Creating & Presenting - Unit 2
Annotated Sample oral presentation I WOULD LIKE to address a problem which appears to be increasing in severity lately: that of cyber bullying. It has been described as the new stranger danger, which is apt, but paradoxically, the 'strangers' are often people known to us but who are too cowardly to identify themselves. It is insidious and reflective of the scope of technology: the hidden camera, the digital manipulation facilities, the capacity to conceal identities. In short, Nineteen Eighty-Four has arrived, complete with Newspeak, and it's worse than George Orwell ever envisaged. Many schools around this state have been concerned enough to implement policies that are 'up-to-date and meaningful', as adolescent psychologist Michael CarrGregg advocates. The Parents Victoria organisation is now involved, insisting 'appropriate processes are followed' after defamatory blogs by parents caused great medical and emotional distress to a school principal. A fine example these parents are setting their children. Frighteningly, for those who assume attending an elite religious school would ensure no involvement in such behaviour, five students at a very prestigious college were recently suspended for glorifying physical bullying in cyberspace. This is a classless, ageless monster. It reminds one of the choirboys of Golding's Lord of the Flies.
VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2
It is far too simplistic to stereotype bullies and victims, or to claim that certain groups are more culpable or more vulnerable to abuse than others. However, perhaps the solution to all this lies within ourselves. Children have long been instructed by adults to 'just ignore' bullies, as they will soon tire of their game. But this approach is clearly not working. The problem has not disappeared; the site of bullying has merely shifted from the playground to cyberspace. A better solution is to tackle the problem head-on, through frank discussion and improved education about the causes and consequences of bullying. If the relatively new resilience programs established even in Early Childhood education across Australia are to be of any use at all, this is the time to ensure they are supported. Children from a young age are recognised as having self-esteem issues that need addressing, so the dialogue has to be vigorous. As Julie Edwards, CEO of the Jesuit Social Services asserts, 'it's not just up to parents ... We must see this as a --collective community responsibility'. As the Dalai Lama - no stranger to persecution himself - so rightly observes, 'We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we have less communication'. Opening the lines of communication and engendering trust is of the highest importance. It is well known that generally people who are trusted will rise to the faith placed in them.
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