John Finch Visits Brandon University

This past week we had John Finch visit our Internet for Educators class to discuss an assortment of ideas/issues with education and technology. One of the topics that caught my attention was cyber bullying and how it is not increasing like most people think it is. John Finch mentioned "Tell them from me," which measures safety in school and how engaged students are in school. They conducted a survey that showed that 25% students were a victim of bullying at least twice a week, but only 12 percent or so reported incidents with cyber bullying. He went on to say that most principals and superintendents will say that cyber bullying is on the rise within their schools, according to Mr. Finch there is not any data that will prove that statement. It really makes you think whether cyber bullying isn't on the rise like everyone thinks it is.

Another topic he discussed that is somewhat related to my first paragraph is that teachers are reported by some to be the biggest bullies that exist inside a school environment. To hear that many teachers are bullying some students about the clothes they wear and the fact that their family is poor is absolutely sickening. If this is the case, something should be looked into and those teachers should pay the price.

John talked a lot about internet privacy and safety, and how you should be well aware of who can access your facebook and whether your students or parents of your students can see your profile. I have had teacher friends tell me about the endless amount of requests they get from students and parents throughout the year. They just don't understand that teachers want to keep their private life private, so John really stressed that there should a clear separation between professional and personal, so a professional facebook page or twitter page may be a good idea for parents and colleagues to connect with you through social media.

I enjoyed having John Finch visit our class today, as he gave us some great surprising info that kept me fully engaged throughout the session.