Breaking It Down: Today’s Digital Citizens Week Three

Breaking It Down is a blog series where we break down Youth Speak Out International’s curriculum week-by-week, exploring the major concepts and activities. This post looks at the lesson for Week Three.

Cyberbullying is a major issue facing today’s young people. The internet and devices provide a shield for kids to hide behind as they hurt other people. Some kids might not even realize the impact of their words or actions because of the distance that technology creates. Whether students are the victims of cyberbullying, the perpetrators, or just observers, it is important for children to have a safe space where they can talk about what happens in the digital world.

Week Three of Youth Speak Out International’s Today’s Digital Citizens program seeks to create that safe space. We want to educate our students on the meaning of words like cyberbullying and digital drama, help them learn to identify those situations, and equip them with the tools to respond if it happens to them or if they witness cyberbullying or digital drama. 

In addition to these important discussions, students also spend time in Week Three working on their Public Service Announcement (PSA) projects. This lesson focuses on storyboarding the video, laying out each scene with both a visual and text description. Students also brainstorm who they are going to select to do the voiceover for their video. 

Finally, students wrap up Week Three by receiving the Digital Citizenship Family Agreement. This family agreement empowers students to have conversations with their parents about how technology is used in their homes and amongst their family members. Students are encouraged to have their parents or guardians sign the document and display it somewhere prominently in the house, like on the refrigerator. 

Week Three marks the halfway point of the Today’s Digital Citizens program. At this point, students should have a layout for their Public Service Announcement, they should have gained knowledge in how to film using an iPad, and they should have gained knowledge in the topics of cyberbullying, digital footprints, and privacy. These lessons will continue to expand the students’ horizons in Week Four.