Context: this presentation comprises slides used in an assembly presentation first delivered in February 2015. The target audience was Year 9 (aged 13 and 14) but may well be used with other teenage audiences. I do not show the first slide included here; I start with the first image as the audience settles. I ask if anyone spots something unusual about it, and when the horns in the shadow are noted, I say that this will make sense later.  The first section refers back to another assembly which I have delivered to many of the same students in Year 7 (aged 11 and 12) (http://www.slideshare.net/jamespenstone/digital-footprints-presentation). The early slides (safebook) are therefore a recap of common-sense advice about maintaining a positive online presence. I make it clear that social networks come and go with popularity /usage (the implied Facebook in the infographic may well not be one they use regularly). Then the scene is set to talk specifically about issues of cyberbullying, a separate but connected strand of digital citizenship education. Speech bubbles imply discussion time for the audience (share with someone next to you), followed by volunteered answers. There is one thought bubble for individual reflection of 30 seconds or so. Note: many videos which have been created on the topic of cyberbullying (including the ones used here) reference suicide as a potential outcome. I think it is important to give some context that this tragic outcome is actually rare and certainly not inevitable. It is important to address as a potential outcome, but there are many other outcomes which I think an audience should give a lot of consideration to especially as some of these are, by contrast, inevitable. So I do not dwell on the endings of some of the youtube clips shared here. The most powerful video is the animated poem by Shane Koyzcan. Before playing, I emphasise that Shane uses the metaphor of ‘troll’ for cyberbullies, as opposed to the related but sometimes different use of the word online. It is worth allowing a few moments of quiet reflection immediately after it has played. I choose to draw out that (a) it is useful to hear the passion/anger/frustration of someone who has received bullying, as it makes us recognise the possible impact much more and (b) that no one person is actually the portrayed troll themselves but that their actions (intentional or otherwise) might take on the powerful metaphor. Hence the follow up question (which without this context seems a bit ambiguous). One of the best answers seems to me to be to empathise, referring back to earlier discussion on why it happens (one reason being that a bully is removed from the victim and can not see their impact). After some appropriate responses, the presentation ends with a positive statistic from the recent survey in Canadian schools (and one which contradicts the 90% statistic). I think this is a useful way to end, as well as referring back to the choices we

1. Towards a better understanding of
Cyberbullying:
Why do people bully online?
How common is it?
How can it effect the victims?
What are some appropriate
responses?
Image: Adapted; Some rights reserved- Sigfrid Lundberg on Flickr

3. Manage Your Online
Identity Very
Carefully

4. Source: fusion.ie
Source: fusion.ie

5. Source: fusion.ie
Source: fusion.ie

6. Source: fusion.ie
Source: fusion.ie

7. Source: fusion.ie
Source: fusion.ie

8. Source: fusion.ie
Source: fusion.ie

9. Source: fusion.ie
Source: fusion.ie

10. Source: fusion.ie

12. Cyber Bullying

13. Cyber Bullying

14. Cyber Bullying

15. Cyber Bullying
Source: Barnados Ireland [barnadoes.ie]

17. Source: Barnados Ireland [barnadoes.ie]

18. What is the reality
with Cyber
Bullying?

20. Source: Media Smarts – Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy [mediasmarts.ca]

21. Source: Media Smarts – Canada’s Centre for Digital and
Media Literacy [mediasmarts.ca]Source: Media Smarts – Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy [mediasmarts.ca]

22. Source: Media Smarts – Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy [mediasmarts.ca]

24. One in four secondary school students
said that they have bullied their peers
online within the past year.
The survey of 3,000 Secondary School students and 1,900 primary pupils was carried out by Touch Cyber Wellness in 2013. [Link]

25. One in four secondary school students
said that they have bullied their peers
online within the past year.
One in three said they have been victims
of cyber bullying.
The survey of 3,000 Secondary School students and 1,900 primary pupils was carried out by Touch Cyber Wellness in 2013. [Link]

27. Source: Media Smarts – Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy [mediasmarts.ca]

28. Source: Media Smarts – Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy [mediasmarts.ca]

29. Why do people
cyberbully?

30. Boredom?
Source: Government of Canada, ‘Get Cyber Safe’ Website

31. Sense of power
and status
Source: Government of Canada, ‘Get Cyber Safe’ Website

32. ‘Just a joke’
Everyone does
it
Source: Government of Canada, ‘Get Cyber Safe’ Website

33. Source: Media Smarts – Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy [mediasmarts.ca]

34. Maybe they
believe the victim
deserves it
Source: Government of Canada, ‘Get Cyber Safe’ Website

35. Source: Media Smarts – Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy [mediasmarts.ca]

36. Maybe they have
been a victim
Source: Government of Canada, ‘Get Cyber Safe’ Website

37. A sense of
invincibility
Source: Government of Canada, ‘Get Cyber Safe’ Website

38. Will not see the
pain of the victim
Source: Government of Canada, ‘Get Cyber Safe’ Website

39. Source: http://quib.ly/cyberbullying-guide

41. What are the
consequences of
cyber-bullying?

42. What are the
consequences of
cyber-bullying?

44. Shane Koyczan
Poet
Born in 1976
Bullied as a child
Silence is a Song: A Graphic
Novel
[Illustrated by Gareth Gaudin]
Troll

46. How can you prevent your actions from becoming
‘The Troll’?
Image: Still from ‘Troll’ by Shane Koyczan, Artwork by Gareth Gaudin [Link]

47. Empathise
Source: Huffington Post, September 2014 ‘10 Strategies for Stopping Cyberbullying’ [Link]

48. What are
appropriate
responses if you
are a victim of
cyberbullying?

49. Source: Barnados Ireland [barnadoes.ie]

50. Source: Media Smarts – Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy [mediasmarts.ca]

51. 1. Reach
out to a
trustworthy
adult
Source: Huffington Post, September 2014 ‘10 Strategies for Stopping Cyberbullying’ [Link]
Image: Adapted; Some rights reserved – Drew on Flickr

52. 2.
Disengage
Source: Huffington Post, September 2014 ‘10 Strategies for Stopping Cyberbullying’ [Link]

53. 3. Log off
and Block
Harassers
Source: Huffington Post, September 2014 ‘10 Strategies for Stopping Cyberbullying’ [Link]
Image: Still from ‘Troll’ by Shane Koyczan, Artwork by Gareth Gaudin [Link]

54. 4. Use
Privacy
Settings
Source: Huffington Post, September 2014 ‘10 Strategies for Stopping Cyberbullying’ [Link]
Image: Adapted; Some rights reserved - Holly Victoria Norval on Flickr

55. 5. Take
Screen Shots
Source: Huffington Post, September 2014 ‘10 Strategies for Stopping Cyberbullying’ [Link]

56. 6. Step In To
Stop It – Never
Forward, Share
or Passively
Condone
Source: Huffington Post, September 2014 ‘10 Strategies for Stopping Cyberbullying’ [Link]

57. 7. Report
It
Source: Huffington Post, September 2014 ‘10 Strategies for Stopping Cyberbullying’ [Link]
Image: original source unknown.

58. 8.
Remember:
You are Not
to Blame
Source: Huffington Post, September 2014 ‘10 Strategies for Stopping Cyberbullying’ [Link]
Image: Adapted; Some rights reserved – Cyberslayer on Flickr

59. 9. Be a
Friend
Source: Huffington Post, September 2014 ‘10 Strategies for Stopping Cyberbullying’ [Link]

60. Source: http://quib.ly/cyberbullying-guide

61. Source: Media Smarts – Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy [mediasmarts.ca]

62. Choices

63. More resources:
http://www.scoop.it/t/online-citizenship

64. Context: this presentation comprises slides used in an assembly presentation first
delivered in February 2015. The target audience was Year 9 (aged 13 and 14) but
may well be used with other teenage audiences. I do not show the first slide
included here; I start with the first image as the audience settles. I ask if anyone
spots something unusual about it, and when the horns in the shadow are noted, I
say that this will make sense later.
The first section refers back to another assembly which I have delivered to many of
the same students in Year 7 (aged 11 and 12)
(http://www.slideshare.net/jamespenstone/digital-footprints-presentation). The early
slides (safebook) are therefore a recap of common-sense advice about maintaining
a positive online presence. I make it clear that social networks come and go with
popularity /usage (the implied Facebook in the infographic may well not be one
they use regularly). Then the scene is set to talk specifically about issues of
cyberbullying, a separate but connected strand of digital citizenship education.
Speech bubbles imply discussion time for the audience (share with someone next
to you), followed by volunteered answers. There is one thought bubble for
individual reflection of 30 seconds or so.
Note: many videos which have been created on the topic of cyberbullying
(including the ones used here) reference suicide as a potential outcome. I think it is
important to give some context that this tragic outcome is actually rare and
certainly not inevitable. It is important to address as a potential outcome, but there
are many other outcomes which I think an audience should give a lot of
consideration to especially as some of these are, by contrast, inevitable. So I do
not dwell on the endings of some of the youtube clips shared here.
Continued …

65. The most powerful video is the animated poem by Shane Koyzcan. Before
playing, I emphasise that Shane uses the metaphor of ‘troll’ for cyberbullies, as
opposed to the related but sometimes different use of the word online. It is worth
allowing a few moments of quiet reflection immediately after it has played. I
choose to draw out that (a) it is useful to hear the passion/anger/frustration of
someone who has received bullying, as it makes us recognise the possible impact
much more and (b) that no one person is actually the portrayed troll themselves
but that their actions (intentional or otherwise) might take on the powerful
metaphor. Hence the follow up question (which without this context seems a bit
ambiguous). One of the best answers seems to me to be to empathise, referring
back to earlier discussion on why it happens (one reason being that a bully is
removed from the victim and can not see their impact).
After some appropriate responses, the presentation ends with a positive statistic
from the recent survey in Canadian schools (and one which contradicts the 90%
statistic). I think this is a useful way to end, as well as referring back to the
choices we make with our online behavior towards one another.
This slideshow might be useful to others as a starting point for a presentation for
assemblies / lessons on this theme. It is comprised of other people’s work and
ideas which I have credited where possible. In the same spirit of sharing as those
whose work I’ve borrowed, this presentation by James Penstone is licensed under
a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 UK: England &
Wales License.