Connected: Introductory Lesson

This activity can be used as an introduction to the resource, it will help students get an understanding of how the digital world is connected. It explores how social media platforms and other digital technologies influence and shape what young people do online. Students link ideas about the affordances of media (what they can do with media, its versatility and advantages) to their feelings. This starts them thinking about which aspects of digital cultures they want to enjoy and use more often, or to imagine how they would like them to be.

To understand how social media platforms and other internet sites are interconnected in a complex, networked system, to consider the implications of these systems, and how they influence people’s actions.

Digital Media Literacy Short Course

Strand 1: My Digital World

1.1 Describe how they use digital technologies, communication tools and the internet in their lives

— Whiteboard

— Post-It notes

— SEN Worksheet: Digital Web

Brainstorm, discussion, think-pair-share, group presentation, reflection/application

Schools with access to digital devices (e.g. tablets, laptops, phone) can capture students’ responses on relevant discussion activities using a variety of web- based tools (e.g. Mentimeter, Flipgrid, etc). It would also be worthwhile asking students to take a screenshot of relevant tasks completed and save this in their own digital portfolio (folder) as a record of their work throughout the course. Students can demonstrate the digital web by developing a mindmap using free mind-mapping tools available online such as Coogle (www.coggle.it) or Bubbl.us (www.bubbl.us).

Dedicated lessons may be needed to explain the concept of a digital web to students with SEN, depending on their needs.

A differentiated worksheet (‘a’ version) is provided to assist students who may have slow processing or memory difficulties in figuring out the main points. Students with SEN may have difficulty reading aloud, avoid putting pressure on individual students to read aloud.