How can I cultivate my digital identity in ways that are responsible and empowering?

Overview

In a time of 24/7 connectivity, do the benefits of online sharing outweigh the risks? Lessons will prompt students to consider how sharing information online can affect them and others and will support them in learning to reflect before they reveal, as well as encourage others to do the same. Students will also learn the pros and cons of having different personae and explore how presenting themselves differently online can affect their sense of self, their reputations, and their relationships.

Our Instructional Approach

Self-Awareness

Students will reflect on the most important parts of their identities and how they relate to their activities online. Because of the complex nature of identity formation and the unique developmental process that all individuals go through, students will have a wide range of responses and awareness levels related to what makes up their identities. Some students may benefit from additional support and prompting to recognize the biggest influences in their lives and what they deem most important.

Group Associations (Gender, Race, and Class)

Students will explore the influence of stereotypes over their identities and, specifically, gender stereotypes. Students will be prompted to respond to different statements about gender and to consider their meanings. While the goal of this lesson is to get students talking and thinking about common stereotypes associated with "boy" and "girl," and with the notion of gender generally, some students may want to engage in a prolonged discussion about the relative accuracy or truthfulness of the statements. For the lesson to be effective, teachers should prompt students to move beyond that discussion and focus on the potentially negative impact that stereotypes can have on people's identities and on how they treat others.

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