Lilyanne W.

Tyler
Digital Citizenship Collaborative Unit
FRIT 7739
March 14, 2022

Identification of Instructional Problem and Goal

The use of digital devices, social media, and online tools is prominent among middle

schoolers today. They actively engage with others online through multiple channels, and they

rely on technology for much of their daily activities and responsibilities. With technology use

comes the need to be a knowledgeable and responsible digital citizen. Too often do we see

students posting inappropriate content, sharing private information, and spreading crude photos,

potentially causing tremendous harm to themselves and others. After discussing these topics with

eighth grade teacher Kayla LeVieux and school counselors, we came to the conclusion that most

students lack a basic understanding of their digital footprint, the consequences that follow, and

how they can protect their footprint. They struggle to understand the permanence of digital

activity, as well as the significance and impact it has on our futures and daily lives in today’s

world. The main goal for the unit is for students to understand the implications and potential

consequences of their online activity.

Learner and Context Analysis

The target learners for this digital citizenship unit are eighth grade students in Mrs. Kayla

LeVieux’s homeroom class. She has a relatively even number of students when divided by boys

and girls. There are slightly more males than females. These students are considered on grade

level or below grade level based on standardized testing data. Nearly all of the students are

highly active online through their phones, social media accounts, and all students have a school

issued student Chromebook, which has access to the internet. Mrs. LeVieux has observed

students on social media applications such as Snapchat and TikTok, both viewing and creating
content. She often overhears conversations about rumors and information about peers being

spread through text messages, direct messages on Instagram, TikTok videos, and Snapchat

videos. Mrs. LeVieux has had to mediate between several students after confrontations were

started on online platforms. They have also told her about friends who have shared inappropriate

images online or have received inappropriate images that were meant to be kept private between

two students online. Many of her students are also active with video games that include online

chatting and playing with friends remotely. With the prevalence of their online activity, Mrs.

LeVieux and I felt that these digital citizenship conversations are highly important for the

students to consider, especially with their entrance into high school in just a few months.

Task Analysis

The eighth grade students will access the unit via Google Sites, which will be secret agent

themed to help spark their interest. On the site, students will be presented with their “mission” or

unit goal, move through various “training rooms” to learn about digital footprint, reputation, and

oversharing, and lastly, end in the “agent testing room” to complete an assessment of their

knowledge and skills. The following describes the task breakdown:

Task 1: Watch video to review the concept of digital citizenship

Activate Prior
Knowledge

Task 2: Read the definition of Based on the video description, respond on the
Digital “Digital Footprint” and Padlet with one thing you do that leaves a “bread
Footprint watch the video for crumb” in your digital footprint.
explanation.

Task 3: Read the definition of Determine if the type of post/information would be

Digital “digital reputation” helpful or harmful for your digital reputation by
Reputation and watch the video dragging it to the appropriate column on Formative.
for an explanation on
how they are created
Task 4: Why Take the position of an Evaluate your decision Summarize your
It Matters employer and use two based on new evidence thoughts and feelings
digital footprints to and new circumstances. about the possibility of
determine who to hire. people using your digital
footprint to make
judgements about you
with one word. Then
view your peers’
responses. (Mentimeter)

Task 5: Steps Watch two videos Read the definition of Read two short quotes
to Protect about what oversharing private information and about permanence and
is and how it can play the Kahoot to test watch two videos - one
impact you. Respond your knowledge of about permanence and
to three questions private vs. public one about sending things
about oversharing information. to “trusted” people.
using Padlet columns

Task 6: Play Interland Take the final Take the Unit Evaluation
Assessment (Mindful Mountain assessment in Google survey
and Tower of Treasure) Forms
to practice for the
assessment

Instructional Objectives and Standards

● Objective 1: Students will understand the significance of their digital footprint.

● Objective 2: Students will evaluate information to distinguish private and secure

information from shareable information.

● Objective 3: Students will understand the possible implications of oversharing.

● ISTE Standard 1.2 Digital Citizen: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and

opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they

act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical. Students:

○ 1.2.a. cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of

the permanence of their actions in the digital world.

 ○ 1.2.b. engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology,

including social interactions online or when using networked devices.

○ 1.2.c. demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations

of using and sharing intellectual property.

○ 1.2.d. manage their personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and are

aware of data-collection technology used to track their navigation online.

● ELAGSE8SL1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one,

in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics and texts, building on

others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Content Sequencing and Instructional Strategies

Sequence Description Objective

1 Start on the home page. Read the unit description, mission, and 1
directions.

2 Watch the video about digital citizenship for a brief review. 1

3 Read the definition of digital footprint and watch the explanatory 1

video.

4 Respond using the collaborative board. 1

5 Read the definition of digital reputation and watch the video. 1

6 Sort types of posts into “helpful” and “harmful” categories using 1

Formative.

7 Take on the perspective of an employer and use fake digital 1, 3

footprints to make judgements about who to hire. Reassess when
new evidence is presented.

8 Respond by summarizing your feelings/thoughts in one word to 1, 3

create a word cloud.

9 Watch two videos about oversharing and managing digital 1, 2, 3

reputation.
 10 Respond to three questions using the collaborative board. 1, 2, 3

11 Read the definition of private reputation. 2

12 Play the Kahoot quiz game over private vs. public information. 2

13 Read the text and quote about internet permanence. 1, 2, 3

14 Watch 2 videos about internet permanence. 1, 2, 3

15 Play two Interland games as a practice assessment. 1, 2, 3

16 Complete the end of unit assessment. 1, 2, 3

The instruction in the unit is structured so that each part builds on the previous. Basic

information is introduced first, and instruction moves toward more in-depth and complex topics,

similar to a scaffold. This ensures that prior knowledge is activated and any possible

misconceptions related to subject terminology are cleared before students are asked to engage in

more critical thinking activities. The implications of a digital footprint and strategies to protect

one are complex, so it is imperative to first have students engage with subtopics within the main

topic, such as being able to define terms and categorize information.

Reflection is also a major component of instruction in the unit. Throughout the unit,

students are asked to reflect on how their learning impacts their thoughts and feelings. At one

point, they must consider other perspectives and use critical thinking to determine likely

outcomes based on those perspectives. They are also asked to self-assess throughout the concepts

in order to determine whether or not they gained understanding. During the final assessment,

students are asked to show their understanding, but they are also asked to reflect on their own

practices and learning.

Development of Assessments
 A variety of formal and informal assessments are used throughout the unit. For example,

reflection opportunities and quick checks for understanding are embedded on each page of the

unit. These include Padlet responses, summarizing understandings in one word, playing Kahoot,

and sorting information into columns on Formative. All of these informal assessments provide

the opportunity for students to assess themselves throughout each step of the unit, and they

provide the teachers with information about their engagement and understanding of the concepts.

The Formative sorting task and the Kahoot provide immediate feedback for students.

Additionally, the Interland practice games before the final assessment provide immediate

feedback for students and allow them to test themselves in a low stakes environment. The Padlet

activities and the Mentimeter word cloud allow students to reflect on their own thoughts related

to the topics, and it also allows them to engage with peer responses.

The formal assessment at the end of the unit was created with the objectives of the unit in

mind. Many of the questions were derived from Common Sense Education’s Digital Citizenship

resources, which also helped build many of the learning tasks throughout the unit. This created

continuity and reliability. At the end of the formal assessment, two longer response questions

allowed for assessment of a deeper understanding, and caused students to reflect on their own

digital citizenship practices as related to the topics presented in the unit.

Lastly, the unit evaluation survey was created to help the teachers gain insight into what

strategies were helpful for students and what strategies needed to be altered for the future. It also

helped determine who thoroughly investigated all of the available unit resources and who

engaged with the content. These survey results could be used to develop additional units in the

future or to alter the existing unit to better fit student needs.

Design of Instruction
 This unit was designed to be completely asynchronous. Students do have the opportunity

to interact with each other through collaborative boards and word clouds. However, all activities

throughout the unit can be done at their own pace and without the need for all students to work

on the same items at the same time. The unit was built entirely on Google Sites, with all outside

resources embedded or linked through buttons. In order to distribute the unit to students, the link

to the site was shared through a learning management system. Access to assessments such as

Google Forms can be shared among educators, making it easy for teachers to see student results,

if more than one teacher planned to use the unit. The unit was themed around a spy or secret

agent theme, taking influences from popular culture icons like “Mission Impossible.” This was

done to increase engagement and to provide motivation for students to complete the unit and

become “cyber agents.” By completing the unit to be called “cyber agents,” students may feel a

sense of accomplishment or importance and feel like they may have achieved an honor.

Plan for Evaluation

In order to assess the effectiveness of the unit, the students will complete the final unit

assessment in Google Forms. This data will provide insights into student understanding and

engagement. Questions on the assessment are derived from Common Sense Media’s Digital

Citizenship curriculum, where many of the unit activities were adapted from. Additionally,

assessments throughout the unit such as the Formative game, Kahoot game, Word Cloud, and

Padlet boards will help informally assess the unit for engagement and understanding. Lastly, the

collaborating teacher, Mrs. Kayla LeVieux will prepare a narrative review of the unit,

commenting on its effectiveness in instruction and engagement, as well as appropriateness for

the intended audience and relevancy to the unit goals and objectives. Comments and suggestions
in this narrative will be used to improve and adapt the current unit, and they will also be taken

into consideration when constructing future, similar units.

Resources to Support Instruction

Azoomee. (2017, October 10). Search it up: I don’t want everyone to see my bum! [Video].

YouTube. https://youtu.be/NntsCHmy1mM

Azoomee. (2017, October 10). Search it up: My pop star disaster [Video]. YouTube.

https://youtu.be/7pLLhXUIe-s

Common Sense Education. (2019, August). Protecting online reputations. Common Sense

Education.

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/lesson/protecting-online-rep

utations

Common Sense Education. (2019, August). Protecting online reputations [Lesson slides].

Google Slides.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16Ibsi1djl_Ms6DDvYRt_9w2-E54ytYGwNOWJ

Tz7j0ZU/edit#slide=id.g5e58841b50_4_0

Common Sense Education. (2019, August). Social media and digital footprints: Our

responsibilities. Common Sense Education.

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/lesson/social-media-and-digi

tal-footprints-our-responsibilities

Common Sense Education. (2019, August). Social media and digital footprints: Our

responsibilities [Lesson slides]. Google Slides.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11lMnKOpimfjdDGB5F7QmO6mHfnx_2EzhSX

78dqDiJIs/edit#slide=id.g4d3d34a4f2_0_0
Common Sense Education. (2019, January 12). Teen voices: Oversharing and your digital

footprint [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ottnH427Fr8

Common Sense Education. (2020, July). The power of digital footprints. Common Sense

Education.

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/lesson/the-power-of-digital-f

ootprints

Common Sense Education. (2020, July). The power of digital footprints [Lesson slides]. Google

Slides.https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MhHqXmkKKFjK4D6uss7RaEXi9SOQZ

sb4_dGxOaFj-Uo/edit#slide=id.g4d35c904b7_0_0

Common Sense Education. (2020, July). The power of digital footprints: Truth be told [Student

handout]. Google Docs.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K05aaJcLWeW7UAkhKDpMvKugwnkRmZi0M_

10z7LJsfU/edit

Common Sense Education. (2013, August 12). What’s in your digital footprint? [Video]

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P_gj3oRn8s

Common Sense Media Ratings & Reviews. (2017, October 11). What is digital citizenship?

[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toK_BAYnjoU

Formative. (n.d.). Formative. https://www.formative.com

Google. (n.d.). Play interland: Be internet awesome.

https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/interland

Google for Education. (2017, June 25). Manage your online reputation [Video]. YouTube.

https://youtu.be/w7qEbPVw3hA

Kahoot. (n.d.). Kahoot!. https://kahoot.com

Mentimeter. (n.d.). Mentimeter. https://www.mentimeter.com

Osborne, N. (2016, December 2). What do your digital footprints say about you? [Video]. TED.

https://youtu.be/RVX8ZSAR4OY

Padlet. (n.d.). Padlet. https://padlet.com/auth/login

Thiefels, J. (2019, March 17). What every teen needs to know about their digital footprint. Net

Nanny.

https://www.netnanny.com/blog/what-every-teen-needs-to-know-about-their-digital-footp

rint/