Happy New Year everyone! We hope that you all enjoyed whatever holiday you celebrated and that your 2011 is productive and rewarding. Sameer and I have a number of exciting projects and initiatives planned for 2011 and I just wanted to preview some of those here so that you can follow our progress over the next several months. We are writing two books that will come out in 2011. The first is a collection of essays from the leading cyberbullying experts from around the United States titled: Cyberbullying Prevention and Response: Expert Perspectives and will be in print later in the summer. Sameer and I are very excited about this project as it summarizes insights from those who have been involved in exploring the issue of cyberbullying from various disciplines for many years. The book will summarize the current state of knowledge concerning cyberbullying and provide concrete prevention and response strategies for adults who have, and who work with youth.
In the second book that is forthcoming, Sameer and I explore the importance of school culture and climate in preventing a variety of school problems—including those that begin or are amplified online. We hope to enlighten educators, parents, and teens about the tremendous importance of cultivating a positive school climate, not only to enhance student achievement, success, and productivity, but because a respectful climate at school will produce students who are safe, smart, honest, and responsible while using technology. Stay tuned for more information about the status of these projects.
We are working with several public and private organizations on education programs related to cyberbullying and online responsibility. A number of these will be rolled out over the next few months. We are scheduled to present at numerous schools, conferences, and trainings across the United States (and abroad) in 2011. Be sure to regularly check our events page for a listing of appearances that are open to the public in your area. Finally, we will continue to update our website and this blog with the latest information regarding the nature and extent of cyberbullying, and ways to combat it. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have comments or questions about any of the information on our site. If you are reading this blog you share in our mission to encourage the safe and responsible use of technology. Together we can make a difference.