Avatars and body image
In this lesson students are introduced to the concept of "avatars" and share their experiences creating and playing avatars in video games and virtual worlds. They then create avatars using a program that is intentionally limited in terms of available body types and gender markers, first creating an avatar of their own gender and then of the opposite gender, and then discuss the program and relate it to representations of gender and body image in games and virtual worlds and in other media. Students then create avatars using a much more flexible version of the program and compare that experience to the more limited version. Finally, students use the more versatile program to create avatars that represent how they see themselves and how they would like others to see them online and reflect on the choices that went into creating them.
Respecting Yourself and Others Online Workshop
The Respecting Yourself and Others Online workshop was created to provide tweens and young teens with strategies and knowledge that will help them respect themselves, respect others and respect the space when using social media.
Respecting Yourself and Others Online Workshop Guide
The purpose of this workshop is to provide tweens and young teens with strategies and knowledge that will help them respect themselves, respect others and respect the space when using social media.
Click if You Agree (Grades 7-9)
Think you know how to read and understand privacy policies and terms of use? Learn how to make sense of legal documents for websites and apps with this interactive game.
Social Media - Introduction
Social media is best understood as a collection of capabilities, or affordances, overlaid on various platforms. Instagram, for instance, is a platform for visual and video media with social media capabilities, while Scratch is a gaming platform with social media capabilities. It represents a major change from older media, shifting from one-way communication to a decentralized network where everyone can be a producer.