Sunday, October 23, 2022

ISCI 761-Blog Post #7-Cyberbullying

Picture is an older boy holding up younger, smaller boy up against wall in school, taking his money. Picture from website
Bullying as a general term brings up the picture of the big kid in the playground who beats up the small kid to get his lunch money. The kid that was bullied went home and felt safe there because the bullying only happened in the school yard. Technology came and evolved, introducing cyberbullying. Cyberbullying encompasses all the same feelings of physical bullying but adds in another dimension. It never stops. It can follow you everywhere and the one being bullied cannot find a safe space to ever escape. It is always surprising on how far the cyberbullying can reach someone.
Photo is a cartoon of boy sitting on the floor crying with cell phone on floor and words in bubbles like they were texted. Words are Freak, Ugly, Loser, Nerd, and Stupid. Backpack on floor. Picture is from website.
Thinking of how I have had lessons for social emotional learning involving bullying before with middle school students, there is a delicate balance of how to approach it. In the actual lesson, starting with a video that involves students and not adults is always attention grabbing and gets the conversation flowing. The largest problem is that you must focus on reminding students not to bully anyone in any situation, but at the same time realize it takes place and you need to cover how to help those being bullied too. Most students that have a relationship with a teacher or staff member leading the lesson will talk about their experiences with bullying. Most students always have something to share. It is tricky with cyberbullying because it is harder to “catch” for the teachers or adults. It again comes down to relationships that have been built at the school or with other supportive adults. If a student is being bullied, they need to feel comfortable reporting the incident to an adult. The student needs to know they are not alone in their situation. This is one reason it is vital not to overwhelm teachers to the point they do not have the time to build the relationships with students so they can notice when someone is acting different than their normal. This week’s module is a reminder that bullying in any form can be a silent killer for students. Being attuned to watch any signs of one that is bullying as well as those being bullied become equally important to stop cyberbullying.

In the article, “From the Sandbox to the Inbox: Comparing the Acts, Impacts, and Solutions of Bullying in K-12, Higher Education, and the Workplace” it expands and relates bullying, cyberbullying, and harassment by looking closely at it from an early age to adult age, following the K-12 issues, college, and eventually the workplace. The anonymity that can exist with cyber bullying also puts a different spin on how to stop it when you do not have proof of who engages in it. Also relating bullying to all ages and situations helps shed light that it is a continuous problem, so punishments are tricky when it comes to prevention or stopping it from happening. Another article to highlight is, “What Parents Can Do to Prevent Cyberbullying: Students’ and Educators’ Perspectives” and how it promotes kindness as a weapon against bullying. I do think lessons in kindness with examples in “cyber-kindness” and having adults be a role model in showing kindness to all people is worth so much in the prevention or reduction of bullying at schools. These lessons can be embedded throughout the school year as well as a partner to any bullying lessons done.

There are not a lot of answers just yet of what exactly works to prevent or stop bullying, but the more everyone is aware of what to look for and on the same page that it is wrong and detrimental to someone now and in the future, the more we can move forward in our fight against bullying.

Here are a few takeaways from this week’s module:

  • Videos that involve students in the making of them have a bigger impact on kids. However, if the video goes too far in the depiction, the message is lost as the students will only dwell on how shocking the video was to watch.
  • Whether you are in kindergarten or in the workplace, bulling and harassment are harmful and unwarranted behaviors.
  • Cyberbullying can be done via e-mail, chat rooms, online gaming communities, or social media. It is vital for parents/guardians to be aware of what their student is involved with online.
  • Too many victims suffer in silence and bullying is underreported. It is important to encourage bravery in other students to speak out for people that are not able or afraid to speak out for themselves if they see bullying take place.
  • Solutions are not simple nor are they one size fits all. Building relationships and promoting kindness, are some of the most important ways that might help prevent bullying from reaching a devastating outcome. 
Photo is off school supplies and a slogan of No More Bullying-Acceptance-Kindness-Respect-Friendship-Compassion. Also Alexa James Co. is creator and image can be found at this website
Resources:

Cassidy W, Faucher C, Jackson M. What parents can do to prevent cyberbullying: students’ and educators’ perspectives. Social Sciences. 2018; 7(12):251. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7120251

Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in K-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 3(6), 111-125. http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/jets.v3i6.1033

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Sunday, October 16, 2022

ISCI 761-Blog #6 Social Media

Welcome to Readers Middle School! Home of the Tigers! Rawwrrrr! In this class, this will be my imaginary, perfect library.


Instagram is a great platform for a school library as the tweens/teens embrace it and the parents can also follow along with ease. Having the ability to take a picture and/or post text is a bonus in what can take place on the platform.

In the presentation from this week's module, I really appreciated the examples of advocacy on Instagram. In my library, I would love to have a library council made up of students to run the Instagram account. Each day of the week could be a theme and they could even start to collect props for book picture taking. Coming up with a special hashtag for challenges is a great way to involve the student body and community. Showcasing positive Instagram accounts, student reviews of books, and library events is a great way to keep the library as the hub of the school.

I would use Instagram as a tool for instruction/collaboration by staying up to date with ongoing assignments in the school. A big test on fractions coming up, the library could post a cookie recipe that the amounts were changed to accommodate a different servings amount. Then for everyone that checks out a book that day, the get a cookie that was made. Post books and movies that relate to the history curriculum. Post how students can access books online for their English classes or tell them about websites that help with research or how to cite sources. And you could always follow a science experiment from start to finish by having students post it in the stories. Then maybe the end results could be displayed in the library for everyone to check out later. And of course, it could highlight interesting podcasts or books for kids or showcase their reading outside of school. 

Communication is the best part of Instagram. You can answer comments or questions directly and even post about upcoming events and deadlines within the school. You can link to other school sponsored accounts too so that you can direct parents to sporting event information or homecoming week dress up days schedule. You can make it a true community within this social media application.

Instagram is a tool that is fun and informative. I look forward to brainstorming lots of ideas to be used in my own library one day!

Resources:

Wetta, M. (February 2016). Instagram now: engage young users with the image- based social media tool. School Library Journal, pp. 30-32.


Wilson, J. (December 2017). Make your library more visible. School Library Journal, pp. 16-18.


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Friday, October 7, 2022

ISCI 761-Blog Post #5 Resources for Accessibility

I asked my students in my class today, "have any of you used a Screen Reader?" They all said “no” and then asked, “what is a screen reader?” These students are in high school. I wanted to focus on Job Access With Speech (JAWS) which is a popular screen reader that allows those with any vision loss access to audio of the content on their screen, braille translation, and helps those unable to use the mouse to navigate their screen. This is an application that could potentially be beneficial to all students in any school. JAWS software is completely compatible to all the applications in Google Classroom, which happens to be the platform my current school uses. 

Picture from Website

I am a big proponent of Universal Design and agree with the article, "How Universal Design Will Make Your Library More Inclusive," that it is important to design elements or enact applications that will benefit everyone and not focus on a select few. One that is not technology, but a huge issue I see on a daily basis is the use of “old school” desks. Students come in all shapes and sizes and now need additional space to place their laptop along with books, notes, etc. It is disappointing to see the low level of comfort with the students in this sitting arrangement. I have had to request a table and chair situation for a student who did not fit in a desk and I find that to be unacceptable. With having tables and chairs or a variety of seating options for everyone, you eliminate this singling out of a particular person. (Spina, 2017) With this in mind, the video we watched this week, which really resonated with me, was the overview of the school building that was built for the deaf. Every aspect of the build was a design element that could benefit all people, not just the deaf community. Screen readers can benefit every student with their daily work in school. I believe the first step is to familiarize the teachers with how the tools work so they can explain it to the students. A school librarian would be a great resource to help with this training. 

Photo Credit Website

Prior to the pandemic, a lot of schools did not have a policy in place for a one-to-one technology device for every student, but during and after the pandemic, it has become more prevalent, if not a requirement. An example recently in a class at our school that reiterates the need for JAWS, or a similar screen reader, is the students were given an electronic copy of the book, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, for an English III Honors course. Having a screen reader available for all students would encourage students to listen to the story especially if they are better auditory learners, dislike reading on their computer for long lengths of time, would like the option to take notes while they hear the story, or just would prefer an audiobook version over a print version. It is clear that we must, as a community, start to think about the universal design process as a normal part of our everyday lives in order to encourage more inclusivity in our world.

Videos and a Podcast to get you started on how to use JAWS:




Additional Resources:



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