Required Lesson
Grades: 6-8
Unit 3
Lesson 1: Trillion-Dollar Footprint
Estimated Time: 45 Minutes
What is a digital footprint, and what does yours convey?
Students learn that they have a digital footprint, which can be searched, shared, and seen by a large, invisible audience. Students then learn that they can take some control over their digital footprint based on what they post online. Students watch the video “The Digital Footprint” to learn how information online can easily get out of one’s control. They then examine the blog posts, photos, and profiles of two fictional host applicants for a TV show called “Trillion Dollar Footprint” and decide which would make a more honest host who works well with others. A key message of the lesson is that although online information provides an incomplete picture of a person, it can still affect how others view that person.
Objectives:
Students learn that they have a digital footprint, which can be searched, shared, and seen by a large, invisible audience. Students then learn that they can take some control over their digital footprint based on what they post online. Students watch the video “The Digital Footprint” to learn how information online can easily get out of one’s control. They then examine the blog posts, photos, and profiles of two fictional host applicants for a TV show called “Trillion Dollar Footprint” and decide which would make a more honest host who works well with others. A key message of the lesson is that although online information provides an incomplete picture of a person, it can still affect how others view that person.
Objectives:
- learn that they have a digital footprint and that information from it can be searched; copied and passed on; seen by a large, invisible audience, and can be persistent.
- recognize that people’s online information can be helpful or harmful to their reputation and image.
- consider their own digital footprints and what they want those footprints to be like in the future.
Key Vocabulary:
Digital Footprint: all of the information online about a person either posted by that person or others, intentionally or unintentionally Imagery: drawings or illustrations, often symbolic
Persistent: lasting a long time, if not forever, such as information that one posts online that does not go away because it is passed on and spread
Invisible Audience: anyone who can see information about you or posted by you online
Digital Footprint: all of the information online about a person either posted by that person or others, intentionally or unintentionally Imagery: drawings or illustrations, often symbolic
Persistent: lasting a long time, if not forever, such as information that one posts online that does not go away because it is passed on and spread
Invisible Audience: anyone who can see information about you or posted by you online
Materials and Preparation:
- Prepare by reading the Trillion-dollar Footprint Full Lesson Plan (below)
- Preview the video “The Digital Footprint” and prepare to show it to students
- Make a copy of the Choose a Host Student Handout, one for every four students
- Review the Choose a Host Student Handout – Teacher Version
- Make a copy of the My Digital Footprint Student Handout for every student (found in the Trillion-dollar Footprint Full Lesson Plan)
Trillion-dollar Footprint Full Lesson Plan | |
File Size: | 3659 kb |
File Type: |
UNIT 3 Student Packet with Worksheets | |
File Size: | 4514 kb |
File Type: |
Required Lesson
Grades: 6-8
Unit 3
Lesson 3: The Reality of Digital Drama
Estimated Time: 45 Minutes
Does the way we think about digital drama have anything to do with gender?
Students discuss their impressions of peer drama, both online and as depicted on reality TV. Students compare and contrast two videos — one featuring a candid discussion between middle school students about online drama and the other featuring clips from The Real Housewives reality TV series. Students are encouraged to analyze generalizations about men and women in both videos, and to think critically about the ways that gender stereotypes can play out in mass media, as well as in their own lives online.
Objectives:
Students discuss their impressions of peer drama, both online and as depicted on reality TV. Students compare and contrast two videos — one featuring a candid discussion between middle school students about online drama and the other featuring clips from The Real Housewives reality TV series. Students are encouraged to analyze generalizations about men and women in both videos, and to think critically about the ways that gender stereotypes can play out in mass media, as well as in their own lives online.
Objectives:
- reflect on their own impressions of digital drama
- compare underlying messages about drama on reality TV with “real world” digital drama among young teens
- think critically about the gender stereotypes associated with drama
Key Vocabulary:
Generalization: an assumption made about a whole group of people based upon your experiences with a few
Stereotype: a widespread belief about a group of people – often negative – that influences how members of that group are perceived and treated
Generalization: an assumption made about a whole group of people based upon your experiences with a few
Stereotype: a widespread belief about a group of people – often negative – that influences how members of that group are perceived and treated
Materials and Preparation:
- Prepare by reading The Reality of Digital Drama Full Lesson Plan (below)
- Review the Gender and Digital Life Teacher Backrounder (Middle School)
- Preview the videos “Discussing Digital Drama” and “The Real Housewives Series Video Clips,” and prepare to show them to students
- Make a copy of the Dissecting Drama Student Handout for each student (found in The Reality of Digital Drama Full Lesson Plan)
The Reality of Digital Drama Full Lesson Plan | |
File Size: | 279 kb |
File Type: |
UNIT 3 Student Packet with Worksheets | |
File Size: | 4514 kb |
File Type: |
Required Lesson
Grades: 6-8
Unit 3
Lesson 2: Identifying High-Quality Sites
Estimated Time: 45 Minutes
When can you trust what you find on the Internet?
Students explore the idea that anyone can publish on the Internet, so not all sites are equally trustworthy. They need to carefully evaluate the sites they use for research, and then decide which ones they can trust. As a class, students discuss how print materials (books and newspaper or magazine articles) are published. Then they compare and contrast this process with publishing on the Internet, learning that there are no built-in checks for accuracy or quality on the Internet. Therefore, they must use their own criteria to judge the trustworthiness and usefulness of websites.
Objectives:
Students explore the idea that anyone can publish on the Internet, so not all sites are equally trustworthy. They need to carefully evaluate the sites they use for research, and then decide which ones they can trust. As a class, students discuss how print materials (books and newspaper or magazine articles) are published. Then they compare and contrast this process with publishing on the Internet, learning that there are no built-in checks for accuracy or quality on the Internet. Therefore, they must use their own criteria to judge the trustworthiness and usefulness of websites.
Objectives:
- understand how the ease of publishing on the Internet might affect how much they can trust the content of some sites.
- learn criteria that will help them evaluate websites.
- apply the criteria to a site to determine how trustworthy and useful it is.
Key Vocabulary:
Trustworthy: accurate and dependable
Publish: to present a finished piece of work to the public
Evaluate: to carefully examine something to figure out its value
Criteria: standards on which you base a judgment
Trustworthy: accurate and dependable
Publish: to present a finished piece of work to the public
Evaluate: to carefully examine something to figure out its value
Criteria: standards on which you base a judgment
Materials and Preparation:
- Prepare by reading the Identifying High-Quality Sites Full Lesson Plan (below)
- Preview the images and slideshow from the Huffington Post article “Fake Hurricane Sandy Photos Spread On Internet As Storm Barrels Toward Northeast.” Prepare to show them to students. (www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/29/fake-hurricane-sandy-photosinternet-northeast_n_2041283.html). Note: Depending on what news stories are trending, the Huffington Post may feature controversial sidebar content on its site. You can work around this by presenting the Hurricane Sandy slideshow in full-screen mode, or by taking screen shots of the “real” photos and show them to students offline. Alternatively, You can explore Snopes.com’s “Hurricane Sandy Photographs” or watch the "Flooded McDonald's video as a class and modify the discussion questions accordingly (www.snopes.com/photos/natural/sandy.asp).
- Review the Test Before You Trust Student Handout –Teacher Version. Preview the sites listed on the handout, and read through the discussion questions and the Website Test that students will perform
- Make a copy of the two-page Test Before You Trust Student Handout for each pair of students (found in the Identifying High-Quality Sites Full Lesson Plan)
Teacher Resources:
Identifying High-Quality Sites | |
File Size: | 468 kb |
File Type: |
UNIT 3 Student Packet with Worksheets | |
File Size: | 4514 kb |
File Type: |
Supplemental Lesson
Grades: 6-8
Unit 2
Lesson 5: Gender Stereotypes Online
Estimated Time: 45 Minutes
What are gender stereotypes, and can they shape our experiences online?
Students are introduced to the concept of gender stereotypes, in an online & offline context. Students discuss stereotypes about boys and girls: where they come from, how we learn them, & why they can be restrictive. Students identify and discuss gender stereotypes in the “Dress Up Your Avatar” feature of a kids' virtual world.
Objectives:
Students are introduced to the concept of gender stereotypes, in an online & offline context. Students discuss stereotypes about boys and girls: where they come from, how we learn them, & why they can be restrictive. Students identify and discuss gender stereotypes in the “Dress Up Your Avatar” feature of a kids' virtual world.
Objectives:
- define gender stereotypes and their impact on people’s identities, both online and offline.
- identify gender stereotypes in a virtual world for kids.
- analyze opportunities and limitations for gender expression in virtual worlds.
Key Vocabulary:
Gender: social ideas about what it means to be masculine or feminine
Stereotype: a popular belief about a group of people, based on assumptions that are often extreme and inaccurate
Avatar: an image or character that represents a person online
Gender: social ideas about what it means to be masculine or feminine
Stereotype: a popular belief about a group of people, based on assumptions that are often extreme and inaccurate
Avatar: an image or character that represents a person online
Materials and Preparation:
- Prepare by reading the Gender Stereotypes Online Full Lesson Plan (below)
- Review the Gender and Digital Life Teacher Backgrounder (Middle School).
- Make a copy of the Dress Up Your Avatar Student Handout, one for each pair of students (found in the Gender Stereotypes Online Full Lesson Plan)
- Set up students’ dummy accounts for the virtual world SecretBuilders, one for each pair of students. Refer to the Dress Up Your Avatar Student Handout–Teacher Version for guidance.
- Check with your school about firewalls. You may need to clear the URL for SecretBuilders (www.secretbuilders.com). To learn more about SecretBuilders, read Common Sense Media’s review at: www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/secretbuilders.
Teacher Resources:
Gender Stereotypes Online Full Lesson Plan | |
File Size: | 1000 kb |
File Type: |
UNIT 2 Student Packet with Worksheets | |
File Size: | 2391 kb |
File Type: |
Supplemental Lesson
Grades: 6-8
Unit 3
Lesson 4: Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line
Estimated Time: 45 Minutes
When does inappropriate online behavior cross the line into cyberbullying, and what can you do about it?
Students learn to distinguish good-natured teasing from cyberbullying. Students learn about serious forms of cyberbullying. Students watch the video “Stacey’s Story – When Rumors Escalate,” a documentary-style story in which a girl reflects on what it was like to be the target of cyberbullying. Students then discuss the video and related case studies in the Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line Discussion Guide.
Objectives:
Students learn to distinguish good-natured teasing from cyberbullying. Students learn about serious forms of cyberbullying. Students watch the video “Stacey’s Story – When Rumors Escalate,” a documentary-style story in which a girl reflects on what it was like to be the target of cyberbullying. Students then discuss the video and related case studies in the Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line Discussion Guide.
Objectives:
- analyze online bullying behaviors that “cross the line.”
- learn about the various ways that students can be cyberbullied, including flaming, deceiving, and harassing.
- adopt the point of view of teens who have been cyberbullied, and offer solutions.
Key Vocabulary:
Harassing: bombarding someone with messages over digital media, or repeated contact when it is least expected
Deceiving: using fake names, posing as someone else, or creating a fake profile about someone else
Flaming: saying mean things, usually in ALL CAPS, and often in a public forum with the intention to humiliate
Hate Speech: a verbal attack targeting someone because of their race, gender, religion, ability, or sexual orientation
Harassing: bombarding someone with messages over digital media, or repeated contact when it is least expected
Deceiving: using fake names, posing as someone else, or creating a fake profile about someone else
Flaming: saying mean things, usually in ALL CAPS, and often in a public forum with the intention to humiliate
Hate Speech: a verbal attack targeting someone because of their race, gender, religion, ability, or sexual orientation
Materials and Preparation:
- Prepare by reading the Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line Full Lesson Plan (below)
- Preview the video, “Stacey’s Story – When Rumors Escalate” and prepare to show it to students.
- Make a copy of the Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line Student Discussion Guide for each student (found in the Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line Full Lesson Plan)
- Review the Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line Student Discussion Guide–Teacher Version and select which case study you would like students to analyze.
Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line Full Lesson Plan | |
File Size: | 296 kb |
File Type: |
UNIT 3 Student Packet with Worksheets | |
File Size: | 4514 kb |
File Type: |