W540 Computers in the Curriculum
Digital/Media Literacy
Your Name: Kim Hendrick
ePortfolio URL:
Overview / Students are taking more online classes in their high schools or through a supplemental provider and are spending more time online while working on their class. Some students tend to believe everything they read online and take it as truth or use content without permission. Understanding netiquette is a growing need for the online student. In this digital/media literacy lesson, students will learn how to critically review and critique the resources they find online as well as understand what it means to be a good digital citizen while following netiquette and how to leave a good digital footprint.
Resources & Preparation / Audience: Online students 9-12
Subject Area: Digital/Media Literacy – Can be used in any content area in any online or blended class.
Estimated time: 1 week
Resources needed:
- Computer with internet access
- Xtranormal Account
- Access to Google Docs
Theory to Practice / Heidi Hayes Jacobs dedicates Chapter 8 in her book Curriculum 21 Essential Education for a Changing World to Media Literacy: 21st Century Literacy Skills written by Frank W. Baker. It states that “they (students) do not necessarily possess the ethics, the intellectual skills, or the predisposition to critically analyze and evaluate their relationship with these technologies or the information they encounter”. (Jacobs p. 138-139) “Due to fears about Internet predators and cyber bullying, schools are currently interested in what they call ‘media literacy’ as a way to teach young people the rules regarding proper behavior on the Internet.” (Jacobs p. 140) As more students spend more time online, media literacy becomes important and students must learn how to use internet resources responsibly. In the article, Footprints in the Digital Age, Ferriter suggests that students will be “less likely to engage in risky behaviors online” if they view digital resources as a means for collecting information because they will see the “social media spaces as forums for learning first and entertainment second.” Students who are online will leave a digital footprint since they are part of a “connected world”. The article goes on to suggest that students need to learn how to leave positive digital footprints. “Instead of teaching students to be afraid of what others can learn about them online, let's teach them how digital footprints can quickly connect them to the individuals, ideas, and opportunities that they care most about.” (Ferriter, 2011)
Standards / NETS – S
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate and use information.
a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize,
and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks
5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societalissues related to technology and practice legal andethical behavior.
a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsibleuse of information and technology
b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technologythat supports collaboration, learning, and productivity
c. Demonstrate personal responsibility forlifelong learning
d. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship
Objectives / Upon successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
- List 3-5 standards for appropriate etiquette in online settings, also referred to as “netiquette.”
- Work in a group of 3-4 students to create a storyboard for a video
- Create an Xtranormal video about Netiquette, Cyber bullying, Digital Literacy or using the Internet in a responsible way.
Build Inquiry / Students will watch Sharing Information – A Day in Your Life and will be required to post in the threaded discussion in the class forum and respond to at least 3 other students’ thoughts. Students should reflect on the following: What new information did I gain? What questions do I still have? Something that surprised me.
Instructional Delivery / This is an online module that can be included in any online class for any content area. It is recommended to be placed at the beginning of the class to establish netiquette and online norms for the class. This lesson should take no more than 3-5 days to complete.
Day 1: After the students watch Sharing Information – A Day in Your Life, they will be asked to go to the online forum and interact with other students from the class as outlined in the Build Inquiry section. The teacher should monitor the discussion posts and add other information or resources for the students.
Students will then view Share With Care, Stand Up to Cyberbullying and Detecting Lies and Staying True and will be asked to take notes using the technology tool of their choice while watching these videos. The notes will be used later during their collaborative activity.
Students will also be asked to take the Netiquette quizand post their results in the forum. Students will be asked to reflect on their results and comment on the questions they missed or confused them.
Day 2-5: Students will then be placed in teams of 3-4 and will be asked to work on a storyboard in their teamGoogle Doc to develop a script about any topic of their choice that was represented in the videos they watched. Teams will need to reference Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship. They will need to find at least 2 additional resources from credible internet sources to site in their storyboard. Once the storyboard has been approved by the teacher, students will create a collaborative video in Xtranormal using the script from the Google Doc. The links to the videos will be posted in the online class forum for student viewing.
Additional Resources / OnGuardOnline
Sharing Information – A Day in Your Life
Share With Care
Stand Up to Cyberbullying
Detecting Lies and Staying True
Xtranormal
Netiquette quiz
Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship
Assessment / Xtranormal rubric adapted from Warren County School rubric. See attached.
Extension /
- Students could vote on the best Xtranormal videos and showcase the top 3 videos on a website or submit to an online contest.
- Videos could be used in other online classes as examples in a student orientation module.
- Students could develop a website with all references for future students or teachers to use.
Citations / Ferriter, W. (2011). Positive digital footprints. Educational Leadership, 68(7). Retrieved from
Jacobs, H. H. (2010). Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Ribble, M. (2007). Nine themes of digital citizenship. Retrieved October 28th, 2012, from Digital Citizenship: Using Technology Appropriately –
Richardson, W. (2008). Footprints in the digital age. Educational Leadership, 66(3). Retrieved from
Digital Storytelling: Novel – Xtranormal Rubric. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from