In preparation for a summer of greatness, 7th grade tech students spent the last class of the year defining cyberbullying – types and solutions.  This unit ties in with a larger advisory curriculum strand on intentional communities and mutual respect.

We watched “Odd Girl Out“, a movie based on Rachel Simmon’s book of the same title.  We analyzed the different ways in which the main character, Vanessa, was victimized using technology (cell phones, cameras, chat, website):

  • posing – someone pretends to be you and says things to your friends that are hurtful or untrue
  • excluding – creating online communities based on leaving someone out
  • outing – sharing someones secrets…especially easy if those secrets are already typed up on caught on camera
  • flaming – saying horrible things about someone or their work, with a disproportionate amount of hate involved. Often cloaked in anonymity
  • bashing – a group of people ganging up on an individual, anonymous or not, to break down self-esteem

Students were divided on which of these types of cyberbullying would be most harmful, but we all agreed that when you add a few types together, it can really ruin someone’s life.

We agreed that the main character in “Odd Girl Out” would have had a tough time reporting bullying because it would have been embarrassing and would have made school difficult to face.  We decided that the pain an awkwardness of getting help would have been a better solution than the path she chose (hiding her pain and protecting the bullies).

Students ended by reminding each other that Facebook gives you the ability to block people and also to report bullying to the company.  With cell phones, you can block a phone number or forward a message to a parent or trusted adult.