This week's discussion explored the topic of cyberbullying and how it has impacted society, especially in the school system. Bullying in general has become more of an important school discussion over the years, especially as we are beginning to see more and more students suffering at the hands of cruelty. However, it once was not, and it is because of this that we have seen many people fall at the hands of bullying and leave this world. It is now our job as educators to take note of how students interact with others and themselves, and provide a safe and comfortable classroom atmosphere to ensure physical and mental safety. The Video "Dark Cloud: the high cost of cyberbullying" and the articles I read raised a heightened sense of self awareness in myself to take note of what I learned and how I can apply it to my future classroom. After viewing the resources given to us on the concept of cyberbullying, I developed a central theme of "hope" that I wanted to discuss in my blog; hope for the student, hope for the teachers and family, and hope for technology. 

    The video is strikingly emotional as the mother is one of the main figures and advocates in the film, and she shows Amanda's past and childhood, which resonated with me. She explains Amanda was vivacious. and inqui    sitive, and had a drive to obtain knowledge, but that she also had a learning disability. How devastating is it to reflect on such a young girl who had hope in the world, only to have it crushed once she felt the negativity from other peers weigh upon her. As educators, and friends and family, it is the job of those people to keep that hope that was once instilled in that young girl alive. The video however did not only discuss Amanda, but other victims of cyberbullying. Justin Preston, another young male who experienced bullying and cyberbullying first hand, explained his story of physical and mental abuse, and how he attempted to commit suicide. However, Justin says the difference between him and Amanda is that he is still here, which resonated with me as it makes you wish you could have helped that person triumph the struggle and still be here. However, Justin afterwards had "hope" and began a campaign called Rise Against Bullying, whose slogan was "Shine Bright''. Preston made it a priority to share his story via cards, and by assembling this campaign to help save others. He also developed a way to connect around the world, where people would leave positive messages in their hearts. Another female, Brooke, discussed how when she left her friend group because of her personal choices, and how she paid the consequences because of it. The girls would leave her out, and message her via snapchat explaining she's worthless, and constantly calling her saying she should kill herself. She would get spit on and constantly hear rumors flying around the school. 

    As teachers and parents, it is important that as a unit we are able to reflect how people should treat other people, as adolescents and children are impressionable. In the article "Teachers' Essential Guide to Cyberbullying and Prevention" it explains what our roles as educators in the classroom is. We have to promote a positive and safe classroom culture, embrace teachable "dig cit" moments, Incorporate lessons on cyberbullying into your existing curriculum, and advocate for a school- or district- wide digital citizenship program (2020). It is throughout all these policies that we "teach students how to use digital media in respectful and safe ways. This includes helping kids learn how to identify, respond to, and avoid cyberbullying" (2020). We need to be the "hope" for the generations we are educating, and teach them you can survive anything. As educators it might not always be easy to spot these signs, but the article "Tips for Teachers: Warning Signs a Child Is Being Cyber Bullied or Is Cyberbullying" gives feedback and resourceful tips. Some traits a student may exhibit are "Noticeable, rapid increases or decreases in device use, including texting" and "A child exhibits emotional responses (laughter, anger, upset) to what is happening on their device" (Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA), 2021). As teachers we need to look out for these signs, and be proactive when we notice them. The article suggests that "If you think a child is being cyber bullied, speak to them privately to ask about it. They may also have proof on their digital devices'' or that "To understand children’ digital behavior and how it relates to cyberbullying, increase your digital awareness." This also does not need to only be applied to teachers, but parents and friends as well. In the film "Dark Cloud: the high cost of cyberbullying" Amanda Todd's mother expressed that she regrets being afraid of her daughters self harm due to cyberbullying. She wishes she had deeper conversations with her and that she was more proactive in being a source of hope for her daughter. However, the mother found "hope" because she founded the Amanda Todd Legacy Society in order to create awareness of cyber bullying and rally for her daughter. You are taking a devastating situation, but using it as an opportunity to create hope for others by heightening the issue and creating dialogue amongst the youth. Todd's mother even said towards the end that some people show it is a story of having no hope, but she wants people to know that if possible she would have told her there is hope out in this world.

    When you consider cyber bullying, it only makes sense to consider the source itself, technology. In today's society it is so easy to get caught up in anonymous interaction, where one can do anything under a false profile. The internet is never-ending and permanent, therefore it is difficult to manage every post. However, there are ways to monitor bullying.  There is a researcher whose "...team trained a machine learning algorithm to spot words and phrases associated with bullying on social media site AskFM, which allows users to ask and answer questions" and  "It managed to detect and block almost two-thirds of insults within almost 114,000 posts in English and was more accurate than a simple keyword search" (BBC, 2021). With today's technology, as it is used for bad, it can be used for good, such as creating these algorithms that help prevent cyber bullying. Similar to now, if something on instagram is posted which is racist, or cruel, instagram detects this and takes this down. Therefore, despite the power technology holds, we can negate this power to protect others through various methods and platforms. It is important to keep children as safe as we can, because like we have discussed in similar lessons, violence is prominent in society, and in person bullying can lead to violence.

 Moreover, this week's lesson was informative and an eye opener. It struck me especially when Brooke explained her story about how a picture of her and her sister saved her life. I cannot imagine how parents and children who undergo these circumstances feel, but I pray over them, and those who act out these cruel mannerisms. The change starts with us educators, and I look forward to being a part of that.

References 

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA). (2021, May 21). Tips for Teachers. StopBullying.gov. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/tips-for-teachers.

BBC. (n.d.). Can this technology put an end to bullying? BBC Future. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190207-how-artificial-intelligence-can-help-stop-bullying.

Dupej, H. & Embry, M. (2020. Dark cloud: The high cost of cyberbullying. TELUS Wise.

Teachers' essential guide to cyberbullying prevention. Common Sense Education. (2020, March 15). Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/teachers-essential-guide-to-cyberbullying-prevention.