Working within higher education I unfortunately work with challenging behaviour on a daily basis. I have many behaviour management tools that can defuse the situation  and influence the reactions in the classroom environment. Online aggression and virtual bullying is something that concerns me as an educator. I find that the three strike system may work within specific online group hangouts that I facilitate. I can, therefore, monitor interaction but how do I control the rest? Hand (2008, p23) states that “Societal membership, opinion formation, and moral and political responsibility need not to be confined to face-to-face relationships.” He goes further to describe divides, exclusion and insecurity, which I find are prevalent within a High School environment but are also apparent in digital facilities. The inequalities of class, gender and race can be highlighted if human emotions particularly ‘anger’ takes over and creates a virtual dystopia.

References:

Hand, M (2008) Hardware to everywhere: narratives of promise and threat, chapter 1 of Making digital cultures: access, interactivity and authenticity. Aldershot: Ashgate. pp 15-42. (e-reserve, pdf)

When humans need a filter online #mscedc
BBC News – Twitter rolls out new anti-abuse tools https://t.co/7DUkk97CXb

— Linzi McLagan (@LinziMclagan) February 9, 2017