Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Brown, K., Jackson, M., & Cassidy, W. (2006). Cyber-bullying: Developing policy to direct responses that are equitable and effective in addressing this special form of bullying. Canadian Journal of Administration and Policy, (57), 1-35.
The authors of this research examine what constitutes cyberbullying and how to form policies to manage the behavior through the understanding of what is the definition of cyberbullying. They explained that cyberbullying mostly takes placed because the perpetrators hide behind fake profiles and feel secure that they will not be discovered. Consequently, online abusers have poor parental involvement, more likely to abuse illegal drugs, and are just as likely to be involved in the justice system. In addition, parents and educators are at a disadvantage when dealing with the phenomenon because of their lack of experience with social networks. Still, the researchers state that when victims feel comfortable reporting incidences to adults there is a greater chance to stop the harassment. Furthermore, adult supervision must be present to curtail the opportunity for abuse and to teach young people proper etiquette when engaging in internet social activity. This same sentiment is supported by Campbell as she states that adult supervision and intervention decreases the incidences of cyberbullying.
The authors of this research examine what constitutes cyberbullying and how to form policies to manage the behavior through the understanding of what is the definition of cyberbullying. They explained that cyberbullying mostly takes placed because the perpetrators hide behind fake profiles and feel secure that they will not be discovered. Consequently, online abusers have poor parental involvement, more likely to abuse illegal drugs, and are just as likely to be involved in the justice system. In addition, parents and educators are at a disadvantage when dealing with the phenomenon because of their lack of experience with social networks. Still, the researchers state that when victims feel comfortable reporting incidences to adults there is a greater chance to stop the harassment. Furthermore, adult supervision must be present to curtail the opportunity for abuse and to teach young people proper etiquette when engaging in internet social activity. This same sentiment is supported by Campbell as she states that adult supervision and intervention decreases the incidences of cyberbullying.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Second Life Experience
Second Life definitely has a learning curve, but it doesn’t take long to get immersed in the virtual world. Because there is so much involved with SL, it is an intimidating world to explore. It’s had to get pass that nothing is real about SL. The landscapes, human abilities, and profiles are made up to suit the program. Navigating through all of the options to enjoy the virtual world is also cumbersome. Pretty much nothing feels natural about living in Second Life….until you actually surrender the notion that you are not part of an earthly world.
Just as moving to any new environment, you have to put yourself out there and get over the uncomfortable feeling of the new surroundings. This is what I had to convince myself to do. Once I started to explore the different places in SL, walking and flying became effortless. I actually became curious about where I could go and what I could discover. There were so many fascinating objects to look at and visually stunning environments to travel through. The Lost Gardens of Apollo was such a beautiful place I actually felt a sense of peacefulness while exploring. When I teleported to Morocco, I walked through the bazaar wishing I could smell the spices at one of the vendors. I finally ended up at the Bay City Airport. I was irritated that I couldn’t get a drink at the bar. When I left the bar, I accidentally walked into the Lady’s Power Room. I felt embarrassed and so flustered that I couldn’t walk anymore.
My avatar, Scott Catlyn, is intentionally misleading. This was done because many people create their avatars to be super model gorgeous; thus, truly living in a virtual world. I want mine to be the opposite of what others expect to see. To be honest, I have not come across anyone in SL who would be stereotypically unattractive. So I am completely unique in appearance.
Just as moving to any new environment, you have to put yourself out there and get over the uncomfortable feeling of the new surroundings. This is what I had to convince myself to do. Once I started to explore the different places in SL, walking and flying became effortless. I actually became curious about where I could go and what I could discover. There were so many fascinating objects to look at and visually stunning environments to travel through. The Lost Gardens of Apollo was such a beautiful place I actually felt a sense of peacefulness while exploring. When I teleported to Morocco, I walked through the bazaar wishing I could smell the spices at one of the vendors. I finally ended up at the Bay City Airport. I was irritated that I couldn’t get a drink at the bar. When I left the bar, I accidentally walked into the Lady’s Power Room. I felt embarrassed and so flustered that I couldn’t walk anymore.
My avatar, Scott Catlyn, is intentionally misleading. This was done because many people create their avatars to be super model gorgeous; thus, truly living in a virtual world. I want mine to be the opposite of what others expect to see. To be honest, I have not come across anyone in SL who would be stereotypically unattractive. So I am completely unique in appearance.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Social Networking Definition 2
We define social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system.
Boyd, D. M.,& Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), article 11. Retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html
Boyd, D. M.,& Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), article 11. Retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Podcast
I am interested in how to handle cyber bullying in social networks with concern for children and am doing some research for a unit assignment in one of my courses. Some of the ideas I have come across about how adults have reacted to cyber bullying is similar to what Boyd has stated. Adults don’t have the familiarity with the nettalk of social networks; therefore, they do not know how to respond to the harassment. Furthermore, many adults have never experienced this type of bullying and can’t relate to the incidences. So I think this is a critical issue in dealing with bullying. In addition, I don’t think parents know how to teach their children how to act appropriately on the internet because it is such a new media.
For teenagers, I think the anonymity gives them confidence that they can behave in ways they would not in face to face contact. They also say things they would not ordinarily say in front of a person. Being able to falsify a profile helps bullies hide behind a mask that only emboldens them to continue the bullying. It only takes a minute to distribute to hundreds, even thousands, harassing and humiliating messages meant to hurt someone. Without set policies and standards for social networking conduct, parents and educators will have a difficult task of helping students deal with the harassment and stopping the bullies for engaging in this practice.
Boyd makes an important point that educators and parents need to be active participants in social networking to understand what teenagers are communicating to others. I think this form of media allows students to open up and freely talk about their lives. With the growing popularity of social networks, teenagers have many more outlets to make connections, but also to abuse one another. The opportunity to identify problems could be missed if adults are not comfortable with the technology and choose to ignore it.
For teenagers, I think the anonymity gives them confidence that they can behave in ways they would not in face to face contact. They also say things they would not ordinarily say in front of a person. Being able to falsify a profile helps bullies hide behind a mask that only emboldens them to continue the bullying. It only takes a minute to distribute to hundreds, even thousands, harassing and humiliating messages meant to hurt someone. Without set policies and standards for social networking conduct, parents and educators will have a difficult task of helping students deal with the harassment and stopping the bullies for engaging in this practice.
Boyd makes an important point that educators and parents need to be active participants in social networking to understand what teenagers are communicating to others. I think this form of media allows students to open up and freely talk about their lives. With the growing popularity of social networks, teenagers have many more outlets to make connections, but also to abuse one another. The opportunity to identify problems could be missed if adults are not comfortable with the technology and choose to ignore it.
Social Media Video
Social networking is a fundamental shift in communication.
The majority of the networking sites we have been a part of so far in the course I have already been using; however, it seems like a whirlwind of activity and communication with so many different applications. Social networking is definitely not a fad and is going to be a part of our communication link. However, I do see a problem with so many web sites devoted to networking. Just as Facebook can bring the world together, the plethora of social networks can also isolate us. I see this form of communication collapsing on itself because it is just too big and far outreaching. If the population of Facebook makes it the third largest country in the world, why do we need so many other online sites? I really can’t keep track of all of the sites my friends and family are involved with nor do I have space on my cell for all of the applications. Anything that becomes too big and unsustainable will become extinct.
In my school district, we just started using online learning for our math courses. We have seen a significant increase in assessment scores for the online learning verses traditional teaching. Some attribute this to the format of online learning and that it is more interesting to students. However, from my own observations, I don’t think the online course is as challenging as the traditional course. So when Boyd reports that online learners are performing better than traditional learners, I’m a little skeptical of the data. In the online courses in my district, students don’t do nearly as much course work as the traditional class and they can take multiple retakes for exams. I suppose if multiple retakes were offered in the traditional course, students would be performing just as well. Moreover, students have complained to me that the Language Arts module of the online program is more difficult than the traditional course because of all of the reading involved. So for me the verdict is still out on which form of learning is optimal.
An intriguing thought I had while watching the podcast is how it is ever more important for education to change the way it teaches students to communicate. Again with the Facebook population, society is not longer communicating within its small community. Cultures, ideas, and beliefs and blended at an increasing rate, so much, that I don’t think people understand how to process the information. For that reasons, students need to have a substantial knowledge of what is happening outside of their neighborhoods because that is not where they just live anymore. Colleges and companies are relying more on social media to recruit and hire. This means students need to understand how to access and communicate in this new form.
The majority of the networking sites we have been a part of so far in the course I have already been using; however, it seems like a whirlwind of activity and communication with so many different applications. Social networking is definitely not a fad and is going to be a part of our communication link. However, I do see a problem with so many web sites devoted to networking. Just as Facebook can bring the world together, the plethora of social networks can also isolate us. I see this form of communication collapsing on itself because it is just too big and far outreaching. If the population of Facebook makes it the third largest country in the world, why do we need so many other online sites? I really can’t keep track of all of the sites my friends and family are involved with nor do I have space on my cell for all of the applications. Anything that becomes too big and unsustainable will become extinct.
In my school district, we just started using online learning for our math courses. We have seen a significant increase in assessment scores for the online learning verses traditional teaching. Some attribute this to the format of online learning and that it is more interesting to students. However, from my own observations, I don’t think the online course is as challenging as the traditional course. So when Boyd reports that online learners are performing better than traditional learners, I’m a little skeptical of the data. In the online courses in my district, students don’t do nearly as much course work as the traditional class and they can take multiple retakes for exams. I suppose if multiple retakes were offered in the traditional course, students would be performing just as well. Moreover, students have complained to me that the Language Arts module of the online program is more difficult than the traditional course because of all of the reading involved. So for me the verdict is still out on which form of learning is optimal.
An intriguing thought I had while watching the podcast is how it is ever more important for education to change the way it teaches students to communicate. Again with the Facebook population, society is not longer communicating within its small community. Cultures, ideas, and beliefs and blended at an increasing rate, so much, that I don’t think people understand how to process the information. For that reasons, students need to have a substantial knowledge of what is happening outside of their neighborhoods because that is not where they just live anymore. Colleges and companies are relying more on social media to recruit and hire. This means students need to understand how to access and communicate in this new form.
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