Journal 5

"How to Fight the New Bullies," by Rosalind Wiseman.

The article talks about how with he use of cell phones and the Internet kids are now being bullied in a new way. It is not just a matter of a bigger kid picking on a smaller kid anymore. The author tells us what we need to know about "cyberbullying." She explains that it is a real danger because it is hard to know who is doing the threatening or bullying. The legal and educational system have started to address this issue, but in the meantime the author and other experts have began working on creating guidelines for using technology ethically.

Questions:

1. What can be done in the school system to counter act this? Educate our students. Teach them about this issue and how to respond, or not respond to it. Also, teach them how to use technology ethically as the author has suggested.

2. What can be done as a parent? Monitor computer use of your children. Have the computer in a central location in your home and check their my space. If a parent or other adult cannot read the material being posted, it should not be posted. The most important thing is to just be responsible, as you would with any other aspect of your child's life and their safety and/or safety of others concerning them.