Digital & Media Literacy

The Health Effects of Screen Time

Active use: Contributing online via posts, comments or other forms of communication and expression

Passive use: Scrolling through online content without reacting to the content

Digital Screen Time (5m 15s): https://youtu.be/fVALeerZpd4

Media balance: Using media in a way that feels healthy and in balance with other life activities (family, friends, school, hobbies, etc.)

REFLECT: How do you feel before, during and after using social media? Does it depend on the platform, how much time you spend on it, or how you use it?

Debating the Privacy Line

Graphic from Pew Research Center

How to Protect your Privacy on Social Media: https://dataprivacymanager.net/how-to-protect-your-privacy-on-social-media/

REFLECT: How does our behavior change when we know we’re being watched? Are we less likely to be ourselves? How does that relate to our behavior online?

The Change you Want to See

Digital footprint: All the information online about a person either posted by that person or others, intentionally or unintentionally

Purpose: The feeling of being determined to do or achieve something. What does it mean to find your purpose? Why is finding your purpose important?

WATCH Purpose Challenge youtube video(2m)

VISIT Purpose Challenge website

Sharpen your focus: Brainstorm and think about a problem you are interested in solving and how solving it might align with your own passions and skills. Connect with others: Use social media or another platform to join with others who are also interested in solving the problem.

REFLECT: What actions do I take online that contribute to my online identity? How do those actions shape my online identity?

We Are Civil Communicators

Civil discourse: Conversation that involves respectful sharing and debate of ideas

Debate VS. Discuss

• Debate: Argue about a topic, highly charged, opposing viewpoints
• Discuss: Talk about a topic, taking into account different ideas and opinion

WATCH: Civil Discourse online (5m 46s)

Before you debate, remember to be COOL:

• CALM. Take a deep breath and relax before engaging.
• OPEN-MINDED. Consider ideas that are different from yours.
• ONLY FOCUSED ON THE IDEAS. Separate your judgments about who people are from what they're saying.
• LISTENING ACTIVELY. Aim to understand the person's ideas, experiences, and emotions.

REFLECT: What can we do as a campus to make sure our online relationships with each other and with others off campus are healthy (use kind and clear language, respect other people’s time, etc.)?

The Consequences of Online Hate Speech

Hate Speech: An attack using any form of communication targeting a person or people because of a group they belong to - race, gender, religion, ability, sexual orientation, etc.

Freedom of speech: The right to state one's opinions and ideas without being stopped or punished (by the government)

LISTEN: Free Speech or Hate Speech: When does online hate speech become a real threat? (4m)

Try out the Take a Stand Thinking Routine

REFLECT: What are some ways we can make a positive impact online? What can we do when someone else is being cruel or using hate speech? Since digital drama sometimes starts because of misunderstandings, how can you prevent hurt feelings or the misinterpretation of posts or comments? Which parts can you control?

Filter Bubble Trouble

Filter Bubble: When your social media feed and what you see online only aligns with your existing beliefs and experiences

Algorithm: A piece of computer code that outlines specific steps to solve a problem

Personalized content: Information that a website or an app shows you based on what it thinks you want to see (big data)

WATCH: How social media filter bubbles work (1m 31s)

WATCH: How can you burst your filter bubble? (1m 51s)

REFLECT: How might personalized content - determined by what we like, follow and click on - create problems when it comes to news? How might these “filter bubbles” influence our lives?

Adapted from Common Sense Education, Digital Citizenship Curriculum