For Data Privacy Day (1/28), let's take a look at students' data privacy – as in the data on their cellphones and whether school administrators have the right to search the devices. The ACLU says they don't. It called out a school board in Tennessee for violating the constitutional rights of students by implementing a policy that allows school officials to search digital devices kids bring to … [Read more...] about Of student digital privacy & schools demanding passwords
School & Tech
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
About our strange way of understanding teen sexting (guest post)
By Nina Funnell Based on her many thoughtful conversations with youth and adults about sexting over several years, Australian researcher and author Nina Funnell – who I met and heard speak at an Internet safety conference in Sydney last year – offers adults the rare opportunity to step outside the box of conditioned, fearful and often legalistic thinking about technology and sexuality. Here is … [Read more...] about About our strange way of understanding teen sexting (guest post)
Protecting student privacy calls for student participation
This era of big data and big exposure – of all aspects of life to peers, the public and even perpetrators – calls for big participation. Because every day people are exposing, sharing, uploading, creating and inputting things about themselves and others, whether in social situations or part of their jobs, as friends, relatives, students or professionals, everybody is a participant (and … [Read more...] about Protecting student privacy calls for student participation
Why defining ‘bullying’ is important for schools
There are all kinds of reasons why "bullying" and "cyberbullying" can't be applied to just any kind of mean behavior that happens in physical or digital spaces. Professor and author Justin Patchin goes into a bunch of them in his latest blog post, but parents may want to know why lack of definition is a problem for schools as well as for students. For example, Patchin writes, "recently-passed … [Read more...] about Why defining ‘bullying’ is important for schools