B:-( Stop Cyberbullying Bit by Bit

a simulpost with TechLearning

i am alone yet surrounded by millions
separated from them by a bit
and yet from me they take a byte
how could it be
that they take anything from me?
:-S

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucketyet they deride
and now i hide
they taunt me, "IM anonymous,
no one knows any of us."
>:E
does anyone care a bit?
:'-(

my parents don't know
and don't see
how someone so far
could steal from me
and destroy my tranquility
:-O

give me someone to tell
someone who understands
and will not yell
>:-O
that i must abandon the way
i talk to the world each day.
:-X


i don't really like who i am
and "they" don't either.
is there anyone out there
who cares
a little bit?
:-(


Prominent blogger Kathy Sierra revealed this week (warning, her post contains explicit language) the death threats and cyberbullying she has experienced and calls on the blogging community to stand up for a code of ethics that rejects such behavior. Andy Carvin echoed and asked that we proclaim today "Stop Cyberbullying Day." I am observing it, are you?

If you think that kids are just happy, look at the meaning of the emoticons I used in the poem above:
:-S - Confused/frustrated
>:E - Anger or hatred, baring teeth
:'-( - Shedding a tear
:-O - Angry/Yelling
:-X - My lips are sealed
:-( - Sad

Source: Emoticon- Wikipedia
IM speak is full of the whole range of human emotions, including great sadness!

Will you commemorate this day with me?

What can you do to Stop Cyberbullying Today?

  • JOIN the Stop Cyberbullying networkto create a central repository of information that is rated and reviewed by educators and to discuss what works. View it like the front lines establishing a form of communication. (If the network is blocked, I've got a template on my blog that you can mail your IT person to ask for it to be unblocked.) After joining, post hyperlinks or review and comment on the resources of others, join the conversation.

  • EDUCATE YOURSELF - Read how your
    school can respond to and prevent it over at Stop Cyberbullying.com (and how to tell the difference between harrassment and cyberbullying from a legal standpoint.) Take some of the free lessons at Wired Safety. Listen to Wes Fryer's podcast (or read his wiki ) about Cyberbullying. You can listen to the whole podcast, or if you are short on time,
    read the highlights that I have annotated and listen to the clips you choose. (I did this using Innertoob -- a great way to grade podcasts, by the way.)





  • SHARE -Plan to show this video to your students during the next several weeks and talk about the importance of telling someone when they are being harassed online. (You can also see a wealth of other videos collected at the Stop Cyberbullying Network)



  • REPORT - Every little BIT helps. When you see someone inappropriately attacking another blogger either on comments on or a blog, say something! (Often we DON"T see it because of comment moderation.) We often don't say things because we are afraid. Afraid that some "nut case" is going to come after us. However, if we agree that we will all band together and speak up. If we are afraid to "stand up," Wired Safety has a Cyber 911 tipline that you can also use.


  • SPEAK - Use a badge from Scott McLeod on your blog and hyperlink it to http://stopcyberbullying.ning.com, or just copy the link and image from the picture. Post and share the facts from the experts and tag it <a
    href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/stopcyberbullying" rel="tag" >stopcyberbullying</a>. Speak up in your sphere of influence: the classroom, the PTO, the civic group, the government agency, the educators organization. Make sure this is a topic that your teachers learn about and understand. We must become a cacophony of voices speaking out about how to be wise, civil, and successful online.


  • BE AN ADVOCATE FOR WISDOM - When the leaders of the Dark Ages became afraid of thoughts and dissension, they burned books. We cannot afford to burn blogs (as ill-thought out DOPA would do) and the trail we have blazed into a new, more productive society through the Internet's new communication tools. The Human Genome project shows what amazing things can happen through collaboration. If we want important breakthroughs to happen faster, we must promote effective techno-personal and collaborative skills in the classroom. We cannot walk away and ignore the fundamental change in our society: Internet-enabled communications. Those who are vicious and hateful will not walk away from the Internet. It is imperative that the level headed and wise should not abdicate their responsibility to civilize the Internet and make it a safer place.


We are educators. We teach. We stamp out ignorance.

In our classrooms we hold the essence of what our
online life will be like in 10 or 20 years.


If we do not all do our little bit, we will be sorry. Do your part to
stamp out cyberbullying and most importantly, share!

And, we need to come up with (and use) new emoticons, one that communicates innappopriate, unethical behavior by a blogger.

Oh, how about?

B:-( Bad behavior

Stop Cyberbullying :-(

Note to my readers: The use of lowercase letters in the poem was intentional as was the use of punctuation. I always talk about the appropriate use of IM speak, in this case, I have a message to convey and wrote this as if I was a teenager online.

tag: , , , , , , , , ,

Popular Posts