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August 15, 2006 |
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Making Students Safe and Comfortable Online The Orlando Sentinel article on Web bullying (in the News section above) reminds us that of the importance of making sure that all students are safe and comfortable working online. Just as important as building classroom community, building strong online communities can help empower students and keep the bullies at bay. Community building can be the best antidote to bullying. Begin your back-to-school activities with the ReadWriteThink lesson plan Our Classroom: Writing an Owner’s Manual (E). As students design the classrooms areas and procedures, discuss how to be friendly and supportive, and what to do when things go wrong. If your classroom includes a computer center, the manual can include specific suggestions to avoiding online bullying as well. "Teaching Online Safety" (M) from Voices from the Middle details activities and sources that teachers can use to discuss the safest ways to work online, whether in or out of the classroom. If you'll be including computer activities in your curriculum, the article provides great techniques for laying the groundwork for effective and safe work in cyberspace. The ReadWriteThink lesson plan Naming in a Digital World: Creating a Safe Persona on the Internet (S) explores the ways that others may read the aliases, names, and other information that they choose and share online. As their final project, students construct an profile for a persona, a great back-to-school activity that can be used to introduce students to one another. The activity can be completed without computer access. College students often have a great deal of experience with computers, but that doesn't mean they are ready to use them for classroom work. The Teaching English in the Two Year College article "How to Conduct a Course-Based Computer Chat Room: Enabling a Space for Active Learning" (S-C) outlines strategies that not only lead to pedagogically-enriching ways of using computer resources but also build community and set ground rules that avoid unsafe or uncomfortable interactions. For additional resources on combatting bullying, see the ReadWriteThink calendar entry for National No-Bully Week, which takes place next month.
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