Online Cultures and Values Lesson Plan

Digital Citizenship
Internet & Mobile
Online Ethics

Level: Grades 11 to 12

About the Author: Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts

Duration: 3 - 4 hours

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This lesson is part of USE, UNDERSTAND & ENGAGE: A Digital Media Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools.

Overview

In this lesson, students are introduced to basic concepts of anthropology and ethnography and explore how they apply to online communities. After performing a digital ethnography project on the norms and values of an online community, students consider how a community’s norms and values are formed and how they can be shaped and influenced.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

  • Learn key concepts of anthropology and ethnography
  • Consider differences between online and offline communities
  • Perform, document and analyze original research
  • Consider ways in which individuals and small groups (including themselves) can influence the values and norms of a community in a positive way

This lesson and all associated documents (handouts, overheads, backgrounders) are available in an easy-print, pdf kit version.

Lesson Kit