Cyberbullying Among Teens

Created By:
Violet Harada
Title/Role:
Professor
Organization/School Name:
University of Hawaii
Location:
Hawaii

Grade Level:
9
Type of Lesson:
Lesson in a unit
Type of Schedule:
Combination
Collaboration Continuum:
Moderate
Content Area:
Social studies
Content Topic:
Digital citizenship
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
Skills Indicator(s):
1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.
2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations.
3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess.
Dispostion Indicator(s):
2.2.3 Employ a critical stance in drawing conclusions by demonstrating that the pattern of evidence leads to a decision or conclusion.
Responsibilities Indicator(s):
2.3.1 Connect understanding to the real world.
Self-Assessment Strategies Indicator(s):
3.4.2 Assess the quality and effectiveness of the learning product.
Scenario:
When a student is suspended for using Facebook to taunt a fellow student, the incident spurs classroom discussions on the importance of ethical online behavior and a community meeting on how parents must get involved. Students in a civics class take up the challenge of communicating the importance of digital responsibility to both students and parents in the community. The teacher asks the LMS to assist the students in investigating reasons why teens engage in cyberbullying, how it affects the victims, and strategies and actions to prevent cyberbullying. Students interview resource people from the police and education departments, view and discuss cyberwise guides from different social networking sites, and survey parents and students about ways to foster appropriate digital practices.The LMS and technology resource teacher work together in helping the students as they organize and synthesize their findings to produce video podcasts that are disseminated throughout their school community.

Overview:
Students learn the importance of creating storyboards as first steps in designing their podcasts. To build their storyboards, they wrestle with the following essential questions: Why do teens engage in cyberbullying? How does it affect the victims? What can we do to stop cybebullying?

Final Product:
Students communicate their findings and recommendations through video podcasts.

Library Lesson:
At this point in the unit, students in grade nine have collected information and are ready to create their video podcasts. In this lesson, they are beginning the process by creating storyboards to conceptualize their podcasts. This particular lesson may be split into two 60-minute sessions.

Estimated Lesson Time:
120 minutes
Assessment
Product:
Students use a rating-log (combination of a rating scale and a learning log) to assess their storyboards for the podcasts.

Process:
Students comment on their self-ratings and reflect on what they achieved and how they achieved it.

Self Questioning:
What main points do we make in our storyboards? How effectively are we communicating our message?

Instructional Plan
Resources students will use:
Dataset (ie. lists, tables, databases)
Event (ie. exhibition, webcast, conference, workshop, performance)
Still image (i.e.paintings, drawings, plans, and maps)
Moving Image (i.e. animations, movies, tv program, video)
Interactive Resource (i.e. webpages, multimedia learning objects, chat services)
Sound (i.e. music playback file, audio compact disc, recorded speech or sounds)
Text (books, letters, poems, newspapers, etc.)


Resources instructor will use:
Projector
Laptop
Smart board

Instruction/Activities
Direct instruction:
The LMS instructs students on creating storyboards for their video podcasts. She demonstrates how students use their notes to draft their storyboards. Key questions in the ensuing discussion include: What’s the message you want to communicate? How would you organize the points you want to make? What visuals should you consider? What technical elements do you need to plan out (e.g., sound or camera angles)? Do you need special props? Will other people be involved?

Modeling and guided practice:
Students work in teams on their storyboards. The LMS provides a template for the storyboard. The LMS and teacher circulate to provide feedback. Teams also provide buddy feedback to other teams.

Independent practice:
Students use their storyboards to develop their video podcasts. Work on the podcasts is completed outside of class with in-class time used to discuss progress and solve problems collaboratively. The actual production time goes beyond the 120 minutes allocated for this lesson on the storyboards. The technology resource teacher assists students with the creation of their podcasts.


Have you taught this lesson before:
No

Strategies for differentiation:
Each podcast design team is expected to assign specific tasks to its members. The students are encouraged to capitalize on different strengths and talents of the team members to design the storyboard, find relevant graphics, work on the video and audio components, and edit the podcast.