Making Avatars
Now have students access the student chapter Avatars Online and use the Avatar Creator game on Level 1 to create an avatar whose gender most closely matches theirs.
The options in Level 1 are limited, so they will need only 5 or 10 minutes to do this.
Now have students talk about their experience creating their avatars.
What was fun?
What was frustrating?
How was this similar to or different from the avatar creation in the games and virtual worlds they play?
Next, have students go back to the home screen and choose the other gender. (If you made a girl avatar first, make a boy now; if you made a boy avatar first, make a girl.)
How was it different this time?
What was fun or funny? Why was it funny?
Was it frustrating? Why?
How were different students’ experiences different?
Ask students if they have ever done a similar exercise, in class or elsewhere. If so, ask them to reflect on what has changed since the last time they did.