Cyber Bullying & DOPA
I just submitted a 10-page/resource paper for graduate school. The professor assigned us to identify a contemporary problem plaguing the school district- an issue that was both real and immediate- research the current literature, and then propose a policy or course of action. Considering my interest in technology and education, my focus was on cyber bullying. This topic is both fresh and salient; however, it may soon be outdated thanks to a new piece of legislation.
The House of Representatives just passed Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), which requires schools and libraries to ban chat rooms and social networking sites in order to qualify for funding to defray technology costs. Consider it “my way or the highway” legislation. Most schools already sites such as MySpace as part of the COPA bill that requires schools and libraries to install Web filters.
It has all the appeal of doing the right thing without follow-though thinking about potential implications. Educators fear the bill will be so loosely worded that many other forms of technology, such as blogs and product review sites, will end up banned as well. Schools and libraries are safe; we need to worry about those households where children’s computer activity goes unsupervised and uneducated by parents. My research paper points that issues of cyber bullying and sexual predators occur at home, not the schools.
You can follow the event as it unfolds on Will Richardson’s blog, Webblog-ed. Additionally you may want to check out former posts and comments: DOPA Passes… and DOPA Alert. This is a major news event that is getting through with little attention outside the technology and education community. Additionally you can also download a copy of my research and Cyber Bullying Policy Proposal through my own website.
The House of Representatives just passed Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), which requires schools and libraries to ban chat rooms and social networking sites in order to qualify for funding to defray technology costs. Consider it “my way or the highway” legislation. Most schools already sites such as MySpace as part of the COPA bill that requires schools and libraries to install Web filters.
It has all the appeal of doing the right thing without follow-though thinking about potential implications. Educators fear the bill will be so loosely worded that many other forms of technology, such as blogs and product review sites, will end up banned as well. Schools and libraries are safe; we need to worry about those households where children’s computer activity goes unsupervised and uneducated by parents. My research paper points that issues of cyber bullying and sexual predators occur at home, not the schools.
You can follow the event as it unfolds on Will Richardson’s blog, Webblog-ed. Additionally you may want to check out former posts and comments: DOPA Passes… and DOPA Alert. This is a major news event that is getting through with little attention outside the technology and education community. Additionally you can also download a copy of my research and Cyber Bullying Policy Proposal through my own website.
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