We’ve been asked to do many interviews about the newest form of cyberbullying happening online and I thought it only appropriate to give parents or subscribers some information on the dangerous new trend with social networking.
Cyberbaiting – While in the classroom, students bait teachers into losing control of their classroom in order to enlist them into inappropriate behaviors such as yelling, name-calling, cursing or even throwing things. Once the teacher is engaged in the negative behavior, then, students will video the occurrence with a mobile device and post it on various social media sites such as YouTube or Facebook.
According to the Norton Cybercrime Report for 2011, 1 in 5 teachers have reported being cyberbaited or have known another teacher who has been cyberbaited.
While teachers are in the front lines of the educational system, cyberbaiting is like walking into a landmine for them. Teachers are most often unaware of what devices a student might have on their person and they are also unaware of when or if they are being recorded.
I did my own search on different websites to get an idea of such content, and found my heart bleeding for these individuals. Humans trained for instructing others have enough challenges to meet in the classroom without having their weaker or most embarrassing classroom moments posted for viral uptake.
While these viral videos are often leading to teachers being laid off from their teaching duties, the responsibility should also fall on parents and children. Cyber-etiquette is a must and parental awareness is too. Taking smartphones away from children can’t be the best we have to remedy the situation. We need technology to be in place and responsible behavior to be taught.
Additional searches on Facebook or YouTube sites had some pretty positive outcomes as well. I saw teachers making the most of kids with video capabilities in in the classroom and have been through several videos that kids have made about various topics and am even impressed with some, so it can be done.
I’d like to add kudos to those organizations that are encouraging such video creativity in a positive way. In case you haven’t heard, The Great American NO BULL Challenge is on its way and is a national campaign against cyberbullying. Teens are challenged to start a grassroots campaign and produce videos where they can win prizes for their efforts to help put an end to the digital detriment of their peers. Here’s a note and a link for more information about it and remember to be knowledgeable about networking and your child! We’ve got you covered, just go to www.eyeguardian.com and signup for your free Facebook parental tool today, then talk to your kids!
The Great American NO BULL Challenge is the largest, youth-led national campaign against cyberbullying in America’s history. We’re using the power of social media to inspire 25 million middle and high school students to build each other up, instead of tear each other down. Finalists will be invited to attend the star-studded NO BULL Teen Video Red Carpet Awards Event in San Francisco. Inspiring America’s teens to stand up and bring an end to cyberbullying, one click at a time, is what The Great American NO BULL Challenge is all about.
