From Proposal to Draft

By Ms. Erica Roth Skinner on November 17, 2009 1:16 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Title-- I will change the title to emphasize the issue of choosing an appropriate prevention strategy.
Phantom Bully: Prevention Propositions

Abstract-- I will specify that the issue at hand relates solely to young students. I will also limit myself to out-of-school bullying and its effect on the learning environment and social environment only in schools. I need to revise some claims that might seem too good to be true. Instead of preventing cyber bullying completely, I will only focus on how it will reduce it and it won't be SO easy to prevent. Maybe talk about some examples of how to prevent. Add things like, "current statistics have proved..."-- and name statistics in paper

Introduction-- Schools have not ignored cyber bullying completely, but it is looked past in many cases.--- give proof
Don't repeat any main points. i.e. affecting learning environment
make point more clear about how bullying out of school will affect not only learning environment, but also social environment--- issue of safety
Forecast means of approaches to action before describing why it is crucial to have them.

Feildwork-- choose one-- interview

working bibliography-- change one source and alphabetize

Outline

By Ms. Erica Roth Skinner on November 12, 2009 1:44 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Introduction

Write Last

Body

Students and their growing interest in social networking services

What is a Social Networking service

Explain examples i.e. Facebook, MySpace

Why are students so attracted

Imbedded psychological attraction to this different world

What are their day-to-day activities

Incorporate many stats from survey and sources

Activity results in Cyber Bullying

Social Networks affect their lives on a very personal level

This is happening at home. Students feel like this is a real environment

Although it's not happening at school, it is affecting the learning environment

It not only affects the victim, but everyone around

These activities have resulted in horrible acts of hatred and violence, making for an unsafe environment

Give specific examples

This not only has an emotional affect on the students, but also an academic affect

These conflicts affect students grades

Prevention is crucial for schools

School personnel must realize that even though they don't see it happening, it is

Many need to get passed denial of bullying happening outside of school, yet affecting everyone in school

Prevention can easily be obtained with the right steps to action

The school must believe that cyber bullying has gone too far

It must be agreed by everyone to discuss the topic, including parents

Parents and teachers have a critical rolein the reinforcement of the prevention plan

Must first know when it is illegal to bully online

Must know when to get law involved

abstract revised

By Ms. Erica Roth Skinner on November 9, 2009 11:57 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Abstract

The younger generation of today has taken an increased interest in social networking services and chat rooms, which has led to the increase in cyber bullying all over the world. Such programs have lead students to say and do unspeakable acts of hatred, leaving emotional scars on victims and creating uncertainty of the environment in which they live their day-to-day lives. An issue that can be prevented, bullying is a hateful act that is now happening outside of school. Bully's are no longer confined within school walls. The social issues created outside of the school have a huge impact on the learning environment. Cyber-bullying not only affects the victim, but also the environment in which all students live. There are certain cases in which it is illegal to bully over the Internet. With the help of school personnel and parents, prevention can easily be obtained. However, a prevention plan should be made after consideration of many factors. School districts are very diverse in race, class, wealth and location. This raises the critical question. What prevention plan will be most affective for all school districts as a whole and which prevention plans would be more suitable for individual schools. The discussion of a prevention plan is critical for any school district that decides bullying in and out of school has gone too far. Parents need to have an active role in the reinforcement of the information given at school. Students need to know the importance of Internet guidelines and working out social issues in a safe, controlled environment. Students, parents and school personnel will be pleasantly surprised by the improvement in social interactions both in and out of school. Students will feel safer in their environment and social networking online will be seen and used as it was meant. The safety of adolescents is the number one priority for any parent or school district and it is their responsibility to ensure a healthy, bully-free environment for those students.

research proposal

By Ms. Erica Roth Skinner on November 5, 2009 12:56 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Erica Skinner

Dr. Sherwood

ENGL 202 12:30

Fall 2009

Cyber Bullying: The School Phantom

Abstract

The younger generation of today has taken an increased interest in social networking services and chat rooms, which has led to the increase in cyber bullying all over the world. Such programs have lead students to say and do unspeakable acts of hatred, leaving emotional scars on victims and creating uncertainty of the environment in which they live their day-to-day lives. An issue that can be prevented, bullying is a hateful act that is now happening outside of school. Bully's are no longer confined within school walls. The social issues created outside of the school have a huge impact on the learning environment. Cyber-bullying not only affects the victim, but also the environment in which all students live. There are certain cases in which it is illegal to bully over the Internet. With the help of school personnel and parents, prevention can easily be obtained. However, a prevention plan should be made after consideration of many factors. School districts are very diverse in race, class, wealth and location. This raises the critical question. What prevention plan will be most affective for all school districts as a whole and which prevention plans would be more suitable for individual schools. The discussion of a prevention plan is critical for any school district that decides bullying in and out of school has gone too far. Parents need to have an active role in the reinforcement of the information given at school. Students need to know the importance of Internet guidelines and working out social issues in a safe, controlled environment. Students, parents and school personnel will be pleasantly surprised by the improvement in social interactions both in and out of school. Students will feel safer in their environment and social networking online will be seen and used as it was meant. The safety of adolescents is the number one priority for any parent or school district and it is their responsibility to ensure a healthy, bully-free environment for those students.

Bullying is a form of harassment that affects adolescents every day. The school environment is a breeding ground for teasing, rejection and violence. Students have many ways to deal with bullying and districts have made a valiant attempt to prevent bullying from happening on school grounds. What many school personnel do not see is the phantom bully lurking around every corner. It is the sole root of many social conflicts, yet cannot be reached by a principal or teacher. You cannot pull this bully out of class or give it detention, for it is only a shadow. It lives in cyber space, in places like a home computer or a cell phone. The phantom cyber bully is a huge problem that schools have ignored for too long. The younger generation is growing up in a world of cyber, social interaction. With the development of Social Networking Services, such as Facebook and Myspace, students can readily access another world of social precedence. It is in these walls, that many conflicts are taking place. This has had an enormous affect on the school environment, making for an uncontrolled and unsafe environment in many cases. Cyber bullying also affects the learning environment and is negatively affecting the students' learning process. Cyber bullying can be prevented with the right steps to action. A prevention plan is crucial for all schools; however, many schools vary in race, class, wealth and location. So, what prevention plan will be most affective for all school districts as a whole and which prevention plans would be more suitable for individual schools? The safety of adolescents is the number one priority for any parent or school district and it is their responsibility to ensure a healthy, bully-free environment for those students.

Fieldwork Statement

Interview:

--Ask specific questions to a school guidance counselor at the high school level. Possible: Judy DeGenova--Hickory High School Hermitage, PA

-- Email her to set up a specific time to meet, maybe over dinner.

--Specify questions so that I can readily find good quotations and useful information on social networking and bullying.

Such questions would include:

How often have you dealt with social conflicts stemming from a cyber network?

How do you usually deal with such cases?

Can you tell a story without using names or identification etc.

Knowing many different types of bullying prevention techniques, can you tell me the one you found to be most effective?

Survey:

--To be directed toward the younger generation of today, who have dealt with social networking programs.

--Pass out to classmates, friends and strangers whenever convenient. Collect results and form conclusions.

--Specify questions so that I can readily come to conclusions about effective prevention plans and the frequency of cyber activity.

Such questions would include:

How often do you use social networking services?

How long do you spend on the computer in a day?

Have you ever been bullied through some kind of online social interaction?

I tried the following after being cyber bullied: (check all that apply)

Options: told them to stop, told parents, stopped going online etc.

Source review

--Williams, Kirk R., and Nancy G. Guerra. "Original Article: Prevalence and Predictors of Internet Bullying."

This material is very relevant. It explains how often cyber bullying is happening. It provides mainly background information--- 4

This source is very reliable, as well as the other articles which came from the same journal. All information is peer reviewed and written by doctors. It gives a full bibliography--- 5 and 5

--Kowalski, Robin M. Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age.

This material has very relevant information. It gives so much background but also addresses the critical issue I am asking, which is prevention plans. It will be very helpful while writing the paper--- 5

This source also has a full bibliography---5

--David-Ferdon, Corinne, and Marci Feldman Hertz. "Guest editors' commentary. Electronic Media, Violence, and Adolescents: An Emerging Public Health Problem."

This material stresses my argument for a prevention plan. It elaborates and gives statistics on school violence and bullying associated with the Internet and how it affects schools---5

This source is very reliable, as well as the other articles which came from the same journal. All information is peer reviewed and written by doctors. It gives a full bibliography--- 5 and 5

--Willard, Nancy E. Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats : Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress.

This source is great!!! It gives me all the information on which types of prevention plans are out there and which are relevant to certain schools, and also which ones are most affective. It will help me make my own decisions about prevention plans---5

--Seiter, Ellen. The Internet Playground : Children's Access, Entertainment, and Mis-Education .

This source deals with mainly very young children. It explains the avenues of reasoning for children using services that they are not yet mature enough to use and how they access such programs. The material is relevant but not as much as others---4

--Wolak Janis, Mitchell Kimberly, Finkelhor David. "Online Victimization: 5 Years Later."

This source gives me many examples of students who have been negetaively affected by cyber bullying. This will help me support details and my argument.--- 5

Parker-Pope, Tara. "Parents Often unaware of Cyber-Bullying."

This source is not as good. I picked it to use the blogs on the page so that I can compare and contrast different opinions---2

Ybarra, Michele L., Marie Diener-West, and Philip J. Leaf. "Original article Examining the Overlap in Internet Harassment and School Bullying: Implications for School Intervention."

This source is also very good. It gives many prevention plans and statistics on those prevention plans---5

This source is very reliable, as well as the other articles which came from the same journal. All information is peer reviewed and written by doctors. It gives a full bibliography--- 5 and 5

Wolak, Janis, Kimberly J. Mitchell, and David Finkelhor. "Original article Does Online Harassment Constitute Bullying? An Exploration of Online Harassment by Known Peers and Online-Only Contacts."

This article deals with the many legal aspects of online bullying. It explains when it is illegal to bully online and gives statistics showing difference in school opinion. This will also be very useful---5

This source is very reliable, as well as the other articles which came from the same journal. All information is peer reviewed and written by doctors. It gives a full bibliography--- 5 and 5

Agatston, Patricia W., Robin Kowalski, and Susan Limber. "Brief report Students' Perspectives on Cyber Bullying."

The title is self explanatory. Very useful---5

This source is very reliable, as well as the other articles which came from the same journal. All information is peer reviewed and written by doctors. It gives a full bibliography--- 5 and 5

Working Bibliography

Williams, Kirk R., and Nancy G. Guerra. "Original Article: Prevalence and Predictors of Internet Bullying." Journal of Adolescent Health 41 (2007): 1-8. Web. 27 Oct 2009. <http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/webfiles/images/journals/jah/zaq11207000S14.pdf>.

Kowalski, Robin M. Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age. Malden, MA: Oxford : Blackwell, 2008. Print.

David-Ferdon, Corinne, and Marci Feldman Hertz. "Guest editors' commentary. Electronic Media, Violence, and Adolescents: An Emerging Public Health Problem." Journal of Adolescent Health 41 (2007): 1-5. Web. 29 Oct 2009. <http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/webfiles/images/journals/jah/zaq112070000S1.pdf>.

Willard, Nancy E. Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats : Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress. Champaign, Ill.: Research Press, 2007. Print.

Seiter, Ellen. The Internet Playground : Children's Access, Entertainment, and Mis-Education . New York: Peter Lang, 2005. Print.

Wolak Janis, Mitchell Kimberly, Finkelhor David. "Online Victimization: 5 Years Later." Alexandra, VA: National Center for Missing and Exploited children (2006).Web. 29 Oct 2009. <http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC167.pdf>.

Parker-Pope, Tara. "Parents Often unaware of Cyber-Bullying." The New York Times. October 3, 2008. The New York Times Company, Web. 29 Oct 2009. <http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/parents-often-unaware-of-cyber-bullying/>.

Ybarra, Michele L., Marie Diener-West, and Philip J. Leaf. "Original article Examining the Overlap in Internet Harassment and School Bullying: Implications for School Intervention." Journal of Adolescent Health 41. (2007): 1-5. Web. 29 Oct 2009. <http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/webfiles/images/journals/jah/zaq11207000S42.pdf>.

Wolak, Janis, Kimberly J. Mitchell, and David Finkelhor. "Original article Does Online Harassment Constitute Bullying? An Exploration of Online Harassment by Known Peers and Online-Only Contacts." Journal of Adolescent Health 41 (2007): n. pag. Web. 3 Nov 2009. <http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/webfiles/images/journals/jah/zaq11207000S51.pdf>.

Agatston, Patricia W., Robin Kowalski, and Susan Limber. "Brief report Students' Perspectives on Cyber Bullying." Journal of Adolescent Health 41 (2007): n. pag. Web. 3 Nov 2009. <http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/webfiles/images/journals/jah/zaq11207000S59.pdf>.

Feildwork Brainstorming

By Ms. Erica Roth Skinner on November 3, 2009 12:43 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Survey:
--use to find statistics about adolescents and how frequently they are on social networking programs, what kinds of information they give out and how much it controls their social interactions with peers.
--use to find peer or parental opinions i.e. their opinions of the schools they go to or have children attending and how the schools are doing with internet education and guidance counseling.

Interview:
--Ask specific questions to a school guidance counselor at any age level
--Specify questions so that I can readily find good quotations and useful information on social networking and bullying.

Observation:
--have already made many observations
--could observe those around me i.e. friends on facebook, myspace and the kind of information on their pages
--could also evaluate my own actions and observe the things that have happened to me in the past
--put myself in a situation where it would be easy to observe the interactions of children on social networking services, their parents reactions and the help from school i.e. babysitting or school programs needing college help.

elements of abstract

By Ms. Erica Roth Skinner on October 22, 2009 1:03 PM | 3 Comments | No TrackBacks

The younger generation of today has taken an increased interest in social networking services and chat rooms, which has led to the increase in cyber bullying all over the world.
Such programs have lead students to say and do unspeakable acts of hatred, leaving emotional scars on victims and creating uncertainty of the environment in which they live their day-to-day lives.
An issue that can be prevented, bullying is a hateful act that is now happening outside of school.
Social problems with students have been increasing with the development of social programs on the Internet. Cyber-bullying not only affects the victim, but also the environment in which all students live. There are certain cases in which it is illegal to bully over the internet. With the help of school personnel and parents, prevention can easily be obtained.
In what ways would prevention help the general outlook of the Internet and the social interactions going on with the younger generations of today?
The discussion of a prevention plan is critical for any school district who decides bullying in and out of school has gone too far. Parents need to have an active role in the reinforcement of the information given at school. Students need to know the importance if internet guidelines and working out social issues in a safe, controlled environment.
Students, parents and school personnel will be pleasantly surprised by the improvement in social interactions both in and out of school. Students will feel safer in their environment and social networking online will be seen and used as it should.
The safety of adolescents is the number one priority for any parent or school district and it is their responsibility to ensure a healthy, bully-free environment for those students.

conversation research question

By Ms. Erica Roth Skinner on October 22, 2009 12:30 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

1. In my essay I will be discussing the overlooked aspect of emotional distress. Many look past the long term effects of internet bullying.

2. I can act as an interpreter by discussing the effectiveness of prevention plans.

3.This topic could incorporate all of the above. It could benefit from interviews, journals, surveys and observations.

4. Who-- the victims, bullies, parents, teachers
What-- what types of bullying, affects and prevention
Why-- to stop cyber bullying
When-- during school, out of school
Where--home, school, with friends
Could-- create devastating problems
Would-- cause problems in many aspects
Should-- be prevented

5. research question:
Social problems with students have been increasing with the development of social programs on the Internet. How can cyber-bullying affect the victim and also the environment in which student lives? When is it illegal to bully over the internet and what prevention steps could schools and parents be taking? In what ways would this help the general outlook of the Internet and the social interactions going on with the younger generations of today?

Conversation Review

By Ms. Erica Roth Skinner on October 20, 2009 1:08 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Topic: Cyber bullying and Children
I will be discussing a wide range of subjects.
Such subject's include:

Cyber bullying and social conflicts,
The purpose and background of cyber bullying-- what is it?
The differences that occur with age groups i.e. middle school to high school
What is illegal
The effects on the school environment
The effects on the child's emotions
Ways to prevent at home and at school- steps to take action
Specific cases dealing with the issue

This topic is most likely discussed in such areas as psychology, sociology and also every type of education degree.

Persons involved would include
the victims
those who do the bullying
parents
teachers/ school personnel
lawyers/ legal advisor's
those behind popular bullying programs (facebook, myspace)

The two that would be most interesting would be the parents of the victims and those who do the bullying.

I think that either teachers or the victims would be most easily accessed by a student researcher.

I think the students in general are the most relevant to the digital culture theme.

I feel that all of these are relevant to the topic.

research question:
Social problems with students have been increasing with the development of social programs on the Internet. How can cyber-bullying affect the victim and also the environment in which student lives? When is it illegal to bully over the internet and what prevention steps could schools and parents be taking? In what ways would this help the general outlook of the Internet and the social interactions going on with the younger generations of today?

Essay topic

By Ms. Erica Roth Skinner on October 19, 2009 9:52 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I am choosing to expand on the research question I developed for the mini essay.

--Social conflicts in schools are a growing problem, so how could schools effectively educate their students about potential dangers of online bullying activity? Outside of school, how could the guardians of these students play a role in the reinforcement of this education? In what ways would this help the general outlook of the Internet and the social interactions going on with the younger generations of today?

I will expand on the concept of internet bullying by including other types of cyber harassment.

Final Mini Essay

By Ms. Erica Roth Skinner on October 5, 2009 11:25 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Erica Skinner

ENGL 202

Mini Essay for Prof. Sherwood

October 6, 2009

Ciber Bullying: Steps to Educate

Students have the right to learn in a safe environment without the constant worrying that the Internet now creates. To a student, using computers might be a wonderful privilege but do they have too much freedom on the web? Parents and schools have looked past the obvious cause of social conflicts during school. Teachers and administrators need to take the next step forward. Social conflicts in schools are a growing problem, so how could schools effectively educate their students about potential dangers of online bullying activity? Outside of school, how could the guardians of these students play a role in the reinforcement of this education? In what ways would this help the general outlook of the Internet and the social interactions going on with the younger generations of today?

Bullying is no longer confined within the walls of a school. Cyber bullies can now use their tactics in the comfort of their bedroom. Harassment is more publicly humiliating for victims. Pictures, conversations and lies can be spread to thousands with one click of a mouse. This has had devastating, lasting and even fatal affects on some. In an article dealing with emotional aspects of ciber abuse, Regina Lynn gives her outlook on the issue. She states, "We feel safe because of the peculiar blend of disclosure and anonymity provided in online communities, and we journey along paths we might not even glance at in the physical world. We don't expect to have our control wrenched away or our minds assaulted or even the intensity of our anguish during and after." With the new use of web accounts such as Facebook and Myspace, information is given out to many. It seems as though these students have little background in Internet safety. Schools have not been doing enough to keep these kids safe. Many account of being given a checklist of Internet does and don'ts. Most students will glance at the paper and sign the dotted line at the bottom without even thinking twice. It is the social norm to have a Facebook or Myspace account. These things are second nature to them. Parents, although maybe notified of such a checklist, do not receive any kind of educational information about the web programs their children are using on a day-to-day basis. This is not the correct way to educate about Internet safety. Certain steps need to be taken, including involvement of those in charge in the home environment, where most ciber bullying takes place.

School staff, parents and guardians do not realize how dangerous Internet activity can be for a child who is not yet mature enough to handle it. Schools have bullying programs and peer mediators to help deal with social conflicts, but most social problems are not happening within the school. Take for example the instance of a fourteen-year-old girl; In Dardenne Prairie, Missouri a fourteen-year-old girl by the name of Megan Meier decided to commit suicide because of an online fake Myspace account. Friends who lived in the same neighborhood harassed Megan. They created a fake page of a boy who was seemingly interested in Megan. She had no idea that this account was completely false. The friend's parents were also involved in the hoax. The things said were extremely devastating for Megan and it led to her suicide. No charges were made against the neighbors (Collins). This horrible incident and many other social conflicts could have been avoided if schools were taking the right steps to affectively educate their students in Internet safety. Schools need to pick a designated class time to discuss these issues. A health class would obviously be ideal. It must be a class that everyone is required to take, so a technology class is certainly possible. These stories, such as Megan's, need to be told to children. They need to understand that Internet bullying does not solve problems. Schools need to start stressing boundaries for them and parents need to be aware of these things discussed in school so that they can be reinforcement to their children. The mediation of Internet activity seems to be dwindling as these programs become increasing popular.

Our world is always changing in ways of technologies. Many of these technologies can readily be accessed be children. It is the responsibility of the older generations to teach them about the potential social dangers of these technologies. Once students realize how important it is to stay safe on the Internet, social problems will dramatically decrease, leaving schools and parents pleasantly surprised.

Collins, Lauren. "Annals of Crime: Friend Game." New Yorker 2009: n. pag. Web. 28 Sep 2009. <http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/01/21/080121fa_fact_collins?currentPage=all>.

Lynn, Regina. "Virtual Rape is Traumatic, but is it a Crime?." Conde Nast Digital (2008): n. pag. Web. 5 Oct 2009. <http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/commentary/sexdrive/2007/05/sexdrive_0504/>.