Cyberbully: Steps Toward Prevention

Cyberbullying is a term most of us are familiar with in this technologically driven world. According to Cyberbully.org, cyberbully authors Hinduja and Patchin define cyberbullying as “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices” (2014). Others define cyberbullying as possessing harmful intent, reoccurring hostile behavior, the bully’s power over his or her victim, and occurring within a certain recent period of time, generally between one month to a year (Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M., 2015). As an educator and parent, I am eager to learn how to prevent cyberbullying. After reflecting on the research read on this topic, one point stood out to me beyond the others.According to a 2007 study, people residing in Scandinavian countries, where the importance of interpersonal interactions is stressed, reported much less workplace bullying than U.S. employees (Lutgen-Sandvik, Tracy, and Alberts). What does workplace bullying have to do with cyberbullying in the k-12 environment?  Some say cyberbullied children have also been bullied in real life (Olweus, 2012), while 42% of adult cyberbullies report being high school cyberbullies (Faucher et al, 2015), indicating a connection between cyberbullying and in-person bullying, while child bullies carry this behavior into adulthood.

What surprised me most in this research was the statement about social media from the author of So You've Been Publicly Shamed, “There’s a good feeling that you get from realizing that you’re in a majority of people against a single person; there’s an undeniable good feeling” (Ronson, n.d.).  According to this book's Goodread’s description, “We are defining the boundaries of normality by ruining the lives of those outside it. We are using shame as a form of social control” (Goodreads, n.d.). As one newer to social media, the thought of speaking ill of anyone, whether known or not, online has never crossed my mind. Granted, I did not grow up with the internet, as today’s youth are. I have more restraint as an adult than I think my 13-year-old son does and I did when I was his age; to him, posting online is just like the note passing I did when young. However, there’s a big difference between the notes of my youth and children’s current internet experience. Negative messages or private images posted online can be spread like wildfire, with the potential to cause catastrophic consequences to all involved.



Therefore, it’s imperative we teach children how to properly conduct themselves online. One such initiative is the Digital Citizenship Project, which since 2011, has matched middle schoolers to high school mentors who teach cyberbullying though such venues as blog correspondences(Orech, 2012). For the younger grades, teaching cyberbullying awareness in the library could begin with teaching kindness through book sharing such titles as Pat Zietlow Miller’s Be Kind. Google offers an educational curriculum called Be Internet Awesome, featuring lesson plans about online safety, following their fundamental pillars, share with care, don’t fall for fake, secure your secrets, it’s cool to be kind [cyberbullying], and when in doubt, talk it out (Google, n.d.). There, kids can play Interland (see video below), “an online adventure that puts the key lessons of digital safety into hands-on practice” (Google, n.d.).

We must remember, like any skill, results improve with practice, and teaching steps towards cyberbullying prevention is no different. 

References:

Cyberbullying.org. (2014). What is cyberbullying. Retrieved from https://cyberbullying.org/what-is-cyberbullying

Goodreads. (n.d.). So you’ve been publicly shamed. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22571552-so-you-ve-been-publicly-shamed


Google. (n.d.). Be internet awesome: Helping kids be safe, confident explores of the online world. Retrieved from https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us


Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in k-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal of Education And training Studies, 3(6), 111-125.


Lutgen-Sandvik, P., Tracy, S. J. & Alberts, J. K. (2007). Burned by bullying in the American workplace: Prevalence, perception, degree and impact. Journal of Management Studies, 44(6), 837-862. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2007.00715.x



Olweus, D. (2012). Cyberbullying: An overrated phenomenon? European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(5), 520-538. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2012.682358



Orech, J. (2012). How it’s done: Incorporating digital citizenship into your everyday curriculum. Tech & Learning, 33(1), 16-18.



Ronson, J. (n.d.). We can destroy you and that’s o.k [Video]. Retrieved from http://sins.nfb.ca/#/Wrath/Video

Biblionasium – “GoodReads for Kids”

Biblionasium is an online reading community for children age 6-13. This social network allows children to exchange book information with other students, parents, and teachers in a safe environment. Children can monitor their reading progress, share book recommendations, write book reviews, create book lists, and earn virtual rewards. Teachers can observe students’ reading status and interact with them over many of the same activities, in addition to report compilation and collection needs determination, based on student feedback. Knowledgeable about what their children are reading through the parent portal, Biblionasium also promotes parent-child book discussions (Biblionasium, n.d.).

Biblionasium is a free service that can be accessed by selecting the join now button from Biblionasium's home page where a user will be prompted to select whether he or she is an educator, parent or student.  Alternately, a student whose teacher has created a class log in may access Biblionasium by selecting Login With Biblionasium from the home page’s menu bar. This video describes how teachers can enter their class rosters on Biblionasium:

Students whose schools subscribe to Biblionasium through Follett's Destiny Library Manager Platform, may use their Destiny log in to access Biblionasium through Destiny or use their Destiny log in on the Biblionasium site.  This video explains the many benefits of using Biblionasium linked to Destiny, one of which includes viewing the materials’ current availability (whether checked out) within the library's physical collection (Biblionasium, 2017).

Once on the site, students have a list of actions to choose from, the most common are add books and log your reading. To add books, a user types the name of the book in the search bar and a list of corresponding books appears (ex: a book within a series). Once the correct book is selected, the user will click add to shelf and will be prompted with options, such as I am reading it. Once the book is added, users can enter how many pages they have read and how much time that day they have spent reading the book (Bond, 2014). Sharing books with others via the recommendation option is another fun feature of this site; select the book from the my books tab (of previously added books on one’s account), click recommend it, choose which friends to share it with from the list provided, then choose from the pre-set list of notes to include, such as This book made me think of you (Biblionasium, 2012).

There are many ways in which Biblionasium can be incorporated into an instructional activity to support student learning in the elementary school library. Through Biblionasium’s challenges tab, a media specialist could create a reading challenge for students to choose their favorite picture book from the annual list of South Carolina picture book award nominees read over the school year. Students could easily keep track of which books they have read and use the star rating system and notes section to help them determine their personal favorite. The media specialist, who has access to the students’ reading logs, could encourage time management tips to help keep them on track to finish the books by the end of the year. An additional student lesson could be created through the use of Biblionasium's review it tab; students could write their own book review, then compare it with professional ones from a source such as School Library Journal. One school district even used Biblionasium to successfully connect their school year literacy efforts to their county’s public library summer reading program, as discussed here.

References

Biblionasium (n.d.). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved from https://www.biblionasium.com/faq.

Biblionasium (2012, November 16). Biblionasium for kids: How to recommend books [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+recommend+a+book+on+biblionasium&docid=608000714953197924&mid=1A248E7AD473C80923D71A248E7AD473C80923D7&view=detail&FORM=VIREHT

Biblionasium (2017, May 10). 6 ways to use your Destiny library collection with Biblionasium [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=biblionasium+you+tube&&view=detail&mid=49E27690D7C258AE827C49E27690D7C258AE827C&&FORM=VRDGAR

Bond, M. (2014, September 8). Biblionasium tutorial [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=biblionasium+you+tube&&view=detail&mid=B420D2BCAEF94A2FFC88B420D2BCAEF94A2FFC88&&FORM=VRDGAR

Audiobooks as Adaptive Technology Resources

Libraries serve as safe places for everyone, of all ability levels, to come together in information sharing, retrieval and exploration. The library’s physical space and communication modes should support the varied needs of its patrons. For example, providing materials in multiple formats, such as large print books, and ensuring walkways are clear and are of sufficient width, encourages accessibility for all (Copeland, 2011). For those with disabilities, adaptive technology devices, items that are “specifically designed for the purpose of increasing or maintaining the capabilities of people with disabilities” (AssistiveTech, n.d.), strive to improve the wellbeing of those they serve.

An audiobook is one type of adaptive technology device. Invented by The American Foundation for the Blind in the early 1930’s, the evolution of the audiobook has grown into a billion-dollar industry (Thoet, 2017). Research shows that benefits exist for students of all ability levels who participate in inclusive class environments (Hehir, Grindal, & Freeman, 2016), making the audiobook, which can assist all types of learners, an educational tool that promotes inclusive learning conditions; after all, in an ideal world, all our environments would be barrier free (Parlho Park, 2016). Audiobooks can assist learners who have dyslexia receive the needed “multisensory structured language instruction” (Learning Ally, n.d.). Paired with viewing corresponding text, audiobooks can serve to promote reading comprehension as I have discovered in my own grad school courses. As discussed on my website, Audiobooks: What’s Not to Love, audiobooks can also encourage practice in those students who are reluctant to reading through the motivation of utilizing a technology device (Hett, 2012) and audiobooks encourage language learners to accrue the knowledge necessary to speak a new language (Chang, 2011).

Audiobooks can be accessed in multiple ways. Public libraries offer free audiobooks to patrons; for example, South Carolina's Greenville County library system provides access to audiobooks through Hoopla, as demonstrated here: 

Students can access audiobooks through their participating schools’ OverDrive Sora app as described below: 

Audiobooks for students can be located for free on Tumble Book Library through South Carolina’s virtual library Discus.  An additional audiobook resource for schools and homes is Learning Ally, “a leading nonprofit education solutions organization that transforms the lives of struggling learners” (Learning Ally, n.d.).

Utilizing a Kindle reader or Kindle app with the read aloud function would enable students to have the bonus capabilities of access to dictionary definitions, highlighting, and notetaking. A media specialist could design a lesson around Matt de la Pena’s story, Carmela Full of Wishes by instructing students to highlight what they imagined Carmela wished for. By referring back to the supporting text throughout this audiobook, students are participating in deeper thinking about the characters' thoughts and motivations within the story. 

References:

AssistiveTech (n.d.). Adaptive Technology Versus Assistive Technology. Retrieved from http://www.assistivetech.com/adaptive-technology-versus-assistive-technology/

Chang, A.C.S. (2011, June). The effect of reading while listening to audiobooks: Listening fluency and vocabulary gain. Asian Journal of English Language Teaching, 21, 43-64. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=8d6f7277-be9c-4577-a250-b3a5d32760d9%40sdc-v-sessmgr03

Copeland, C.A. (2011). School librarians of the 21^st century. Knowledge Quest. 39(3), 64-69.

Griffin, Dan. (2017, December 1). Hoopla unveils new eReader with read-along feature! [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0pZGEfR_bY

Hehir, T., Grindal, T., Freeman, B., Lamoreau, R., Borquaye, Y., & Burke, S.  (2016). ABT Associates: A summary on the evidence on inclusive education. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/m_gra/OneDrive/USC%20MLIS/761%20-%20Fall%202019%20Info.%20Tech%20in%20Sch%20Library/Module%207/Module%207%20Readings/Reading%201.pdf

Hett, K. (2012, summer). Technology-supported literacy in the classroom: Using audiobooks and digital storytelling to enhance literacy instruction. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 40(3), 3-13. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=e581783d-c3e7-4cfe-a08e-7961ea9f37dd%40sessionmgr104

Learning Ally (n.d). Multisensory Structured Language Interventions. Retrieved from https://learningally.org/Solutions-for-Home/Dyslexia-Resources/Articles/balance-msl-and-assistive-technology?cid=8

Parhlo Park. (2016). Entire community learns sign language so a deaf resident would feel more at home. Retrieved from https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2jh7ua

Thoet, A. (2017). A short history of the audiobook, 20 years after the first portable digital audio device. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/a-short-history-of-the-audiobook-20-years-after-the-first-portable-digital-audio-device

Cell Phone Stand Created Using 3D Printing

A 3D printer is an electronic machine utilized to create three dimensional objects by stacking layers of material in a pre-determined pattern (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Items are created from long thin spooled ropes of plastic that are inserted into a 3D printer, melted, propelled through the extruder, and deposited onto a tray (O’Neill & Williams, 2014). The design’s specifications manipulate the extruder to “draw a picture with the plastic” and, once done, continually place “another layer of [thin] plastic directly on top” until the design is finished (O’Neill & Williams, 2014).

The following are the steps involved in using a 3D printer summarized from the book 3D Printing (O’Neill & Williams, 2014): Begin by selecting a *model from a website containing files of digital designs such as Thingiverse. After downloading the chosen prototype’s file, Thingiverse’s appear as STL files, users must slice it into layers by running a program such as ReplicatorG. The file will need to be transferred to the printer using an SD card or connecting the printer to the computer. The final steps before printing are to make sure the printer is warmed up, the extruder is correctly positioned, and other specific steps by printer company. *Note: alternately, one’s own designs can be created by using a program such as Tinkercad.

The technology-enabled learning module – the RAT assessment framework, connects to 3D printing in the school setting. The first letter of the acronym RAT, “R” stands for replacement: “Technology serves as a different (digital) means to same instructional practices” (Hughes, n.d.).  For example, instead of home economic students conducting online research to discover the best strainer for pasta, students could create and compare different 3D pasta strainer models.

The “A” in RAT stands for Amplification, “Technology increases efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity of same instructional practices” (Hughes, n.d.). Perhaps after testing the 3D created strainers, the students are unsatisfied with all of the models they have sampled due to the difficulty in washing food out of the strainers because the holes are too small. The students decide to create their own 3D designs that have larger holes than any of the design models available (but still small enough to not lose all of the smaller elbow pastas), creating their own solution to this problem.

“T”, the last letter of RAT stands for Transformation: “Technology invents new instruction, learning, or curricula” (Hughes, n.d.).  In creating the pasta strainers, the students notice that their projects are bending and curling in some places. They do research to figure out how to fix 3D printer warping  and through much trial and error of applying the suggestions, discover the 3D printer’s build plate is not leveled properly (Ultimaker, n.d.). When issues arise in printing other 3D projects in the future, they refer back to these tips to resolve the problem.

The following 3D resources can help a classroom teacher or school librarian. Thingiverse is a gathering of the most comprehensive free 3D printing ideas for creating and sharing (Thingiverse, n.d.). TrimbleSketch Up provides public schools free access (Sketchup, n.d.) and lessons for creating 3D printing designs, plus it’s considered one of the simplest 3D design modeling programs (O’neill & Williams, 2014).

References:

Hughes, J. (n.d.). R.A.T. Model. Retrieved from https://techedges.org/r-a-t-model/

Merriam-Webster dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/3-D%20printer

O’Neill, T. & Williams, J. (2014). 3D printing. Ann Arbor, MI: Cherry Lake Publishing.

Sketchup (n.d.). Plans and pricing. Retrieved from https://www.sketchup.com/plans-and-pricing#for-primary-and-secondary-education

Thingiverse (n.d.). What is Thingiverse. Retrieved from https://www.thingiverse.com/about/

Ultimaker (n.d.). How to fix warping. Retrieved from https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/19537-how-to-fix-warping