Lesson: Which Me Should I Be? (6-8)

DEFINE the Key Vocabulary terms motivate, consequences, and anonymous. Explain that the last term will play an important part in the activity they will do following the movie.

REMIND the class that it’s perfectly normal to try out different identities online. However, they have to think about what motivates them to do so, and the possible consequences. Tell them:

• Sometimes you might express different parts of your personality online because you want to be accepted by friends or people in an online community. Or you might do it to experiment and see how others react.
• Other times, you might cross over into lying to or deceiving others by pretending you are someone you’re not.
• It is important that you take responsibility for who you are and what you want to be online, and also consider how this might affect people you interact with online.

EXPLAIN to the class you will now show them a video about Henry, a real boy who enjoys participating in an online world where he doesn’t (fully) reveal his identity.

SHOW students the “Henry’s Story – Creating Online Identities” video.

ASK: What do you think motivates Henry to hide his age?
Henry wants to fits into the community and not be judged by his age. He doesn’t want to have to “prove” himself.

ASK: What were the consequences of Henry hiding his age?
In this case, Henry’s deception did not seem to harm himself or anyone else. On the positive side, Henry feels more respected because he is treated like an adult.

ENCOURAGE students to keep the story of Henry in mind as you move on to the next activity.

DISTRIBUTE copies of the Take a Stand Student Handout, one to each student.

EXPLAIN to students that you are going to read aloud the scenarios from the handout. As you read each scenario, they should move to the spot on the tape line that represents where on the spectrum of HARMLESS/HARMFUL they believe the behavior falls. (Note: If space is an issue, students can place sticky notes with their names on them on a line on the board.)

GUIDE students to complete the activity, referring to the Take a Stand Student Handout — Teacher Version for detailed instructions.

REVIEW the ethical questions involved in trying different identities online. Remind students that doing this can have both benefits and risks. These depend in large part on what motivates people to present themselves differently, as well as the online settings and situations. All these can affect the consequences of their actions. Students need to be especially careful about exaggerating or deceiving others online, because this can often have harmful consequences.

ASK: What motivates people to present themselves differently online than in person?
Students should name different intentions that people might have for taking on an alternative identity, or for acting anonymously, online. People may do it to protect themselves, or simply to have fun. They also may do it to deceive others.