Avatars+and+Internet+Safety

=Using Avatars to Teach Internet Safety -- // Susan Oxnevad, March, 2009 //= updated: 1/11/11


 * Curriculum area: Internet Safety**
 * Grade level: All**

**Overview:**
Students will create avatars and pen names for participating in the wiki project.

**Objective:**
Students will
 * distinguish between personal vs. private information.
 * create avatars and pen names to protect their identities when publishing and collaborating online.
 * agree to follow publishing safety rules and web etiquette.

**Tool or technology:**
Web 2.0 Tools to create an avatar.
 * (See resources, bottom)**

**NETS-S: National Education Technology Standards for Students**
[|View standards covered]

** Lesson ** ** Overview: **
>
 * Whole Group Discussion: **
 * 1) Discuss VoiceThread as "Live and WorldWide"
 * 2) **Personal vs. Private** information. Get handout from CyberSmart
 * 3) What's an avatar? An avatar is an online identify used to allow users to have a personality while protecting private information.
 * 4) Discuss Publishing Safety Guidelines and Web Etiquette (Students will agree to these terms when requesting a user account, at the end of this lesson.

Hands on Activity:
If you don't have time or access to computer, please consider assigning this as a fun homework task. BuildYourWildSelf is a very easy tool to use and students should be able to complete it independently.
 * 1) Create an avatar
 * 2) Use one of the Web 2.0 tools to create an avatar. Get avatar resources.
 * 3) Take a snapshot of your avatar
 * 4) Save the avatar as a .jpg in a location for easy retrieval. (Computer desktop, flash drive) If there is no option to save, you can take a snapshot. How do I take a snapshot?
 * 5) Create a pen name. Use something you can remember and spell, but please **do not** use your real name. Be creative!

Resources:

 * Avatar resources.


 * Handout: Personal vs. Private Information, from CyberSmart