Lesson: Representing Ourselves Online
In this lesson, students talk about dressing up and taking on identities that are similar to or different from them. They are then introduced to the idea of avatars as a kind of “dressing up” inside video games and consider the ways in which the technical, generic and aesthetic limitations on avatar creation and customization affect their choices and their ability to represent themselves online.
Grade range: 1-3
Teacher Material: https://pressbooks.pub/buildingblocks/chapter/dressing-up/
Student Material: https://pressbooks.pub/buildingblocks/chapter/introduction-to-avatars/
Time Frame
| One class period (45-60 minutes) | Two to three class periods (90-120 minutes) | ||
| Activities |
Dressing Up Introduction to Avatars
|
Dressing Up
Introduction to Avatars Wacky Media Songs: Guess Who! |
Preparation:
- Make sure that you are able to access the interactive activities.
- If possible, provide butcher paper or chart paper large enough for students to lie on.
- Prepare to distribute the handouts Avatar Outline and Avatar Options.
- A printable version of this lesson is available at https://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/representing-ourselves-online
Learning Outcomes
Big ideas/key concepts: Students will understand that…
Media are constructions
- Media works don’t necessarily reflect reality
Digital media experiences are shaped by the tools we use
- Avatars can represent us in virtual worlds
- Avatars and how they’re designed can affect how we act in virtual worlds
Key questions:
- What do our avatars say about us?
- How can we make the best impression possible online?
Essential knowledge: Students will know…
- Media representation: Our choices about avatars reflect how we want to be seen
- Consumer awareness: Our choices about avatars may be limited for technical or commercial reasons
- Ethics and empathy: Avatars are part of how we communicate with people in games
- Key vocabulary: Avatar
Performance tasks: Students will be able to…
- Use: Make an avatar that reflects how they want to be seen
- Understand: Analyze the experience of making avatars in different circumstances
Curriculum Connections
Strand A: Literacy Connections and Applications
A2. Digital Media Literacy
A2.1 Digital Citizenship
demonstrate an understanding of their rights and responsibilities when interacting online with appropriate permission, and make decisions that contribute positively to the development of their digital identity and those of their communities
A2.2 Online Safety, Well-Being, and Etiquette
demonstrate an understanding of how to navigate online environments safely, manage their privacy, and interact in a way that supports their well-being and that of others, including seeking appropriate permission
A2.4 Forms, Conventions and Techniques
demonstrate an understanding of the forms, conventions, and techniques of digital and media texts, and apply this understanding when analyzing texts
A2.5 Media, Audience, and Production
demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships between the form, message, and context of a text, the audience, and the creator
A2.6 Innovation and Design
use digital and media tools to support stages of the design process and to develop creative solutions to authentic, real-world problems
A2.7 Community and Cultural Awareness
communicate and collaborate with various communities in a safe, respectful, responsible, and inclusive manner when using online platforms and environments, including digital and media tools, and demonstrate cultural awareness with members of the community
A3. Applications, Connections and Contributions
A3.1 Cross-Curricular and Integrated Learning
apply the knowledge and skills developed in this grade to support learning in various subject areas and identify some ways this learning can be used in everyday life
Strand C: Composition (Understanding and Responding to Texts)
C1 Knowledge About Texts
C1.2 Text Forms and Genres
Grade 1: identify simple literary and informational text forms and their associated genres
Grades 2-3: identify and describe some characteristics of literary and informational text forms and their associated genres
C1.4 Visual Elements of Texts
Grade 1: demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between simple illustrations, images, and graphics and the text
Grade 2: identify ways in which images, graphics, and visual design create, communicate, and contribute to meaning in a variety of texts
Grade 3: describe ways in which images, graphics, and visual design are used in a given text, and demonstrate an understanding of their purpose and connection to the content of the text
Strand D: Composition (Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts)
D1.1 Purpose and Audience
Grade 1: identify the topic, purpose, and audience for various simple texts they plan to create
Grade 2: identify the topic, purpose, and audience for various texts they plan to create
Grade 3: identify the topic, purpose, and audience for various texts they plan to create, and describe how the chosen text form and genre will help communicate their intended meaning
D1.2 Developing Ideas
Grade 1: generate ideas about given and chosen topics, using simple strategies and drawing on various resources, including their own lived experiences, and learning from other subject areas
Grade 2: generate and develop ideas about given and chosen topics, using simple strategies, and drawing on various resources, including their own lived experiences, and learning from other subject areas
Grade 3: generate and develop ideas about given and chosen topics, using various strategies, and drawing on various resources, including their own lived experiences, and learning from other subject areas
D2 Creating Texts
D2.1 Producing Drafts
Grade 1: draft short, simple texts of various forms and genres, including personal narratives, persuasive texts, and procedural texts, using a variety of media, tools, and strategies
Grade 2: draft short texts of various forms and genres, including personal narratives, persuasive texts, and procedural texts, using a variety of media, tools, and strategies
Grade 3: draft short texts of various forms and genres, including narrative, persuasive, and informational texts, using a variety of media, tools, and strategies
D2.3 Voice
Grade 1: demonstrate a personal voice in their texts, with a focus on using words that express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions about the topic
Grade 2: demonstrate a personal voice in their texts, using descriptive words to express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions about the topic
Grade 3: demonstrate a personal voice in their texts, using descriptive words and sentence patterns to express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions about
A virtual “you” that you control in a game or a virtual world.
