schools. Different classes are available that aren’t at their local schools, more flexible schedules are offeredto those students with family, health, or social issues, and virtual schools are offered for hundreds of students to enroll in rather than have an overpopulated school. There are so many advantages and opportunities offered from this online schooling it is uncanny.

This was written by Christina Wood, a freelance writer in North Carolina, and was published, not only on edutpia.org, but also in Edutopia magazine. It has factual and accurate information that is credible and up to date. It is an excellent and outstanding look into the online learning experience, with many different anecdotes and true-life stories of people who have thrived from this opportunity.

My honest opinion on this topic is in complete collaboration with Christina Wood. The idea of flexibility, freedom, responsibility, time management, and endless opportunity to all students or anyone who is motivated for knowledge is marvelously stupendous! I think it is amazing and should be exposed to more people! So many people could benefit from such an amazing opportunity! Single parents who wish to go back to school, but do not have the time. Children who cannot afford education or need more flexibility with time for education. So many different people this could help and facilitate!

Online Predators

The online world can be a very beneficial place for education, research, or even a great way to meet new people, but how will meeting a new friend turn into something dangerous and possibly life-threatening? All over the internet predators are waiting and looking for their prey (your children). They are willing to put anything into it: considerable amounts of money, time, and energy. Predators will attempt to communicate with their desired prey by whatever means necessary and do whatever it takes. At first, the predator may seem caring and sympathizing towards a childs' problems or worries about his/her life and after some time, the predator will work their way into your childs' life by breaking down their barriors and will begin intorducing sexual content. Alsmost always, the predator will fake who they are; a fake name, job, where they live, and where they work. They try to adapt their lifestyle to fall into place with their prey. For example: a child who admits to loving to swim, the predator may say he/she works at a local pool and that they should go for a swim sometime. A few good ways to prevent your children from encountering the wrong people are:

1) Keep your children informed and make sure they know what the possibilites of the internet are

2) Keep your computer in a family room or frequently used room so you can monitor what your children are seeing and when.

3) Monitor the websites visited and set parent controls

4) Make sure content is age-appropriate and isn't for a more mature audience

5) Don't believe it won't happen to your family...because it can. Take action before it's too late


I thought this website: http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/special_initiatives/wa_resources/wa_shared/backgrounders/online_predators.cfm

was very interesting and well thought out. It had great information on how to see if your child was hiding something, how to prevent it, and how to deal with it. There is no doubt in my mind that every child should be carefully monitored online to make sure they are not being harassed or getting involved in a dangerous relationship. I think the online world is extremely dangerous if not used and monitored properly and I would encourage every parent to read about 0nline predators before allowing their child to continously be on the internet.

This video is from Columbus, OH which is not too far from where we live. I chose this one because of how close to home it is and that makes it easier for us all to relate. I loved how it also brought the teaching aspect into online predators and showed that we can even be a huge help in childrens online experiences. We need to keep our ears and eyes open to what we hear and see and this is exactly what this young teacher did. She developed a book, now sold in stores, about online predators. It is a twist off of 'Little Red Riding Hood' and it is developed very well. It thoroughly explains to young children how to be careful yet it is still age apporopriate.

Development of teachers

Edutopia.com had a thought provoking article on how teachers, no matter how well seasoned or not, need to continue their own education to better serve their students. Using mentor teachers for the new inexperienced teachers and and providing them enough tools to be successful in their new careers. The article tells us of how universities and colleges are beginning to get their student-teachers out the working environment even earlier in order to provide them with a background and getting them acclimated to the teaching profession. The article goes on to add that veteran teachers should also be looking forward to adding the new up-to-date concepts in teaching to their repertoire, as well as adding new technology and new curriculum resources. Making sure they are up the latest techniques in teaching can benefit them as well as their students. I also saw a good video clip from all the positive things that universities in Virgina and Colorado are doing to make sure their students are getting properly trained. Peer reviews and The Project Promise, a group made up of students and teachers in the profession to aid in the advancement of new promising teachers. A disturbing fact has come to my attention and that is almost half of new teachers leave the profession within the first five years. And schools like the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia are creating mentor ship programs to help end this trend.

Why Is Teacher Development Important?: Because Students Deserve the Best by edutopia staff

Cyberbullying dating

I found this video on teachertube.com I think this was very wrong what these 11 girls did to this 14 year old girl. It destroyed her her trust in other people and now she is never really going to trust anyone again . She is really lucky itwas only 11 school girls because it could of been a old guy who lured her into seeing him and she could of have died. I think her mom should of checked out this guy before she drove her to a high school becasue she is only 14 and she doesn't really know that much about dating yet, all she has ever done was talk on line with this guy. You can tell her and her mom are really close because if they weren't she might have commited suicide because she didn't have anyone to talk to about it. I also think this is a really good video to show kids because it is a news reprot that really happened to someone, not just someone that is is telling them about what could happen to them. I just can"t believe that they did that for 8 months that is very long time to mess with someone life. Didn't they have nothing else to do with their life, but to mess up someone's life.

If someone is going to do that to someone they should think about what it is going to do to the other person. Even if it is just a joke because it doesn't matter because you are still hurting the other person. Also I think who ever does that to someone should be punished otherwise they are going to continue to do this to other people.

Luis Perez Virtual Schools video

My video would not work in my blog so i have to post it this way this is what the website told me to do

Bullying

http://www.edutopia.org/educational-video-picks



This video/website teensagaisntbullying lets teens and even adults talk about their own experiences in bullying. It helps spread the word around about bullying and the emotional effects it has on people. The website is a beginning to helps students get involved and hopefully stop bullying.

I really think this website is a great idea. Bullying can have lifetime long effects on people. It can lower self-esteem, and even recently one girl has killed herself over her fellow classmates harassing her over text messages. Bullying needs to come to a stop and I think everyone should check out this website, it is a helpful tool to make you more aware and get you involved. Maybe it will make you think twice before calling someone a name or picking on someone.

Online Learning

http://www.edutopia.org/stw-online-learning-overview-video




This video is all about the benefits and future of Online learning. Online education helps students become more technology advanced, improves online communication and self teaching. It also helps because if there are not enough teachers for a certain subject in an area which the student lives, they can take the course online. Also it allows the students to work at there own pace.

In my opinion this is a good idea to a certain extent. I think it is a great idea for people who want to take a class that is not offered at there local schools. But at the same time I feel physical schools are still better for learning. There are teachers actually in the room with you, which I think would be easier for them to explain and problems or questions a student has. Also I do not believe that students with learning disabilities would be able to catch onto and get involved with the online learning, because they normally need assistance with there school work to fully understand it. I feel it would be extremely difficult for them to succeed over online where there is not someone there along with them.

Bullying

Wood, Christina. “Fear Factor: Harassment Hurts.”
This article written by freelance writer Christina Wood is about school bullying. It uses one particular New Jersey middle school for an example. The school had recently been added to the state’s list of “persistently dangerous” schools. It goes on to explain some of the different kinds of bullying, as well as give some statistics about bullying in schools. Then the article discusses how to intervene and try to prevent or at least slow down bullying. The New Jersey middle school that was listed as persistently dangerous has been doing a good job. The school is no longer listed that way, and bullying seems to have majorly slowed down. The author of the article is no expert on school bullying, I do not believe. Christina Wood is a freelance writer out of North Carolina. However, you don’t need to be an expert to talk about it. Bullying in schools is/has/and will always be a problem. I don’t believe the article is all that new, but it doesn’t matter. It will always be an issue in schools. Personally, I was never a victim of school bullying. However, that doesn’t mean I never witnessed it. The last part of this article, labeled “Mean Girls” is what hit me the hardest. Not because I’m a girl, I’m not. But because I have a sister and I remember how cruel young/teenage girls can be. I don’t mean to compare, but girls are way worse, in my opinion, with bullying. It’s not the same as guys do. Boys bullying is very physical. Pushing, kicking, hitting. Etc. Girls go deeper. They seem to aim to emotionally and mentally cripple someone. I sympathize to any girl who has been the victim of that.

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=179608&title=bullying
Caye, Carol. 11 May 2010.
This video found on teachertube is just a simple three and a half minute video showing how bullying happens and how it can affect young students. A song accompanies the video as well. Some statistical text pops up stating that bullying can have long lasting, devastating effects that can potentially lead to suicidal acts. The video is up to date. It was created just about 5 months ago. Regardless, as stated before, bullying has/is/and will always be a problem. It’s a shame that some people feel the need to bully in order to feel good about themselves, or to try to impress other people.

Online Bullying

http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.ohiolink.edu:9099/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&hid=10&sid=2144d2fd-ad37-4f59-86fa-31cebbd5e38d%40sessionmgr14

This is an article from EBSCOhost. The article covers things such as:

• What is cyberbullying?


• How widespread of a problem is it?


• What is so appealing about it for bullies?


• Who is more affected, boys or girls?


• Laws preventing cyberbullying


• Steps kids can take to avoid bullying/ What to do if bullied


• ect.

This article was written as a Media Awareness Network to help people understand what cyberbullying is and how it can affect not just children, but people of all ages. It is centered around young people from Canada. The article focuses on how cyberbullying affects these young people, why cyberbullying happens, what can be done to stop it, and where they can go for help.

This article was edited by Jeanne Buckley, a teacher-librarian who is involved in two elementary schools in the York Catholic District School Board. As a teacher-librarian, she is aware of the constant changes that technology goes through and knows that she needs to prepare her students to be safe and deal with the information given with the click of a button. The article was written by Anne Taylor and others at the Media Awareness Network. In overseeing and writing this article, Jeanne Buckley, Anne Taylor, and the other people involved in writing for the Media Awareness Network, have brought forth more information about certain topics of debate. In doing so, they have also helped parents and teachers aware of things they need to do to ensure their students/children are safely using the internet. Since everyone involved in the writing of this article is involved as either a teacher-librarian, or dealing with the Media Awareness Network, they have all expirienced the uprise in technology and what can affect students and young people online. They are aware of the dangers and know what steps to take in order to prevent bad things from happening. This article was written in 2006, so it is a more recent article which makes it an up-to-date topic.

I agree with what the article has to offer. It covers everything from what cyberbullying is, to what people need to do in order to stop it and what to do if it happens to them. Before reading into this topic more, I myself wasn't sure what cyberbullying was exactly. In reading this article, I was very much informed on what it is and many other facts on what to do if you are being bullied and who you can talk to. I think it is unacceptable for people to think that just because the bullying is happening online, that it is alright to say cruel things. People don't realize that even though they are bullying online and not in person, it can still impact and hurt someone just as much, if not more. As more and more instances happen to people online, I believe everyone should be aware of what is going on in cyberbullying and put a stop to it.

http://www.edutopia.org/techno-prisoners


This is a journal article I found on edutopia. This article is about the authors own encounter with bullying when she was younger. She talks about how easy it is to catch embarrassing things as they happen, in video and pictures, and how easily it is to post those things online. She does, however, point out a fact that I haven't thought about before. She makes the point to say that yes, the legislative system is trying to pass laws against anti-cyberbullying, but what exactly is getting through. So many people are still cyberbullying and there are still numerous reports on the news about students dropping out of school and at the most severe extent killing themselves over cyberbullying. She stated that to a certain extent, she is happy she went through her bad experience because it made her more independent and that other kids that went through what she did could become tougher as well.

This article was written by Evany Thomas who is the author of "The Secret Language of Sleep" and is also a blogger herself. She herself was bullied as she reflects on it in the beginning of the article. She was in 7th grade and states that she can still go right back to that moment and feel the same feelings. In knowing what it feels like to be bullied and cast out of a group of friends, she is a very reliable person to be talking about the topic of bullying and having a say in cyberbullying. This journal article was written in 2007 and is only 3 years old, the information in it deals with very recent topics of debate, making it up-to-date.

As a young student once, just like all of us have been, I remember going through something just like the authors experience. A couple girls thought it would be funny to write a note to me saying that they didn't want to be my friend anymore. Although I am no longer hurt by this action that was taken, I still remember it. I'm sure many students go through the same thing as well as other things, but no matter what it is, nobody likes it. So why do it? The Evany Thomas has a good point in stating that because many students don't report what happens to them in a bullying situation. Some may misinterpret that and think that what they are saying doesn't hurt others, so how would ads and other messages get through to these people who are bullying when they don't think they are doing anything wrong. I agree with the author completely in this article, that is why I wanted to add another article on how cyberbullying affects people more than we all know.

I found this video about cyberbullying via the teachertube website. It was uploaded in June of 2010. In this video, there is an example of students bullying another student, it shows what could end up happening if bullying goes to far. Towards the end of the video, there are pictures of young people who sadly ended up committing suicide because of bullying and harassment. After each picture there are statistics of bullying incidents and outcomes and tips on how to handle a bullying situation and what you can do.

This video was made by a group of students for a class and was made as an anti-bullying message. The producer of the video was Shelli Casner. These students are around cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying almost every day, whether they realize it or not. Because they are around this behavior all the time, this makes them the perfect people to be sending out a message about anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying. Since it was made just in June of 2010, that makes it only 4 months old, so the statistics are very up-to-date and accurate.

This video has a very powerful message to bullies, those being bullied, and the general viewing public. Yes, we hear about bullying being taken too far on the news all the time, but really, how much of that are we all paying attention to. Many more steps need to be taken in order to stop this cyberbullying and bullying. The video shows many very sad images and stated statistics of young people who have committed suicide. How far does bullying have to go in order for it to stop. I was impacted by this video and I will strive to teach my future students about cyber and regular bullying. There is no reason for students to take that kind of harassment and not say anything to anyone. They should be comfortable talking to their parents, teachers, and other mentors for help with bullies. This is a very serious problem that needs to be taught about and prevented.

Effectiveness of Online Learning

In this video, the President/CEO of the International Association of K-12 Online Learning, Susan Patrick discusses the necessity and effectiveness of online learning. She argues that schools are lacking trained teachers as well as student motivation. Online learning is the solution to this issue in her opinion. She states that online learning gives teachers opportunities to have more one on one time with students, while also giving them flexibility. She claims students do not want to be in school all day long, they want to be given different opportunities to work with other students and teachers. She argues that students want an alternative to the standard school day and to be challenged through online learning. She thinks online learning is more engaging for students and increases the level of understanding and quality of learning. Susan Patrick is an expert on this topic; however, online learning is her career, so she is quite biased. Online learning is extremely beneficial for some teachers and students, although, in my opinion not as necessary as she claims. I do not think all students will benefit from this exactly the same. Not all students are disciplined or independent enough for it. However, for some students, who do need a challenge and alternative learning options, online learning would be highly beneficial to them.

Coleman, Stephanie. Why Do Students Like Online Learning? (2003). Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/08/26/earlyshow/contributors/reginalewis/main570268.shtml August 14, 2005. From Lewis, Regina; Earning a Degree Online.
The article “Why do students like online learning?” by Stephanie Coleman argues the benefits and effectiveness of online learning. She offers numerous reasons to support the topic. She argues the convenience of accessing classes anywhere, whenever students find it easiest. She claims online learning supports the individual student, who has his or her own way of learning. She thinks that by learning online, students can choose to learn however they find suits their needs best, therefore making it an effective learning/teaching strategy. She states that students will feel more comfortable in discussions online with classmates and teachers, as opposed to face to face, in the classroom setting. She claims this would most specifically appeal to the shy or intimidated student. She argues online learning effectively expands knowledge from more than books. The online learning environment contains endless amount of information and opportunities to learn and communicate.
My impression of this information is that it is pretty accurate. Online learning definitely is effective in the areas discussed in the article. There are people who would do completely well on an online learning environment; however there are still those who do better in a real life classroom setting. The effectiveness of online learning is completely relative to the individual person/student.

Cyber Bullying:Keep are kids safe on-line

http://www.edutopia.org.

http://www.loraincc.edu/library Cyberbullying among youngsters: profilies of bullies and victims Heidi Vandebosch Katerien Van Cleemput University of Antwerp, Belgium Copyright 2009.

In reading this article survey, among 2052 primary and secondary school children reveals that cyberbullying among youngsters is not a marginal problems. Youngsters who have bullied someone via the internet or mobile phone during the last three months are younger, and are more often victims and bystanders of bullying via internet and more often the perpetrators of traditional bullying.
Regarding the age of the cyberbullies, there is no consensus: on the on hand ,some authors have found that older youngsters have an increased risk of cyberbullying compared to younger teens. This article research is from 2006 to 2009 this article is done in 2009 that recent information, the bullying takes place at school or in socila life etc, is likely to be continued in cyberspace ,with retentention of roles. I agree with tha article that concludes the respondents whose parents are less involved have a higher chance of becoming a cyberbullying. Informing parents about new media and encouraging them to be involved with their child 's internet use seems to be a logical step in the prevention of cyberbullying.