Having been a victim of a faux web site using my name and pictures, I can easily relate to the plight of Mr. Scarpelli in last week’s article entitled “Schools Trying to Prevent Harassment in Cyberspace”. Students created a MySpace profile on the unknowing Mr. Scarpelli using pictures from his school website.
What I find interesting is the author’s comment: If you can’t beat it, educate it. Ideally, we could teach students responsible use of the tools available for them online. Education about harassment issues, as well as the potential dangers of online profiles, is crucial to creative teens who use the web as an outlet for creative expression.
I have yet to see in schools any formal curriculum on harassment let alone harassment on the internet. Simply signing a statement promising proper internet etiquette is not enough. Since “1 in 10 students who use the Internet report being harassed online” (n=1500) I certainly hope that Albany is beginning to look at a curriculums and measurement standards for this important topic… stay tuned.
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Hi Tamara, I agree with the idea of teaching students more about the internet and harrassment on it. "If you can't beat it join it!" What I gathered from your article is that Mr. Scarpelli's students made him an account against his will... wow! I can see how this could happen though. I have a MySpace account, my 15-year-old brother got me hooked and I do love the ways it has helped me to connect to people that I hadn't seen in awhile. It's a great tool but students need to know how to use it beneficially and not as a means to harrass. Also, on a more positive outlook I have seen teenagers making Myspace sites to honor their deceased siblings and friends... that is quite touching. Anyways I was still curious about your comment "having been a victim of a faux web site using my name and pictures" --Wow again! I can't help but wonder what that was like for you, perhaps this is more than you want to share, but I'm sure it does give you a much stronger opinion about appropriate use of the internet. Thanks for sharing!
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