Cyberbullying: Safety on the Net Online
Course Outline
Course Description
Cyberbullying has quickly become a 21st century epidemic and a growing concern for students, parents, and educators. This course will alert teachers to the harmful effects of online harassment and teach them how they can be the driving force to prevent it in their schools. We will look at it's impact on teaching and learning and apply strategies that will help reduce and/or eliminate the instances of cyberbullying in our classrooms, in students’ homes and in our schools. This course will use the book, Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying by Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin as a resource for information and reflection. Course activities are based on the CyberSmart curriculum, which stresses cyberbullying can be controlled. During this course, we will develop lesson plans and materials that can be used in the classroom and shared with parents. Cyberbullying is an issue impacting the entire school community, therefore we will also examine student rights as well as laws related to cyberbullying.
A primary goal of this course requires that teachers will learn various techniques that they can implement upon return to their classrooms. Additionally, teachers will reflect on what they are learning and propose a way to integrate cyberbullying content into the classroom curriculums.
Objectives
- Dissect the different technologies that are available to students and describe ways that they can use those technologies to bully or harass other students.
- Analyze and identify the various types of bullies.
- Compare statements on this topic with other teachers and build a knowledge base through reflection.
- Identify and implement an emotional vocabulary along with activities into the curriculum.
- Research and discuss strategies to empower parents to prevent cyberbullying.
- Utilize a wide range of instructional methods and strategies to promote knowledge of the effects of cyberbullying.
- Adapt ways to implement cyber bullying prevention.
- Design and modify lesson plans to support student learning. These lesson plans will be supported by the Cybersmart curriculum.
- Explore the social emotional states that bullies encompass.
- Identify and use major research based websites on cyber bullying and their content.
- Identify appropriate instructional interventions and activities for the classroom.
- Promote programs that help educators create school-family-community partnerships.
- Implement appropriate methods and strategies to build a safe online community.
- Identify school rules and existing laws that surround cyber bullying and design and share a school safety plan that incorporates a cyberbullying component.
- Identify methods of incorporating the impact cyber bullying will have on teaching methods and parent communication.
- Recognize the laws that exist in the state surrounding cyberbullying and prepare an action plan for dealing with situations.
Curriculum Design & Time Requirements
This is a sixty hour, three credit graduate level course completed over a thirteen-week period. Modules one through nine will be completed one per week. Module ten will be completed over a two-week period, so students will have time to revise and complete the final integration project.
Hardware & Computer Skill Requirements
Students may use either a Macintosh computer or a PC with Windows 2000 or higher. Students should possess basic word processing skills and have internet access with an active e-mail account. Students also are expected to have a basic knowledge of how to use a Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla Firefox etc.Course Materials
The required textbook for this course is Bullying Beyond the School Yard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying by Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin. Using this text, educators will learn specific strategies to utilize within the classroom. Teachers will be able to modify classroom curriculum, so that includes materials on cyberbullying. The text features reflection and integration questions at the end of each chapter that we will be utilizing in the course.
Module Outline
Module 1: Definition of CyberbullyingContent:
- Member Introductions and Ice Breaker Activity using Web 2.0 technologies
- Define cyberbullying
- Explore the two kinds of cyberbullying
- Compare traditional Bullying vs. Cyberbullying
- Activity: Reflection
Module 2: Characteristics of a Bully/What We Know About Cyberbullying
Content:
- Discussion on the levels of cyberbullying
- Common forms of cyberbullying
- Types of technologies students are using
- Chat acronyms
- Discuss gender and race differences in cyberbullying
Module 3: Social Networking and Cyberbullying
Content:
- Educating the students on the dangers associated with the internet
- Define social networking and its uses.
- What are the top used social networking sites and what makes them so attractive.
- Internet Use Contracts
- Social Network Etiquette/Digital Footprint
Module 4: Educators Taking Action
Content:
- Solutions for educators
- Create a survey
- Discuss emotional vocabulary and empathy
- Create a set of role playing cards
- Discuss classroom rules and create a contract
- Create a Top Ten Tips for Teachers List -*Preventing Cyberbullying and Being Aware
Module 5: Parental Awareness and the Students' Roles
Content:
- Parental controls and beyond
- Discuss ways parents can address their child being a bully
- Students role in preventing cyberbullying
- Online quiz
- Are you an online bully? Complete quiz and share the results
Module 6: Schools Combating Cyberbullying
Content:
- Actions to use to deal with cyberbullying incidents
- Research the current cyberbullying plan in your school
- Fill out the cyberbullying report card to see how prepared your school is for dealing with this topic
- Using cyberbullying incident tracking forms
- Discussion of internet behaviors and appropriate responses
Module 7: Reflection
Content:
- Review case studies and discuss preventions
- Discuss starter questions for parents to use with their children
- Explore websites that promote cyberbullying prevention
- Comment on blog
- Reflections
Module 8: Helping Students Help Each Other - Building a Responsible Classroom that is Free from Bullying
Content:
- Explore and debate the Cybersmart curriculum
- Discover Home Connection Sheets for your grade level
Module 9: Legal Aspects
Content:
- Case studies and discussion
- Research the legal aspects for your state
- Explain the four steps students should take to deal with cyberbullying
Module 10: Additional Resources/Final Project/Final Exam
Content:
- Overview of resources and suggested websites
- Final reflections
- Final project
Grading
| Assignment | Points | Grading Scale | |||||||
| Forum Participation | 20 | 100-93 | A | ||||||
| Written Assignments/Questions | 30 | 92-85 | B | ||||||
| Final Reflections | 20 | 84-77 | C | ||||||
| Final Project | 30 | ||||||||
| Total Points | 100 |
Student Requirements
| 1. | Participation: Actively participate in all class and forum activities. | |
| 2. | Assignments: Complete all readings, questions and reflection assignments. | |
| 3. | Final Project: Students are required to create a cyberbullying curriculum and will be required to construct a portfolio during the course that will serve as a toolkit of specific ideas and lesson plans for their classrooms which will be due by the end of Session 10.. |
