Blog on Digital Media

The assignment:
Select a specific topic you teach, or will teach, and search Discovery Education for a digital asset (e.g., video segment, virtual lab, audio file, etc.) about that topic. Think about your goals for presenting content about the topic you selected as well as the different ways you can use digital media to present content in a variety of forms and from different angles. Post a blog entry that presents how using this digital media resource as a means of presenting content benefits students in terms of providing opportunities for increased engagement and addressing different learning styles.

 I have chosen Cyber bullying as the topic I am going to be teaching to my 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. This is something I discuss with them all year, especially when it comes to social media such as Facebook and Twitter. I also discuss security settings on social media sites, and how that can deter others from using resources on fellow students' pages to cyber bully. My goal is to have all students aware of how to correctly use social media, and what to do if they become the victim of any type of online bullying or stalking.

I've chosen to present this topic in several ways. The first is to introduce it as a class discussion. I want to give the students a chance to share their experiences with social media and bullying.  I'll share the video from Discovery Education "7 Ways to Block a Cyberbully" and then break the students into groups. I'll assign a problem to the class, and each group will take the point of view of one of the characters (i.e. the bully, the parents, the teacher, the victim), and explain what they would do to stop the bullying. Students will present their ideas using a variety of formats (their choice), including Photobooth video, glogster, Microsoft Word, or creating a poster for the hallway. Students will present their finished projects, initiating another class discussion regarding the classes' solutions to bullying.