Cyber Bullying Bianca Williams

Educating Students on Cyber Bullying Study found that education is key to helping students fight cyber-bullying. The study was performed by the Educational Technology Policy, Research, and Outreach (ETPRO). Educational Technology Policy, Research, and Outreach

Population of Students Students that participated in the program consisted of a group of 1,100 students from 16 private and public schools in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Students were either in the fifth or sixth grade.

DARE OFFICERS AND IKEEPSAFE INSTRUCTORS PRESENTED INFORMATION The curriculum, taught to students during the school year by DARE officers in classrooms. Shows students how to protect their privacy and reach out for help if they--or friends--become victims of cyber bullying. About 3,200 officers have been trained to provide the instruction.

SAFETY CURRICULUM Student participants were taught the three KEEPs of Internet safety (keep safe, keep away, and keep telling) as applied to cases of cyber bullying; When used properly, applied strategies should reduce the chances of students becoming a cyber-bullying victim; and understand the dangers of revealing personal information through online communication.

Results of the Program The survey found that the number of students describing multiple effective responses to cyber bullying scenarios increased by more than 43 percent; The program helped students understand that their negative action--such as telling the cyber bully to stop--may serve to antagonize the cyber bully into continuing their behavior; or deleting the message can eliminate a source of evidence and a means to track the perpetrator; Student recognition that they should tell a trusted adult when someone else was being cyber bullied went up 77 percent; and Students recognized the three "keeps" of Internet safety taught in online safety lessons iKeepSafe, including not giving out personal information, and learned about the dangers of revealing personal information through online communication.

Importance of Program Cyber-bullying is a topic that should be discussed with all students especially in an era when the internet is widely used by individuals with varying motives, cultures, and computer etiquette. Parents, teachers, and students should all be aware of ways to protect themselves and others.

WORKS CITED Schaffhauser, Dian. “Study Finds Education Program Effective in Teaching Kids about Cyber-Safety”. The Journal. July 14,