Do you know which websites your children are writing on or looking at right now?
4 of 20 children in your class are being bullied on Internet. This according to a survey among children between 12 and 13 years old, made by Robert Slonje. Almost no-one of them tells their parents or their teacher that they are bullied. Does it make you feel confusing and wondering why you haven’t heard about it before? You are not alone, this is a new phenomenon that have extended in the younger generations.
Today, Internet is more and more useful, common, virtually and almost everyone has Internet at home. Internet has both great advantages and some disadvantages, and one of the disadvantages is bullying on Internet. But what is bullying on Internet? First of all I will introduce this article to explain what bullying on Internet is and when our children become bullied on Internet or are bullying someone else.
Bullying on Internet is when someone is writing bad things to you through an Internet website, through e-mail or short messages from a mobile phone to another, according the sources (http://kollakallan.skolverket.se). It is more common for girls than boys, to be bullied over the Internet, because girls uses online chatting more than boys and maybe that is one of the reasons to why girls become bullied more often than boys. But who is responsible that all the information, published on Internet, will be good information and not insulting to anyone? Is it the teacher that will be responsible for that, the website’s owner, or is it the parents responsibility?
According to Metta Fjelkner, chairwoman in the Teachers National Association, she says that bullying, and especially bullying on Internet is not only the teachers’ responsibility. She also says that the problem can not be isolated to school, because it is happening all the time of the day and outside the teachers’ control. It has to be a concern for all the adults and for the whole society. I think that the parents have all the responsibility outside school, and during the school-day the teacher are responsible. Even though I think that the teacher has the responsibility during school-time, I don’t think that it’s easy to survey all pupils all the time. I don’t think that the parents know what their children are doing all the time when they are on the Internet.
Two of the most important things that young girls can’t be without are their mobile phones and Internet. According to Robert Slonje, he says that many young girls don’t want to tell any adult about that they are been bullied by other girls, because they think that the adults will take away their mobile phone and Internet, to protect them. The girls think that they need to have proof to show the adults that they are being bullied, otherwise their parents won’t take it seriously. Hansi Carlson, IT-strategist on Sweden Community and country council, he says that it’s easier with bullying on Internet because you can track all the things someone is writing there. On many websites they save all the information you are writing and only you can delete it. He also agrees with me that it’s the parents’ responsibility to know what their children are doing when they are at home or outside school. Apparently young girls are not aware about that many things on the Internet easily can be traced.
He has a good opinion about the computer and Internet using at home, and that is to put the computer in the middle of a room where everyone can see it and to have a discussion whit their children about using Internet. He also says that it’s the schools responsibility to make the adults and parents aware of the possible problem.
I think the most important thing we can do, as teachers or as parents, is to inform, talk and discuss the Internet, human value and bullying, both in the real world and on the Internet. We must know that we can’t monitor our children all the time, it is a matter of freedom and responsibility. With this I don’t say that we shall not watch what the children are doing on the Internet. On the contrary, we have to be informed what is out there, and what we might expect. But we must know our limitations. With discussion and information, that is the only way to deal with this problem. The first thing we have to do is to see the problem, and I hope I have shown you that there is a problem today, and I hope that you take your responsibility so that no children will have to be the victim of bullies.
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Blog Assignment #5
You are supervised all the time
You are constantly supervised by media, internet, telephones, supermarkets etc. The list can be infinite. They who have nothing to hide, have nothing to fear of, says politicians supporting the supervision. But what kind of complications may occur to democracy during the monitoring. The key to democracy is FREEDOM, but can we call it freedom when we are constantly monitored?
The terrorist attack at 9/11 - 2001 is a big reason to why we are introducing harder supervision. That is to "protect our democracy." But while protecting us, we reduce our freedom, and by that we attack the core in democracy, the freedom we are protecting. What do most damage, terrorism or counterterrorism?
You wake up in the morning and switch on your mobile phone. At the same time they know where you are. You turn on your computer and read the news while you eat breakfast. When accessing the internet, they know you visited aftonbladet.se for 45 seconds, moving on to persiangirls.com for 5 minutes. You go to the bathroom, brush your teeth with the toothpaste they know you bought yesterday. In your car, you turn on your GPS, driving to work while they follow each meter on your way. When checking in at work, they know were you will spend the next 8 hours. At your desk you turn on the computer where you do all your work, all visible to them. You get a short message from your boss, online meeting with the company in Taiwan. They already knew about it. Time for break, now you have to go the toilet, they notice your acing pimple on your ass. After the conference you go for lunch at Mc Donalds, they notice the new salad instead of the regular double cheeseburger and that your bank account soon will be empty.
You are checking out from work and go home with your tracked car. You turn on your computer and log on to Facebook. There you chat with your best friend, telling him about your financial problems, and that you are thinking about robbing a bank office. Ten minutes later the police strikes at your home.
Is this a world you want to live in?
Privacy is a democratic, fundamental right and if we allow the extended supervision to happen, then our freedom will be gone and democracy, as we know it, will be history.
You are constantly supervised by media, internet, telephones, supermarkets etc. The list can be infinite. They who have nothing to hide, have nothing to fear of, says politicians supporting the supervision. But what kind of complications may occur to democracy during the monitoring. The key to democracy is FREEDOM, but can we call it freedom when we are constantly monitored?
The terrorist attack at 9/11 - 2001 is a big reason to why we are introducing harder supervision. That is to "protect our democracy." But while protecting us, we reduce our freedom, and by that we attack the core in democracy, the freedom we are protecting. What do most damage, terrorism or counterterrorism?
You wake up in the morning and switch on your mobile phone. At the same time they know where you are. You turn on your computer and read the news while you eat breakfast. When accessing the internet, they know you visited aftonbladet.se for 45 seconds, moving on to persiangirls.com for 5 minutes. You go to the bathroom, brush your teeth with the toothpaste they know you bought yesterday. In your car, you turn on your GPS, driving to work while they follow each meter on your way. When checking in at work, they know were you will spend the next 8 hours. At your desk you turn on the computer where you do all your work, all visible to them. You get a short message from your boss, online meeting with the company in Taiwan. They already knew about it. Time for break, now you have to go the toilet, they notice your acing pimple on your ass. After the conference you go for lunch at Mc Donalds, they notice the new salad instead of the regular double cheeseburger and that your bank account soon will be empty.
You are checking out from work and go home with your tracked car. You turn on your computer and log on to Facebook. There you chat with your best friend, telling him about your financial problems, and that you are thinking about robbing a bank office. Ten minutes later the police strikes at your home.
Is this a world you want to live in?
Privacy is a democratic, fundamental right and if we allow the extended supervision to happen, then our freedom will be gone and democracy, as we know it, will be history.
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Blog Assignment #4
Grades in primary school will give bad effects
Since the general election of 2006 government had been changed the primary school and are still changing it. The school minister wants to introduce grades in the primary school and written reviews in first school. But do the children need to get a stamp of what they are good or bad at so early which will give them bad or good self confidence?
Today we have a school system were the children get their grades in the year 8th year of school. That’s a good system and has worked well over all the year that it had existed. I remember when I went in the 8th class that I was glad that I got the grades then and not earlier. I don’t think that I had developed my self enough and got that responsibility that I needed to have, to understand why I should get grades. In Europe they have changed their grade system many years ago, and have been started to give the children grades and written reviews in the primary year of school. But in Sweden they have had the old system till now and it have worked well.
When I have been on my traineeships, or so-called practice, at a primary school I have heard from a lot of teachers in middle school that they think that it’s good to still have the grade system start in high school. They feel that they get more responsibility and more things to do and a lot of teachers have too much things to do all ready. That will result that they won’t have time to plan all their lessons, and all the work beside it, and later that will results that they will get stress.
In all the Swedish schools we have, so called, development discussion from the primary year on two occasions a year were the teacher meets the children and the children’s parents and tell what they are good or bad at and how they enjoy the school and if it’s some subject that the student can do better. During the development discussion the teacher gives the children a “individual development plan” where the teacher, children and their parents describe what the pupil can do better in school or at home. That’s a good way for parents to meet the teacher and se how the pupil’s studies advance in all the different subjects. Of course, the parents have all the right to know how their children are doing in school subjects.
Already in year six at my traineeships school they get tests in almost every subject and it works very well. Even if they are in the end of year six they have been started with tests since the beginning of year six. Of course the pupils are nervous before the test, but they have the mentality for the test and know what is expecting from them. Therefore it is a possible to include grades already in year six, but not earlier than that. In some schools pupils in the sixth grade already goes at middle school and have received the feeling with the assessment.
Children need to be children as long as possible without having to think about that they will be assessed at an early age. They form their self-image after the success the have in school. If it goes bad in school for a child, in all the subjects, the child will be sad and angry and have a low self-esteem. Maybe this will contribute to it and will go even worse for the child and the motivation to study will disappear. Therefore it is not good to put grades to children from grade one to grade five.
To summarize; I don’t think that it will be good to give the children grades in the primary year, because they are not mentally ready for that and it can result in bad self-esteem.
The teachers have a lot of things to do and if they will get more they will probably be stressed, and today it’s a good system with development discussion with the teacher, pupil and parents. That means that the parents know what the children are good or bad at and it’s not necessary to get a new system.
Since the general election of 2006 government had been changed the primary school and are still changing it. The school minister wants to introduce grades in the primary school and written reviews in first school. But do the children need to get a stamp of what they are good or bad at so early which will give them bad or good self confidence?
Today we have a school system were the children get their grades in the year 8th year of school. That’s a good system and has worked well over all the year that it had existed. I remember when I went in the 8th class that I was glad that I got the grades then and not earlier. I don’t think that I had developed my self enough and got that responsibility that I needed to have, to understand why I should get grades. In Europe they have changed their grade system many years ago, and have been started to give the children grades and written reviews in the primary year of school. But in Sweden they have had the old system till now and it have worked well.
When I have been on my traineeships, or so-called practice, at a primary school I have heard from a lot of teachers in middle school that they think that it’s good to still have the grade system start in high school. They feel that they get more responsibility and more things to do and a lot of teachers have too much things to do all ready. That will result that they won’t have time to plan all their lessons, and all the work beside it, and later that will results that they will get stress.
In all the Swedish schools we have, so called, development discussion from the primary year on two occasions a year were the teacher meets the children and the children’s parents and tell what they are good or bad at and how they enjoy the school and if it’s some subject that the student can do better. During the development discussion the teacher gives the children a “individual development plan” where the teacher, children and their parents describe what the pupil can do better in school or at home. That’s a good way for parents to meet the teacher and se how the pupil’s studies advance in all the different subjects. Of course, the parents have all the right to know how their children are doing in school subjects.
Already in year six at my traineeships school they get tests in almost every subject and it works very well. Even if they are in the end of year six they have been started with tests since the beginning of year six. Of course the pupils are nervous before the test, but they have the mentality for the test and know what is expecting from them. Therefore it is a possible to include grades already in year six, but not earlier than that. In some schools pupils in the sixth grade already goes at middle school and have received the feeling with the assessment.
Children need to be children as long as possible without having to think about that they will be assessed at an early age. They form their self-image after the success the have in school. If it goes bad in school for a child, in all the subjects, the child will be sad and angry and have a low self-esteem. Maybe this will contribute to it and will go even worse for the child and the motivation to study will disappear. Therefore it is not good to put grades to children from grade one to grade five.
To summarize; I don’t think that it will be good to give the children grades in the primary year, because they are not mentally ready for that and it can result in bad self-esteem.
The teachers have a lot of things to do and if they will get more they will probably be stressed, and today it’s a good system with development discussion with the teacher, pupil and parents. That means that the parents know what the children are good or bad at and it’s not necessary to get a new system.
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