Cyberbullying

   Cyber-bullying is a form of bullying which takes place on the internet from phones, chat rooms and social media programs on a variety devices.  The difference from this form of bullying and what has long been the typical school bullying is that there is a sense of anonymity to the cyber-bullying.  Students can say mean and hurtful things to others without them knowing the identity of the perpetrator.   This often takes place outside of school hours and off school property so that schools are unable to punish the bullies.  However the effects of this type of bullying can often be seen in the actions and reactions from it that take place at school.
   In writing a group essay on this subject I found the use of diigo a handy tool to find research sites that were collected in a diigo group page.  All the group members read articles, highlighted important facts, and posted notes of interest.  After looking at the notes, we chose a topic for each person to write about.  Each person in the group wrote a paragraph about their topic using Google Docs.  The thesis and introductory paragraph were written and when all the paragraphs were completed a conclusion was added.  We used the power point in Google Docs to assemble a presentation of the topics in our essay.  This was a pleasant way to work on this project with everyone in the group doing their own part.  The final outcome was a nice essay and presentation which highlighted the topics we had chosen to discuss.
   I enjoyed listening to each groups presentation.  I discovered that there is much to learn on this subject.  It was very informative.  Each group focused on different aspects of cyber-bullying and had valuable additional information to share on the subject.  Two groups chose to share a video clip of a movie about cyber-bullying.  This video was a heart wrenching display of the affects of cyber-bullying.  It really hit home to me and brought to mind traumatizing events in my own life.   The question of why the victim did not get outside help before reaching the point of wanting to end it all is painfully clear to me.  It seems so simple to reach for help.  The problem is that where this help should be, is often not where it can be found.  Students have often responded when I questioned them about why they hit another student instead of telling the teacher, that the teacher does not do anything.  It is often difficult to tell which party is telling the truth and the victim at times ends up in more trouble for trying to reach out for help.
  For my own part in this assignment I focused on the positive aspects of finding ways to deal with this problem.  I looked at means that both students and teacher/administrators can use to achieving a more positive environment within schools to combat cyber-bullying.  This will certainly not bring an end to this terrible foe, but perhaps it can bring the kind word or deed, just in time, for those who need it most.