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| Photo from 10News: http://goo.gl/HcKI4E |
I shared the below information with my management team today as Burn Book seems to be the latest and greatest way for high school students to cyber bully. Feel free to modify and use if needed.
But more importantly, I encourage you to read this blog post by a high school student about the impact these types of apps have on people: http://goo.gl/Ls4Tv8
By now, most of you have probably heard of an app called BurnBook.
Burn book allows students to anonymously post comments about anything. They choose their school, and then start posting. There are a lot of mean comments about other students and teachers being posted on the app, and occasionally threats to the safety of the school’s campus.
I began monitoring the app the other day, and so far, it seems to be focused on high schools.
The high school district personnel have started a campaign to talk to students on all their campuses about the seriousness of posting threats on the app. Because of this, there may be a temporary increase in student curiosity as older siblings come home and share the information. And this morning San Marcos responded to a school threat posted via the app (http://goo.gl/kP8f9z) so that will be on the news this evening.
Unfortunately, we can’t block access to the app because students are using their own devices to access it. What we can do, however, is remind students about the impact cyberbullying can have on others. And also let students know that anonymous does not mean untraceable – IP addresses are recorded by the app and can be used to trace people posting serious threats.
More Information:
Burnbook App CEO Promises Change After School Threat – http://goo.gl/Hqwahm
Burnbook: Can An Annonymous App Have a Conscience – http://goo.gl/Nsy1RC
Laura K Spencer, Ed.D. 