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Introduction
Today's world is very different from the world that some of your parents and grandparents grew up in. There were no such things as "cell phones" that you could carry in your pocket and instantly access friends, family and even that thing called the "Internet". TVs were in their infancy, getting only twelve channels, and with no ability to "record" anything. If you weren't sitting at home when it came on TV, you missed it! And computers?! What's a computer?
Along with all of the benefits that cell phones with their instant communication, TVs with unlimited channels and recording ability, and computers which allow for immediate access to almost any information in the world, there are some drawbacks to all these technologies as well; with the good, the bad. But that doesn't make technology a beast to be ignored or feared, it simply means there are effective ways to use this technology that allow for the benefits without the possible detriments. This is called: digital citizenship.
In this activity, you will be investigating two of the more common ways that technology can be a problem: cyberbullying and plagiarism. You will also investigate methods to address both of these situations.
Task
Your task in this activity will be to ultimately produce a trifold brochure (available in Microsoft Word's Project Gallery) that gives other students a reason why they should participate in digital citizenship. It should also explain what they should do if they are being harassed digitally by someone else. The brochure should be interesting, eye-catching and appeal to students creating a desire to read it and learn more.
Process
Educate Yourself:
- Start by listing 3 things that you think are an issue (problem) in the digital word (online, cell phone communication, social networking like Facebook, etc.). Share these with the rest of your team. Write down any that are listed 2 or more times by your team members.
- Go to the following page: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/high-school, and compare your lists of digital issues to the list at the bottom of that page: Common Issues and Advice. Write down any issues that you did not discuss in your group. Why do you think no one wrote these down in #1?
- Watch the YouTube video, "What Is Digital Citizenship?" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0I13tKrxcA&feature=related). In your own words, what is digital citizenship? Explain it like you are talking to your 10-year-old brother.
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With your team members, answer the question: What does "cyber" mean?
(you can look this up on the Internet if you aren't sure). Now take
your answer and tack the term bullying on the end (cyber-bullying), and create a definition for this term.
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- See how cyberbullying affected one family: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW14kz3TKug&feature=related
- Now watch the video: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/cyberbullying-tips and answer the following two question
- If you were a parent, what would YOU do to get your child to let you
know that they were being cyber-bullied?
- What advice would you give your child to help them avoid being the
target of cyber-bullying?
- Does PHS have a policy about cyber-bullying (http://phs.pusdk12.org/School-Information/School-Policies/index.html)? What would the school do if it found out you were being cyberbullied? Does this change the advice that you would give your own child in the last question?
- Next, let's take a look at something known as "plagiarism". Plagiarism is just a fancy way of stealing other people's ideas or work and claiming them as your own. As a team, brainstorm 3 reasons why students plagiarize.
- True or False: Plagiarism is when someone copies and pastes exact words and claims them as there own.
- Take a look at the section titled: How to Recognize Unacceptable and Acceptable Paraphrases on the following web page: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml. Now look back at question 9: did you get it right? Why or why not?
- So when your teacher requires you to do research and use that research to write a paper, how are you supposed to avoid plagiarizing? Take a look at this video on plagiarism (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQGBhZ0ov6o&feature=related). What is their first hint on how to avoid plagiarism? And how do you know when you should cite a source, or when you can just write your thoughts without citation?
- In no more than 2 sentences, explain how you can avoid plagiarizing someone's ideas and words while still using their information.
- Finally, watch the video: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/rules-road-kids, and then look at the basic "rules" for responsible
technology use on the same web page. What can you do to be a good digital citizen?
Use Your Knowledge:
- Your team will create a trifold brochure that is designed to give students "buy-in" to digital citizenship. What this means is that they will want to be good digital citizens after reading your brochure. The brochure should also address how to avoid digital harassment. Remember, a brochure is essentially a short advertisement creating a basic understanding of the issue and a desire to learn more, so make every word count without boring your audience: your high school peers. Your brochure should include a definition of digital citizenship, examples, its effects, why the reader should care about it, and how to avoid it. Your grade for this brochure will include: appropriate to age level, accuracy, includes all required topics, visual appeal, and creativity. See the rubric below.
Resources
- Microsoft Word
- websites linked above (also in my Rollyo account-see "Digital citizenship" by bsafarik)
Evaluation
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Beginning
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Developing
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Accomplished
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Exemplary |
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Appropriate to Age Level
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Some basic information, lacking crucial details; very elementary in level; no hypothetical situations used
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Basic information partially complete, but elementary in level; few details; hypothetical situations are elementary in nature
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Basic information complete, crucial details are mostly complete; level is intermediate; any hypothetical situations are appropriate at the intermediate level
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Basic information complete, appropriate amount of detail; any hypothetical situations are high school appropriate
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Accurate
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Information is mainly personal anecdotes
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Information is mostly from activity; contains many personal anecdotes
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Information is from activity, factual; leaves out personal anecdotes
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Information is factual and comes from activity; no personal anecdotes; includes statistical information
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Required Topics
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Addresses 0 or 1 required topic
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Addresses a couple of the required topics
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Addresses most of the required topics
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Addresses all required topics
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Visual Appeal
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Includes no color or pictures, all text
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Includes some color and pictures, mostly text
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Includes some color and pictures, good balance with the text, pictures make the text somewhat clearer
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Includes enough color and pictures to pull the reader in while leaving enough room for text to make the point of the brochure clear; pictures relate directly to the text making it clearer and more understandable
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Creativity
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Reads like a report paper
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Reads much like a report paper but with some entertaining portions
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Contains points-of-interest that pull reader in; informative
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Contains "hooks" designed to pull reader into topic; comes off more as an advertisement than an information pamphlet
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Conclusion
At the end of this activity, you should have an accurate understanding of exactly what is meant by the term digital citizenship, as well as why it is important to follow the rules of good digital behavior. You may want to continue your investigation into this budding issue through perusing the following websites:
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