Category Archives: social networking

Simcoe County District School Board School Welcomes Anti-Bullying Speaker, Bruce Langford

West Bayfield Elementary School in Barrie was our destination today, where we presented ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ and ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ assemblies to all students from JK to grade 8. Students were passionate about the topic. They were eager to learn as much as they could about the internet and the dangers of cyberspace. They told stories and acted out scenarios. The Simcoe County District School Board has raised awareness that dangers lurk in cyberspace. Students just wanted to learn the details.

We talked about how GPS encoding is embedded in photographs taken on many cell phones and how it can reveal exactly when the photo was taken. One student told us a story about how his facebook account had been hacked into and the violator set up another facebook account which was an exact duplicate of his own. The student had good news about the outcome. He was actually able to have the offending site removed, because he was able to get into it himself and have it deleted.

We were impressed when we arrived at the school, because students had posted visual artwork on the topic of ‘Caring’ and ‘Stand Up’ and how we can all stand together to trump bullying. I’ve included some of the photos here along with a short video.

Students, teachers and administrators told us how pleased they were with the three contrasting assemblies.

“Presentations were entertaining, insightful, and age appropriate. They were thoroughly enjoyed by all of our students and they learned a great from them. I would highly recommend Bruce’s presentations for any school.”
Mike Geer, Principal, West Bayfield Elementary School, Barrie Ontario

Bruce Langford, Anti-bullying advocate and international speaker presenter: www.brucelangford.ca

Monitoring software alternative will reduce cyber-bullying in school children

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Monitor children's web time

Cyber-bullying has become such a concern with parents that many are looking for ways to monitor their children’s activities while on-line.
I recommend limiting the amount of time your children are on the web, and stay nearby while they are surfing. Show interest in what they are doing and encourage them to ask questions if they are not sure about something. Keep their on-line experience positive.
Be supportive and upbeat about the internet. It has tremendous potential as a tool for learning as well as powerful social benefits.
If you still feel it is necessary to use software monitoring, here are some suggestions:
SpytechSpyagent.com
WebWatcher.com
SpectorPro.com Learn about the above monitoring products before purchasing them. Read some reviews and understand that these tools have the potential to be misused. Use them with care and realize the best parental monitoring is simply being there.

www.StandUpForRespect.com
Bruce Langford is an anti-bullying advocate who presents talks and presentations on bullying and cyber-bullying

Is Apple Acting Like a Bully Toward RIM?

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This is RIM’s home territory; Waterloo, Ontario Canada. Home of Research In Motion’s Blackberry. But now, Apple has opened its own store in Waterloo, Ontario. Waterloo is one of the smaller Canadian cities playing host to an Apple store.

RIM seems to be having a rough time lately with some poor reviews of the Playbook and reported lower sales. Last month, RIM announced 2,000 job cuts worldwide with some of them being lost inWaterloo. Just this past week Sprint announced it had cancelled plans to include the Playbook on its network. Ouch! And now Apple has opened a store within a quick ten minute drive from RIM head offices. And to make matters worse, more than 200 people lined up to get first crack at the Apple products before the new Apple store actually opened on Saturday morning August 13.

The Apple and RIM Competition - Is It Bullying?

Bullying is an imbalance of power which may involve verbal, physical or social coercion. It is deliberate. It is usually not a one time event.
Does that definition fit with Apple and RIM?

I don’t believe it does apply to Apple and RIM. Bullying applies in a social context when a child begins to shy away from social interaction because of bullying. Bullying happens in the workplace when a staff member begins to feel shunned because a co-worker or boss is using their so-called power to make the staff member feel less valuable.

What do you think? Is Apple acting like a bully?

We offer bullying prevention programs to schools in the region of Waterloo Ontario and have recently visited Laurelwood Public School,Williamsburg School,Brigadoon School, Abraham Erb, Edna Stabler, Sandhills and others.

Maedith Radlein, Principal of N.A. MacEachern Public School inWaterloo commented:
“I would definitely recommend the ‘Stand Up Now’ assemblies. We were most pleased with all three divisions.”

Martha Knowlton, Principal of Abraham Erb Public School inWaterloo said:
“The students and teachers were totally engaged. The assemblies were awesome!”

Whether the bullying is corporate or a result of the children of the employees, call Stand Up Now Productions for presentations to deal head on with bullying behaviours.

www.standupnow dot ca or call 519-269-9837

Can facebook lead to depression, suicide, murder?

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A study in the American Academy of Pediatrics says when teens spend hours on social networking sites they can start comparing themselves to others. That can lead to depression in certain

: Girls comparing friends lists on Facebook

personalities. The study states: “The intensity of the online world may be a factor leading to depression in some adolescents.”

I recently visited a school where 25 of 27 students in a grade 5 class were active on facebook.

Children that young don’t have the skills to deal with complex relational issues which can arise on social networking sites like facebook.
Parents need to be aware of what children are doing on-line. If you are a parent and are allowing your young children to be active on social networking, at least be on their friend list so you can keep tabs on what is happening.
Some children become devastated as a result of social networking incidents. That can lead to depression, suicide, bullycide or even murder.

Monday, we presented our ‘Cyberbullying – Got To Go’ assemblies at St. Bernadette Catholic School in Toronto (Mississauga). Those children have learned how to stay safe on-line and have received practical tips and advice on cyber-safety.
For information about our programs, visit www.brucelangford.ca