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To Fight Cyber-Bullying, Schools Bring Web Education to the Classroom

by Amar Toor on April 11, 2010 at 12:30 PM

Whereas most parental online fears used to revolve around protecting their children from external threats, like online predators, recent years have seen a swell of concern surrounding the behavior of students themselves. In response to parental worries about cyber-bullying and student privacy, several school systems around the country have adopted, or are considering adopting, curriculum specifically devoted to Web education. One such set of curriculum, developed by Common Sense Media, has already been picked up by New York public schools, and includes classes on online privacy, identity, credibility, ownership and community. Many of the lessons are based on real-life case studies that address everything from the dangers of online diaries, to cyber-bullying, to plagiarism.

One of the principal goals of the curriculum is to help students better define the online boundaries between public and private, which, as the New York Times reports, has proven difficult for many to comprehend. Not only do kids struggle to understand just how transparent their Web actions are, but many still have trouble grasping their indelible nature, as well. Ted Brodheim, of the New York City Department of Education, further highlights the difficulty of educating students about a world over which they have significantly less control than they imagine. Citing the "sense of invulnerability that high school students tend to have," Brodeheim speculates that many teens don't "fully grasp that when they make some of these decisions, it's not something they can pull back from."

Some media experts, however, argue that the Common Sense approach overemphasizes the social pitfalls of the Internet, at the expense of more deep-seated, structural problems that kids may face, like viruses or consumer targeting. With students reportedly spending a staggering seven-and-a-half hours each day on the Web, we understand the need for a more circumspect curriculum. But, from a parental perspective, it seems like online social issues would be the most immediate concern -- especially in light of the recent rash of cyber-bullying incidents. [From: NYT]

Tags: CommonSenseMedia, CyberBullying, education, harrassment, kids, privacy, school, security, top

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