words-wound-laws-activity.pdf | |
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The purpose of Patchin and Hinduja’s (2014) initial brainstorm worksheet is for students to research about the laws associated with bullying. This worksheet can be adopted for cyber bullying as well. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, one explanation for why cyberbullying is prevalent in contemporary society is due to children’s ignorance of the legal consequences of their actions ("Cyberbullying FAQ for Teens", 2006). In Canada’s new anti-cyberbullying law (Bill C-13), children under the age of 18 can be charged with possession and distribution of child pornography if they post nude pictures of a minor online (Puzic, 2015). By educating students on the federal policies that are enforced to regulate cyberbullying incidents, they become aware of the serious ramifications that violations of the virtual code of conduct have for future endeavours in the offender’s life. To improve the effectiveness of the worksheet, I would alter it by asking students to elaborate on their findings and interpretations of the laws, instead of simply asking students to check yes or no to the questions. Mini-presentations would be a great follow-up activity to help students get a more comprehensive understanding of cyberbullying laws. For long-lasting awareness, students can also be asked to research the laws in different provinces if they are considering to leave the province for post-secondary education. One of the best questions on the worksheet is “Do you see any problems with the law?” (Patchin & Hinduja, 2014). Perhaps this will help students to identify the biases of the judicial system. For example, Blair (2010) suggests that in regards to the law, “kids should also decide on the consequences and punishments associated with breaking the rules.” This activity can help students critically reflect on whether the current punishments are suitable for the cyberbullying actions, whether further laws are required to protect the victims and whether laws even exist to help cyberbullies learn about why their actions are unacceptable. Finally, this worksheet is much more effective than a poster stating the laws as students may not even care to look at the poster.