There's a lot of confusion in the air about student data privacy, and some widely quoted words about it from President Obama in his address Tuesday night didn't help (but I suspect his speechwriters were just looking for a spot to put a high-priority topic into "a simple, dramatic message about economic fairness," as the New York Times put it: "No foreign nation, no hacker should be able to … [Read more...] about ‘State of the Union’ & the student part of student privacy protection
SEL
Takeaways from premier US anti-bullying conference
This Thanksgiving week in the US, I'm thankful to have heard the following from two outstanding researchers and a well-known author in the bullying prevention field speaking at the just-ended International Bullying Prevention Association's (IBPA's) annual conference in San Diego: "We don't talk enough about the ecosystem around kids," said educational psychology professor Dorothy Espelage at … [Read more...] about Takeaways from premier US anti-bullying conference
Powerful lessons for preventing bullying & cyberbullying
It's October already, so National Cyber Security Awareness Month (#NCSAM2014) and National Bullying Prevention Month have arrived – offering a good reminder that, in today's increasingly user-driven digital environments, digital safety and security depend on all Net users of all ages. Care and respect for each other's property, privacy, identity, emotional safety and digital security – just about … [Read more...] about Powerful lessons for preventing bullying & cyberbullying
The videogame discourse: Default to open-mindedness!
My heart sinks when I see uncritical thinking in commentaries from Internet safety advocates about the media young people love – thinking that defaults (and contributes to a society-level default) to fear that new media's harmful and young users are either potential victims or up to no good. Take videogames, for example. We know that… "Videogame play is pervasive throughout our society," as … [Read more...] about The videogame discourse: Default to open-mindedness!
Restorative justice eclipsing zero tolerance in US schools
Here's a model for preventing bullying and a whole lot of other problems: a school that promotes social literacy not zero tolerance. At the Boston area's Charlestown High School, "where many students come from high-crime neighborhoods, an innovative program employs a surprising method to help keep teens in school and out of trouble with the law: Encouraging them to talk to each other," reports NBC … [Read more...] about Restorative justice eclipsing zero tolerance in US schools