Instructional Software Lesson Plan

Online Privacy & Cyberbulling

Purpose of the Lesson:

The purpose of this lesson is to increase awareness and empathy among students regarding online safety and cyberbullying.
With online safety presentations and games, students will explore their awareness of online safety, cyberbullying, and online civic responsibilities.

Standards:

ISTE Digital Citizen – 2a Students cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of the permanence of their actions in the digital worlds.
ISTE Digital Citizen – 2b Students engage in positive, safe, legal, and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.
ISTE Digital Citizen – 2c Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
ISTE Digital Citizen – 2d Students manage their personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and are aware of data-collecting technology used to track their navigation online.

Objectives:

Students will increase their awareness of the need for internet safety and privacy as a means to improve cyberbullying prevention efforts.
Students will increase their awareness of the potential/reality of cyberbullying.
Students will develop greater capacity for empathy for peers who are targeted by cyberbullies.
Students will explore their responsibility to stand up for victims of cyberbullying.

Age Range:

Time Required:

Approximately two hours or three class periods.
Time required will vary depending upon student input and conversations arising organically from the subject matter.

Software Resources:

Online Presentation on Internet Safety for Teens – Problem-Solving Software – http://www.netsmartz.org/Presentations/Teens
Can You Keep It Private? – Online Tutorial fostering online privacy awareness and avoiding oversharing and putting private information at risk – http://www.nsteens.org/Quizzes/CanYouKeepItPrivate
To Send or Not to Send? – Online Tutorial fostering online privacy awareness and avoiding oversharing – http://www.nsteens.org/Quizzes/ToSendOrNotToSend
Stand By or Stand Up – Online Game fostering empathy and online civic responsibility – http://www.nsteens.org/Comics/StandByOrStandUp

LESSON SECTIONS AND STEPS:
SECTION I:

Introduce presentation http://www.netsmartz.org/Presentations/Teens by emphasizing the prevalence of the dangerous and potentially life-altering issues facing teens including unwanted sexual requests, consequences of oversharing online, and cyberbullying to name a few.
Pause for student questions and comments after each slide.
Focus on and allow more time for exploration and conversations on the following topics: self-esteem, body image, feelings of isolation, cyberbullying, online predators, digital citizenship, who to tell if something unwanted is occurring online.
When presentation concludes, let students know the next step includes online quizzes focusing on preventing oversharing of information online.

SECTION II:

Go to http://www.nsteens.org/Quizzes/CanYouKeepItPrivate and have students test their knowledge of how to keep private information private online.
When students get results of their quizzes, have them work with a partner to determine if their online privacy procedures are effective or ineffective.
Have student pairs brainstorm the top five ways to maintain online privacy and security.

SECTION III:

Go to http://www.nsteens.org/Quizzes/ToSendOrNotToSend and have students take the quiz. Students can choose to take the quiz individually or in pairs.
When students get quiz results, have them work in groups of four to share ideas and experiences about oversharing or posting pictures or information that may have been harmful to themselves or others.
Have students make a list of five things they can do to avoid the pitfalls of oversharing.

SECTION IV:

Go to http://www.nsteens.org/Comics/StandByOrStandUp and have students play the game individually at first and then in pairs. Individually, students will choose to continue sending and forwarding the picture to experience the consequences virtually.
Then have students work in pairs to answer the following questions.
How do you think Katie felt when her picture was being passed around? (netsmartz.org)
Why do you think so many people joined in on the cyberbullying? (netsmartz.org)
There are several times during the game when you had to make a choice. What choices should you have made? (netsmartz.org)
What else could you have done to help Katie in this situation? (netsmartz.org)
Why is it important to speak up and defend someone who is being cyberbullied? (netsmartz.org)

COUNSELOR REFLECTION:

Did student conversations during presentation address primary issues of focus?
Did student quiz results from Can You Keep It Private? and top five methods for maintaining security and privacy exhibit student mastery of content?
Did student quiz results from To Send or Not To Send? display student comprehension of the dangers of creating and distributing sensitive material?
Did student results from Stand By or Stand Up game/comic demonstrate increased empathy for peers targeted by cyberbullies?
Do students understand the real consequences of virtual actions?
Do students comprehend the importance of their role in cyberbullying or choosing to stand up for targets of cyberbullies?