Don't be Bullied

http://www.btbetterworld.com/developing_skills/free_resources/Dont_be_Bullied/home.ikml

KS2 (Years 3 - 6)

Citizenship & PSHE

Description

'Don't Be Bullied' is part of a BT website aimed primarily at supporting the PSHE Curriculum for ages 5-19. It also supports Speaking and Listening. The website provides general information for teachers and parents to use, information about BT roadshows, forthcoming events, news articles related to speaking and listening and links to other websites. The main strength of the website is the resources section which contains free resources provided by BT, one of which is 'Don't be Bullied'. Teachers are able to perform searches to find their required resources which are in the form of online activities (usually comprising of a video/animation and a quiz), free DVDs ( postage and packing need to be paid), publications and printable notes.

'Don't Be Bullied' is aimed at stimulating whole class discussion for ages 7-11. From the resources section of the website, teachers are able to read a summary of the content as well as provide comments. When using this resource in the classroom, teachers or pupils can enter through the 'K Zone'. This contains only the online resources without any of the teacher's notes. At present there are six online activities and five printable resources.

Supporting Documentation

There are no instructions on how best to use 'Don't Be Bullied' but this does not appear to be necessary. When uploading the accompanying video clip, a message appears telling the user to wait 60 seconds and then to click play.

'Don't Be Bullied' is supported by a clear explanation about the content of the resource. One downside is that at present it is not supported by teachers' notes.

Technical Support

The website does not have an area dedicated to technical support but there is a section containing frequently asked questions, which cover a number of technical aspects. It is possible to email the publisher with regard to problems. There is a section named 'accessibility' in which there are some hints on how to solve some technical problems, and links are provided enabling the user to install plug ins, etc. On the first few attempts, these links did not work. However, after emailing BT this was resolved and the links were back up and running. Initially the user was unable to run the videos. BT were emailed with the problem and a response was received in less than 24 hours. It should be noted that BT suggest running the online videos through Broadband and a speed of between 500k and 2Mb is needed. This information was obtained from an email received from BT, however no such information is on the website. Therefore, there is the potential for teachers to waste time trying to use the online resources when their networks are not up to speed and are unable to run them.

Purpose of the Program

'Don't Be Bullied' is intended to support the PSHE Curriculum as well as Speaking and Listening. It covers the area of bullying through coercion and is intended to be used to stimulate a discussion within the class.

Curriculum Relevance

The notes about 'Don't Be Bullied' claim to support the area of bullying through coercion, and this is managed by showing two videos about someone under pressure to take a cigarette. The videos show two different ways of dealing with the same situation.

Extent

Only one area of bullying is touched on - coercion. However, it is covered sufficiently by the use of the two video clips and the quizzes that follow.The data offered compares answers given by the user to answers given by other users of the website. The information is clearly displayed in a bar chart. No other information is given about the other users.

Appropriateness

'Don't Be Bullied' concentrates on bullying, but only the aspect of coercion and does not go into depth. The resource is best used as a starting point for discussion by the teacher. The data that is offered is when pupils responses are compared to responses given by other pupils who have logged onto the site. This is in the form of a bar chart and percentages, and is clearly presented.

The desired outcomes that 'Don't Be Bullied' could support are:Speaking & Listening - Talking effectively as a member of a group.PSHE - Take responsibility for their actions.

Quality

When a video appeared on the screen the picture was of a good quality. However, 'Don't Be Bullied' was very slow to load and the user was often left with the message: 'Streaming.' There were occasions when the video would start and then stop almost immediately and the message 'streaming' would appear again. This was due to the fact that BT recommend viewing their videos through a Broadband connection.

Some parts of 'Don't Be Bullied' require more than the full screen, so the user needs to scroll down in order to select the Continue icon. On every page the BT logo appears in the corner - advertising that cannot be ignored. At the end of the 'Don't Be Bullied' activity a message appears which is aimed at the students. It is prompting them to ask the teacher to get one of the DVDs that are offered on the website, which is perhaps not really appropriate.

The website does provide information about problems which may occur and it suggests that most are due to when the machine in use needs to be updated with various plug-ins. It even provides links for these plug-ins. However, the initial attempts were unsuccessful. On emailing BT this problem was resolved. The website supports ethnic minorites in a number of activities other than 'Don't Be Bullied'.

There is a section containing links to other websites. Those explored ran smoothly. In order to return to the BT website, the user needs to close the webpage that is being viewed.

When searching the resources, teachers can select the age range which they would like to search. 'Don't Be Bullied' is recommended for the 7-11 age range. The user felt that it was more suitable for older pupils as it concerns pressure to start smoking. No claims are made that the resources are differentiated. On the first viewing it does not appear possible for the teacher to make any adaptions. However, at the bottom of the screen there is an Accessibility icon. Selecting this provides information on how the teacher can make alterations by changing the size and colour of the text as well as changing the background colour. Instructions on how to do this using different browsers are given. It is also possible to navigate the screens without using a mouse. There is a request for anyone who has difficulty using the site to get in touch.

'Don't Be Bullied' is part of the BT website and is recommended for the ages of 7-11. It tackles the issue of bullying through coercion and features someone under pressure to smoke. There are two video clips showing different ways of dealing with the situation. Each video is followed by a quiz based on the videos. It is intended for use with an interactive whiteboard in order to stimulate discussion. It is a useful resource for use with a class, although I feel it is more suitable for older pupils. It is best used as a starting point to a discussion and can be tied not only to bullying but to part of the Science QCA Unit Keeping Healthy.

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