We completed the final unit of Cyber Civics Level One last week. Cyber Civics is designed to be a three-year series, and we were able to complete the first year of material in six weeks! Whew! We covered a lot of content quickly, but the peer-to-peer learning activities and role play called on critical thinking, ethical discussion and decision making in a way that I think will stick with the class in a meaningful way. I enjoyed the conversations that arose out of this block, and I found it to be a great guidepost as we navigated online learning and communicating for the first time as a class.
Our last unit focused on "Identity and Privacy" in digital spaces. We know that often young people “try on” new personas and identities online. While this can often be a positive experience, it also demands that young people know how to make careful choices about preserving their privacy. This can be challenging because many apps and sites make it fun and enticing to share all sorts of personal information. This unit explored the downsides of sharing too much online, while also discovering how to present information about oneself safely and appropriately.
Here are some suggested at-home activities that will support the material in this unit. I hope you are able to make time for these activities to strengthen the messages around online privacy and conduct.
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
Your students played a game called, “Three Facts, One Fiction.” Ask them to teach this game to your family members, and see if you can stump one another at home.
Since your children have already learned about cyberbullying, in this unit they learned about something that is even more prevalent: online hate speech. Hate speech is a verbal attack or insult. It usually involves calling someone a name based upon an identity characteristic such as religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. They learned that this is never okay, online or off. Ask your child to tell you three things they could do should they ever experience or encounter hate speech online.
Your child learned that the “selfie” did not originate with the cell phone, in fact many great artists painted self-portraits! We looked at many examples in class. With your child, look at one or two of your favorite artist’s self-portraits (this is a good time to use Google or to take one of the many virtual museum tours being offered right now), and talk about what you can ascertain about those artists by looking at the images. Do you belong to a social network or online group that asked you to post a bio? If so, talk to your child about how you decided what to post. What guidelines do follow when you’re asked to post personal information online?
We wrapped up this unit by reading short scenarios in which young people presented themselves online in ways that may or may not have compromised their privacy, or the privacy of others. After each story students had to decide if their reaction to the story was “A-okay,” “No Way,” or “Maybe.” Have that same discussion at home about these two stories:
Ariel opens her first account on a social media site, but instead of uploading her own photo for her profile shot, she thinks it’s funny to upload a photo of her best friend Karen.
Brian loves to play online games. He starts playing a multi-player game with lots of other players who are older, so he lies about his age and tells them he is 17, when he is only 12.
Mini Projects
The students will give their oral presentations to the class this week. We talked about how to prepare an oral presentation and tips for calming nerves when public speaking. I hope they are all able to release their anxieties and enjoy presenting to their classmates.
Handwork
Ki Ieva and the students have been working hard to finish sock knitting projects before school is out. Please email me photos of your student's finished socks so that we can show them off. Students should have received packages with materials for a new handwork project. Ieva has offered to check in with them over the summer for those that wish to continue working. Their knitting skills have really evolved this year, and it has been exciting to watch them grow and see the pride they take in their projects.
