This week is filled with great opportunities to work with students at the middle school level as well as learning about all sorts of technologies and strategies to be used in the classroom. Here's my schedule for the week (as it stands now):
Monday - in the office, but working on the Civil Rights Data Collection for our district, as well as other items; judging Digital Art entries from the middle school STLP students at 1630
Tuesday - in the office, but have a webinar on Lesson Plans at 1400 and a webinar on Web 2.0 Tools at 1500; however, I will have to leave the 2nd webinar a little early to get to the TRT meeting at CCMS at 1530
Wednesday - attending the STLP Showcase at Murray State University with the middle school STLP students and their sponsor, Mrs. Everette
Thursday - at CCMS, working with 6th graders on their ILPs (Individual Learning Plans); after school, I'll be at CCPS judging the CCEA Logo Contest entries; at 1900 I have a webinar on Differentiated Instruction
Friday - in the office, but working on the CRDC plus other items; have a webinar on Podcasting at 1000
Whew! It makes me tired just typing the schedule out! Hopefully everything will go as planned and the week will be a successful one.
Since bullying and cyberbullying have been in the news lately and seem to be a focus of technology instruction for schools and districts all across the nation, I thought I would share some sites this week on the topic:
Bullying.org - This site's purpose is to prevent bullying in our society through education and awareness. They provide educational programs and resources to individuals, families, educational institutions and organizations. They make available online learning and educational resources in order to help people deal effectively and positively with the act of bullying and its long lasting negative consequences.
Cyberbullying.org - This site states that "Cyberbullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others." There are links for Examples, What Can Be Done, Facts and News, and Related Resources.
Netsmartz.org - NetSmartz is a great resource for keeping students (and adults) safe online. This particular link, http://www.netsmartz.org/Resources/reallife.htm, takes the user to real-life stories about Cyberbullying, from both the victim's viewpoint and the bully's viewpoint. Many of the videos are geared specifically toward certain age levels and some contain activity cards and related news articles as well.
Cyberbullying.us - The Cyberbullying Research Center is dedicated to providing up-to-date information about the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying among adolescents. You can find fact sheets, books and other publications, watch videos, read the blog that is posted, and read the latest cyberbullying headlines/articles.
Stop Cyberbullying - The initial screen for this site gives information on what cyberbullying is. Once you enter the site, there are links for what is it; how it works; why cyberbully; prevention; take action; and what's the law. There are also specific links for ages 7-10; 11-13; 14-17; parents; educators; and law enforcement. I particularly like their slogan - "Don't be part of the problem. Be part of the solution!"
Hopefully you will find something that you can use not only with your classroom but also with your family members with regard to online safety and cyberbullying.
