How are you supporting anti Bullying week (15th Nov to 19th) for your school?

[Hollie1985]

Bullying is serious business in schools. I have been reading about students being bullied via electronic communications. I am curious to learn how schools are handling the growing cyber bullying issues that are out there, what kinds of software for example?

[Jonny]

We just tell them to stop it. Bullying is bullying, regardless of the medium.

[Hollie1985]

BBC - Schools Parents - Understanding cyber bullying Interesting video here, I would think a lot goes on in schools what is not always visable to the teacher or Head ......... technology could prevent some of these circumstances surely I would of thought so in this day and age.

[Domino]

There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioural problems....

[Hollie1985]

I agree there is never a good technological solution to behavioural problems BUT if there was a technology in place this might well act as a deterrant for students looking to abuse such systems, email for example? Also technology can act as proof for when there is an issue going on with the Head and where parents have to come into the school for example, technology is evidence .........

[Jonny]

Bullying has to be dealt with openly across the school. We don't have microphones in the playgounds and we don't video kids as they interact throughout the day. Regardless of the manner in which bullying is taking place, you can only deal with it by creating an atmosphere where the students feel comfortable reporting it happening to themselves or someone else. It seems strange to say that when it is computer related we have to rely on technology to provide proof. What do we do then when it takes place in the playground/classroom? Do we have a seperate set of criteria to establish guilt?

[Hollie1985]

Yeah I hear what you are saying. What I am trying to say is students spend a lot of time online and I'm just curious of how the children are protected online from this sort of thing..I spend a lot of time online myself and i can imagine younger teenage rebels to abuse the system maybe, so I'm curious as to what schools use these days to combat such issues that is all...

[apoth0r]

Cyber bullying is, the majority of the time, outside of school where there are no filters for the internet at home or blocks on instant messaging services. There is no software that has been or will be made to combat and eradicate 'cyber bullying', as for any types of bullying it is down to education.

[JPS]

So as to not discriminate, we are having a bullying week as well!

[skunk]

A great video about cyber bullying - Digizen - View this award winning film that helps sensitise people to the hurt and pain that can be caused by cyberbullying. The film shows ways in which cyberbullying can occur, who it involves, how it can affect different people, and what can be done to prevent it and respond to it.

 

Cyber bullying enables bullying to take place anywhere at anytime, even in the security of your own home / bedroom. It is also harder to identify as there is no obvious evidence that teachers / other students would spot.

 

Our system is pretty tied down so there is little opportunity for cyber-bullying to occur, however, we always help a child who is being bullied outside of school using electronic communication.

[Midget]

The best way to reduce the amount of bullying that you hear about is to remove the bully box and install curtains in the staffroom. [/joke]

[Hollie1985]

I find it quite odd that certain people joke on the subject of young people being bullied, I find that very odd.

[JPS]

I find it quite odd that certain people joke on the subject of young people being bullied, I find that very odd.

 

I was just making the point that now everything/everybody has to be treated equally. You cant single out groups of people (in this case bullies) without upsetting somebody.

 

I was bullied at school for sticking out as a 'more intelligent' sort, or perhaps at least 'more studious' (pre cyber-bullying) and yeah it wasnt great but it had no lasting effect. I now know that most of those who were involved were jealous and havent had the success I have had in my career.

[apoth0r]

It's probably because you have trolled the website promoting software that actually has nothing to do with anti-bullying, you've just used it as an excuse to show off the software you make.

(No I haven't forgotten your previous post this morning about the same thing)

 

I'm just offended at how deviously you use anti-bullying to promote software.

Perhaps some time in the education sector as a teaching assistant may wake you up to the actual day to day of this problem, rather then saying 'oh this company does anti-bullying software' when in fact you don't, you just have a mail logging system. BIG WHOOP.

[Hollie1985]

Well if you scroll up to the top of this thread, you will actually notice that I am looking to the EduGeek community to see other peoples views on this topic.

[Jonny]

Well, not entirely true, you are asking what software they would use to catch people bullying. There is no technical way to stop bullying from occurring. It gets boring really fast when people get hysterical about "cyber-bullying" as if it is worse than regular bullying. Any teacher with more than a couple months experience will laugh at the thought that by installing software you will stop all bullying in schools.

 

Bullying is a people issue and should be dealt with as such. We don't differentiate between people shouting names, making signs or writing nasty notes. Why then should something posted on the internet be different? Because it is at home? Not really as bullying occurs on the way home, on the bus or train. On the weekends when kids live near each other, in town when they gather to loiter outside shops.

 

Bullying is only stopped through education of students and by providing them with support. There is no Magic Pill.

[Hollie1985]

I am just saying that as a young person myself. I spend an unhealthy amount of time online and as being an IT person myself, I was curious on the technology which can help to not cure it but help put a STOP to online abuse, key words etc via reports. Yes this is a topic of interest to me because I believe it happens and I believe technology can be used to get to the bottom of ongoing issues related to such and I have seen this work in certain Academies with positive outcomes. That is all. Thanks everyone for your views though.

[teejay]

Best protection from cyber bullying is to teach pupils how to use the delete and block buttons, not turn us into a survellance society.

[apoth0r]

So rather then ask the community, put something back and write a report on HOW and WHY it worked in those acadamies.

 

I anticipate your report

 

 

Steve

[elsiegee40]

As schools, our responsibility lies with "Safeguarding". This encompasses many areas including bullying and cyber-bulling, health & safety and e-safety. Our traditional role is to ensure the children are safe on school premises, but we also have a duty to teach the children how to stay safe outside the school. Safeguarding is a limiting judgment from Ofsted... i.e. fail on this and it affects the whole school's result.

 

Educating young people about the risks and teaching them how to stay safe and what to do if things go wrong is the most important thing.

 

Software can be used as a tool to help. For example, we have Hector ( a little screen saver that can be used if something offensive is seen on the internet). Schools have web and email filtering in place which contains language and content filters. If there are any running without filters, they are very foolhardy!

 

Personally, I can't see that another piece of software on top of what we run will help. It may not be the case in all schools. Technology is a method used by bullies, but it is by no means the only one.

 

In the same way as I tell parents that 'net nanny software' is not the solution to e-Safety, software solutions are not the whole answer to cyber-bulling. You can stop it on a computer, but the bully will simply use a mobile phone, or a piece of paper, or a tin of spray paint, or...

 

Like I said, we have to teach the children what to do when bullying occurs and we have to make sure that the bullies are deterred. This is down the SLT, policies and a consistent whole school human approach.

[Sylv3r]

Not doing anything special this week but I usually go over cyberbullying in assemblies as part of Internet safety day.

[Hollie1985]

So rather then ask the community, put something back and write a report on HOW and WHY it worked in those acadamies.

 

I anticipate your report

 

 

Steve

 

Ok I can put together a report Steve. Would you like to PM me your email address of where you want it sending?