Digital Smarts Blog

As Amy Williams reports in her blog post “What Bullying Looks Like in the Digital Age and How to Prevent It,” a big problem with bullying is that it is being underreported. She writes: “Recent studies show that an astonishing half of workplace bullying and 40 percent of school bullying will go unreported. Whether this is because of insensitivity toward the issue, a normalization of the practice in our culture, or simply an inability to identify it, something must be done to rectify the situation.” She feels that the most obvious way to prevent more bullying is to say something if you see something. This is an important topic of discussion for kids and adults alike yet again.

As Amy Williams reports in her blog post “What Bullying Looks Like in the Digital Age and How to Prevent It,” a big problem with bullying is that it is being underreported. She writes: “Recent studies show that an astonishing half of workplace bullying and 40 percent of school bullying will go unreported. Whether this is because of insensitivity toward the issue, a normalization of the practice in our culture, or simply an inability to identify it, something must be done to rectify the situation.” She feels that the most obvious way to prevent more bullying is to say something if you see something. This is an important topic of discussion for kids and adults alike yet again.

In the blog post “Why Teaching Kindness in Schools Is Essential to Reduce Bullying” Lisa Currie touches on how modern education must encompass more than just academics, and that matters of the heart must also be a priority. Some of the benefits of nurturing kindness in school include increased peer acceptance and less bullying, and alleviating the feelings that school is frightening or a chore, and more like being part of a caring extended family.

In the blog post “Why Teaching Kindness in Schools Is Essential to Reduce Bullying” Lisa Currie touches on how modern education must encompass more than just academics, and that matters of the heart must also be a priority. Some of the benefits of nurturing kindness in school include increased peer acceptance and less bullying, and alleviating the feelings that school is frightening or a chore, and more like being part of a caring extended family.

ClassDojo is a classroom management system designed to help teachers improve student behavior. Positive and negative feedback points can be awarded in real time for behavior in class and teachers can create reports using the data for parents and students to access. Classroom tracking apps have been praised as an innovative method to help teachers gain student attention and lessen discipline problems, but there are growing concerns about the negative implications such a system could have. Receiving negative points could possibly end up publicly shaming some students, and questions have been raised about what the use of the app does to student morale. The privacy concerns of what happens to data in the long term is also being questioned and, as Kahlia Barnes of the Electronic Privacy Information Center puts it, “If a student is afraid that every single thing she does is recorded and scaled and sent off to others who can make decisions about her life, then it can chill her speech.” It does seem to give a whole new meaning to the famous line “this could go on your permanent record.”

ClassDojo is a classroom management system designed to help teachers improve student behavior. Positive and negative feedback points can be awarded in real time for behavior in class and teachers can create reports using the data for parents and students to access. Classroom tracking apps have been praised as an innovative method to help teachers gain student attention and lessen discipline problems, but there are growing concerns about the negative implications such a system could have. Receiving negative points could possibly end up publicly shaming some students, and questions have been raised about what the use of the app does to student morale. The privacy concerns of what happens to data in the long term is also being questioned and, as Kahlia Barnes of the Electronic Privacy Information Center puts it, “If a student is afraid that every single thing she does is recorded and scaled and sent off to others who can make decisions about her life, then it can chill her speech.” It does seem to give a whole new meaning to the famous line “this could go on your permanent record.”

With teen attention focusing away from Facebook and onto other social networking apps, Time magazine outlines 5 iPhone apps that parents should know about to stay in the loop on what is popular with teens. Anonymity is a common feature of four out of the five on the list, which may raise red flags for some parents because of the link to cyberbullying.  Ask.fm is one that was linked to a teen suicide earlier this year, and Secret has been cited in cyberbullying cases. The in-depth descriptions in the article gives parents a summary of what the app does and pitfalls to help teens avoid.

With teen attention focusing away from Facebook and onto other social networking apps, Time magazine outlines 5 iPhone apps that parents should know about to stay in the loop on what is popular with teens. Anonymity is a common feature of four out of the five on the list, which may raise red flags for some parents because of the link to cyberbullying.  Ask.fm is one that was linked to a teen suicide earlier this year, and Secret has been cited in cyberbullying cases. The in-depth descriptions in the article gives parents a summary of what the app does and pitfalls to help teens avoid.

A recent Piper Jaffray survey found that 9 out of 10 American teens say they use social media, with Instagram being the most popular site. For girls, the site has taken on a special language, becoming a way for tweens and teens to find out what their peers really think of them. Instagram has become a popularity meter and teens are learning to manipulate the levers of success. Need to get up to speed on the secret ways of communicating on Instagram? Take a look at The Secret Language of Girls on Instagram for a beginner’s guide to the acronyms and twists and turns of teenage girl angst online.

A recent Piper Jaffray survey found that 9 out of 10 American teens say they use social media, with Instagram being the most popular site. For girls, the site has taken on a special language, becoming a way for tweens and teens to find out what their peers really think of them. Instagram has become a popularity meter and teens are learning to manipulate the levers of success. Need to get up to speed on the secret ways of communicating on Instagram? Take a look at The Secret Language of Girls on Instagram for a beginner’s guide to the acronyms and twists and turns of teenage girl angst online.

Perhaps you have heard about the Alex from Target story. A picture of Alex, a 16 year old from Texas, went viral recently after a teenage girl from Britain randomly came across a Tumblr photo of him that had been taken surreptitiously. She posted it on Twitter, and within hours, Alex’s Twitter followers went from 144 to hundreds of thousands. At first, Alex’s newly found fame got him an interview on the “Ellen” show and offers to appear on other talk shows, but the positive side of this new notoriety did not last long. Alex now says he can barely go outside for fear of being accosted. Online, thousands have taken to social media to call Alex names (including vulgarities) or fabricate stories about him being fired. Twitter is littered with posts that denigrate his looks (e.g., “Alex from Target is so damn ugly”) or spew envy at him (“Alex from Target is a nobody who doesn’t deserve fame”). There have even been dozens of death threats on social media and in private messages (“Alex from Target, I’ll find you and I will kill you”) and people have leaked the family’s personal information online, including Social Security numbers, bank accounts and phone records. Alex’s family, who has had to meet with school and police officials about emergency plans, will now have to help him through this very new kind of teenage crisis. In the meantime, this offers an interesting opportunity to discus with your children the pros and cons of “going viral”. Take a look at 9 Rules for Keeping Your Photos Safe Online for tips on how to keep this situation happening to your family.

Perhaps you have heard about the Alex from Target story. A picture of Alex, a 16 year old from Texas, went viral recently after a teenage girl from Britain randomly came across a Tumblr photo of him that had been taken surreptitiously. She posted it on Twitter, and within hours, Alex’s Twitter followers went from 144 to hundreds of thousands. At first, Alex’s newly found fame got him an interview on the “Ellen” show and offers to appear on other talk shows, but the positive side of this new notoriety did not last long. Alex now says he can barely go outside for fear of being accosted. Online, thousands have taken to social media to call Alex names (including vulgarities) or fabricate stories about him being fired. Twitter is littered with posts that denigrate his looks (e.g., “Alex from Target is so damn ugly”) or spew envy at him (“Alex from Target is a nobody who doesn’t deserve fame”). There have even been dozens of death threats on social media and in private messages (“Alex from Target, I’ll find you and I will kill you”) and people have leaked the family’s personal information online, including Social Security numbers, bank accounts and phone records. Alex’s family, who has had to meet with school and police officials about emergency plans, will now have to help him through this very new kind of teenage crisis. In the meantime, this offers an interesting opportunity to discus with your children the pros and cons of “going viral”. Take a look at 9 Rules for Keeping Your Photos Safe Online for tips on how to keep this situation happening to your family.

The New York Times recently posed a question on Facebook about the role of schools in regulating the off-campus and online behavior of their students. Take a look at the international set of responses on the Room for Debate blog page. There you will find almost the full spectrum of thinking on the topic.

The New York Times recently posed a question on Facebook about the role of schools in regulating the off-campus and online behavior of their students. Take a look at the international set of responses on the Room for Debate blog page. There you will find almost the full spectrum of thinking on the topic.

A new survey has suggested to researchers in Britain that a sharp decline in British schoolgirls’ self esteem over the last seven years can be directly linked to their online activity, with the internet’s emphasis on images being cited as a factor. It was also acknowledged that social media has changed the face of bullying, with girls no longer able to leave upsetting behavior at the school gates and continuing to experience friendship problems online. They found that three in four girls aged 14 to 15 regularly chatted on social media, with one in five speaking to someone that didn’t know. One in eight had received a message they found distressing, and a third of all pupils questioned had looked for porn, violent images and games online. While none of this is revolutionary news, the survey does suggest that anti-cyberbullying campaigns have not had the impact hoped for with target audiences. For a graphic example of the kind of overly slender images girls are bombarded with, take a look at Disney Princesses With Realistic Waistlines Look Utterly Fabulous.

A new survey has suggested to researchers in Britain that a sharp decline in British schoolgirls’ self esteem over the last seven years can be directly linked to their online activity, with the internet’s emphasis on images being cited as a factor. It was also acknowledged that social media has changed the face of bullying, with girls no longer able to leave upsetting behavior at the school gates and continuing to experience friendship problems online. They found that three in four girls aged 14 to 15 regularly chatted on social media, with one in five speaking to someone that didn’t know. One in eight had received a message they found distressing, and a third of all pupils questioned had looked for porn, violent images and games online. While none of this is revolutionary news, the survey does suggest that anti-cyberbullying campaigns have not had the impact hoped for with target audiences. For a graphic example of the kind of overly slender images girls are bombarded with, take a look at Disney Princesses With Realistic Waistlines Look Utterly Fabulous.

Although written for an audience of educators, this list of 10 Important Password Tips Everyone Should Know is relevant for everyone. To summarize, the biggest tip of advice would be to stop being so obvious. Don’t leave your passwords out where others can see them, use a password manager and remember to log out of your computer or tablet. With the holiday season approaching and more shopping being done online, it is a good idea to think about updating your passwords.

Although written for an audience of educators, this list of 10 Important Password Tips Everyone Should Know is relevant for everyone. To summarize, the biggest tip of advice would be to stop being so obvious. Don’t leave your passwords out where others can see them, use a password manager and remember to log out of your computer or tablet. With the holiday season approaching and more shopping being done online, it is a good idea to think about updating your passwords.

A new study surveyed 1,000 drivers and found that 98% of those who text everyday and drive frequently say the practice is dangerous, but nearly 75% say they do it anyway. The lure of text messages is actually a lot like the appeal of slot machines, David Greenfield of the University of Connecticut Medical School explains. He says both can be difficult compulsions to overcome for some people. The buzz of an incoming text message causes the release of dopamine in the brain, which generates excitement. If the message turns out to be from someone appealing, even more dopamine is released. Curbing this compulsion could take years for the text-obsessed, and Greenfield hypothesizes doing so might resemble efforts to stop drunk driving. He notes that before they can change their behavior, people need to realize they’re part of the problem.

Want to help yourself? Download the app that is part of the AT&T “It Can Wait Campaign.” It is activated when driving more than 15 mph and silences incoming text message alerts. It is an ideal app for teens or for parents who want to model good behavior behind the wheel.

A new study surveyed 1,000 drivers and found that 98% of those who text everyday and drive frequently say the practice is dangerous, but nearly 75% say they do it anyway. The lure of text messages is actually a lot like the appeal of slot machines, David Greenfield of the University of Connecticut Medical School explains. He says both can be difficult compulsions to overcome for some people. The buzz of an incoming text message causes the release of dopamine in the brain, which generates excitement. If the message turns out to be from someone appealing, even more dopamine is released. Curbing this compulsion could take years for the text-obsessed, and Greenfield hypothesizes doing so might resemble efforts to stop drunk driving. He notes that before they can change their behavior, people need to realize they’re part of the problem.

Want to help yourself? Download the app that is part of the AT&T “It Can Wait Campaign.” It is activated when driving more than 15 mph and silences incoming text message alerts. It is an ideal app for teens or for parents who want to model good behavior behind the wheel.