Breaking It Down: Today’s Digital Citizens Week Five

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

In Week Five of Youth Speak Out International’s Today’s Digital Citizens (TDC) program, all the puzzle pieces that the students have been learning and working towards finally begin to come together. Week Four saw students wrap up the production of their Public Service Announcement (PSA) videos. Students were sent home with the task of talking to their families about in-person communication vs. online communication, and how digital communication impacts their lives. 

Week Five begins by recapping those conversations that students had with their families. Digital communication is an important tool for families to keep in-touch. But it can also lead to miscommunication and lacks many of the special attributes of spending time together in-person. Students discuss finding this balance in their own lives and how digital communication has had a positive or negative impact in their experiences with family and friends. 

Once the discussion wraps up, the facilitator begins to review the PSA videos with the entire class. The students discuss each group’s production quality as well as the concepts that each group is trying to present. If something needs to be reshot, the facilitator will help the group get it done. 

In addition to making sure their videos are presentable, the students also need to prepare for giving a presentation to their teachers and families in Week Six. Facilitators work with students to practice presenting themselves with confidence and clarity. Students will speak about their job and what they learned during their TDC lessons. 

Students are sent home with two tasks. The first is to make sure they are ready to present in Week Six: continuing to practice their presentation skills and think about what they’re going to say. The second task is reflecting on what they’ve learned during the program and how it will impact their navigation of the digital world and digital communications moving forward. All of this is in anticipation of the Community Forum in Week Six.