POS GTG IH8U!

Research social networking and cyberbullying to answer the following questions:

• How do you personally and professionally use social networking?
• What is your own definition of cyberbullying?
• Why do you think the prevalence of cyberbullying has increased?
• What are some suggestions for helping students protect themselves?

I use social networking personally to keep up with friends, pass the time and de-stress with games like Words iwth Friends (addicting!) and as a cloud for photos and information. I personally have accounts with LinkedIn, Facebook, Tumblr and Google +. I use social networking professionally by friending professional contacts and keeping those contacts "wet" by conveniently touching base, forwarding relevant links. I also use sites like Diig and Facebook to bookmark articles and videos I find of interest, because then I can go to my page and find a record of them. Sharing these links I think also raises my visibility and credibility because it shows I am spending time with studies and news items relevant to the field. 

I believe cyberbullying is the use of technology to intentionally harm someone. It is the same definition of bullying, the main difference is the method... technology... and the impact, which has significant variations due to the possibility of going viral and touching tens, hundreds thousands and even millions of people. Another significant difference is that it is pervasive. When students are bullied the old fashioned way, when they go home they can expect some kind of respite. However iwth technology the harassment can go on 24/7 and it is very difficult for teens to resist the impulse to reply immediately which technology now affords them... it reduces the possibility of cooling off periods that old school bullying afforded.

I think cyberbullying has increased because access to technology has increased, and because texting and IMing are such a part of students social lives it is one of the primary ways they communicate, thus the harassment and arguments are digital, thus it is now cyberbullying. Also the factors of the immediacy of reply, as previously mentioned, as well as the "veil" that screens provide that make cruelty easier and nonverbal cues nonexistent add to mis and mal-communication.

The message in my cyber bulling presentations are "Stop Block Record". I encourage students to save important discussions for face to face, and to think before they press send when they are upset. Block perpetrators from friend lists. I also encourage record-keeping, saving screenshots of harassment, reporting harassment, knowing when to bring it to school versus the police (police if the perpetrator of harassment is not a student of our school) I also encourage parents to take devices away at night, to have the charging area in the master bedroom or kitchen since many students are texting all night instead of sleeping! I encourage parents to monitor their children's online interactions and be aware that students often create other accounts where they conduct their true social transactions beyond the account where the parent and other family are friends. 

A hidden benefit of cyber bullying is that there is a record that can be retrieved so the bullies end up hanging themselves so to speak... it is one thing to call someone something cruel in the hallway, that is horrible and painful but no one else may have seen or heard it. When they do it online there is a digital trail so if students are good at Stop Block and Record at least there can be consequences from administration and/or law enforcement.

Fumbling my way through Tumblr

I recently attended Peace Over Violence's 4th Annual Violence Free Teens Conference. One of the breakout sessions I attended was about understanding and using technology to prevent dating violence. The presenters, from Break the Cycle, went over the ways teens are using technology, and then gave us some suggestions so we can be up to speed on what's happening with teens on line.

Two recommendations that I came away with were finding and subscribing to a good technology site/newsletter, and getting a Tumblr account. The technology blog site I have found and liked to date is Edudemic.

I have had an account for a week now, without much activity I admit. I think one way to describe it is as a blend of Facebook and Blogger... or perhaps just a nice way to scroll through a lot of blogs at once.

The blogs are attractive, however I have found it difficult to search blogs to find Tumblr blogs on topics of interest. And unfortunately, I have found many wonderful educational psychology blogs through TAPSNAPS, and I wish I could subscribe to them through Tumblr, because Tumblr is a great way to scroll through many blogs at once.

I think Tumblr's application may be a more user-friendly way to use blogging for self-promotion and "brand building".
One benefit of Tumblr is it allows complete customization, and offers many more templates than Blogger. I believe this makes it more attractive to professionals in the arts and design fields.

Check this Wiki How on how to use Tumblr.

RTI and School Psychologists

This week, we have discussed the RtI² framework and it’s implication to the practice of school psychology and school counseling. Tour some of the RtI² tools/ resource pages discussed in lecture or those that you have you explored on your own.

• How important is data for a school counselor/ school psychologist?
• List how you might use these tools/ resources and post it to the discussion forum.
• As you review these sites, what are your thoughts on the RtI² framework?
• How do you see the RtI² framework impacting your practice? Any reservations?

I like that my professor is using Rti2 terminology, because it is an important distinction: how do students respond to instruction... how do students respond to intervention. The good news is 80-85% of students will respond to effective instruction, and the challenge is providing effective intervention for the second and third tiers of students.

I am aware of the concern and challenge of "drowning in data" and not making good use of the data. I think the assignments and readings between this class and the Cognitive Assessment class flow well together, because RTI2 is playing a growing role in identification of students for special education thus proper implementation of RTI2 is essential for proper identification of students! 

This of course is of concern at my school because we are really just getting our toes wet, so to speak, in RTI. There are many wonderful tools available, such as AIMS Web, Dibels, and I think properly implemented these could help eliminate students who have had a poor instructional experience from the risk of being improperly identified as learning disabled, as well as get them effective instruction sooner rather than later.

I do see that RTI2 framework may greatly change the role of school psychologists, and I am concerned that it may require school psychologists to be more adept at facilitating effective instructional practices, and worry that because I do not have a background in teaching, that I may not be as effective in this role. It does seem to change the view of what school psychologists do, and that was not necessarily what I thought I was getting into.

I do know, however, that right now, due to personal issues, it is easy for me to feel overwhelmed and be self-critical, and that with time and effort I may feel more effective and up to embracing this new paradigm of school psychology.

What's up, Google Doc?

• What is the potential application of Google Docs to you as a school counselor/psychologist?
• What concerns or reservations do you have about using Google Docs?
• Provide examples of how others have used Google Docs in their practice.

I know, a cringe-tastic blog title. I am hard pressed for creativity these days and am just happy to be keeping  the tip of my nose above water these days!

I have used google docs for collaborating on documents, mostly in the school setting (meaning as a graduate student). I have found it useful when one of the bloggers I read regularly shares documents on Google, (Danielle of School Counselor Blog)

I see the use of operating in the cloud, so documents are not stored on one computer in particular, and not having to rely on flash drives. However I am not sure how this application is useful for school psychologists in particular, I just see it useful for general computer use/administration of departments, publications etc. I think Google Calendar may have some use, for scheduling clients, IEP meetings, rooms, PD etc.

I suppose having rating scales available is one use but only for public domain assessments. It could be useful to create a library that is available in the google cloud so wherever I was I could log on and find the scale I need, presuming I did not have my laptop , or I spilled coffee on it or something! 

I look forward to learning more about the potential my classmates might recognize!