Part 3 How to get started...

After reviewing the activity suggestions, I decided to implement the "Sexting: What Happens Next?" strategy with my Criminal Justice students.  This topic is covered within our"Technology & Law" unit. (We discuss items such as sexting, facial recognition, surveillance, DNA & Genetics testing, & police phone searches). The activity begins with a specific prompt labeled at the top of the sheet of paper- for example, "He asked her for a nude photo and she sent one" or "All of the guys on the team dared each other to get a naked photo".  Students had to add one line to the story and then pass it to the next person in their group.  The prompts/questions students should consider were very helpful- the included, "what happens next? who saw the photo? How did they react? Who saw the photo?" Students were not able to go back to change the story & rewrite the script.

Some students were a little hesitant to discuss the topic, while others were fully engaged.  Despite each story line, all of the endings were unfortunate- students were suspended, the individual who sent the photo was humiliated, even suicide was mentioned. This opened up our class discussion as to NYS laws regarding sexting with minors.  The class discussion got a little derailed as they mentioned past events from classmates or friends in other districts.  I used this activity was a starting point- students could choose a topic dealing with technology to research (read a few articles) and then visit a choice board where they could create something to showcase their new knowledge (such as a letter, PSA, billboard, create a song or playlist, etc.)
I really liked this activity!
In the future, I think I will begin this unit/activity with some type of media search for news stories, videos, posts about cyberbulling, sexting, etc.  It would be beneficial to have these posted to a padlet page for the class to see and share.  The students enjoyed having a choice as to what topic they research further.  NetSmartz even added items on "Sextortion"- I am going to add this to our list of topics to discuss for next semester. 

The students collaborated  to complete these stories & had fun with answering the prompts of what happens next.  I could even incorporate this strategy into our discussion of Supreme Court Cases with student rights.  Students could be asked to answer prompts such as "Who was in the wrong? Who would the court rule in favor of?  These scenarios could reflect other famous court cases-such as Mahanoy v BL reflecting issues with technology.

After reviewing the resources provided for grades 9-12 on the Netsmartz site, I was particularly drawn to the project example on cyberbullying.  This activity is targeting a problem so relevant to students at the HS level in which I teach I could not help but look at this one closer.  The project suggests reading an article on scenario involving cyberbullying.  It then has students break intro groups where they write a letter together.  Some groups write a letter to the bully, others to the victim.  Each group has criteria where their letter is to be helpful, attempt ways to offer support, and to provide suggestions for moving forward.  I liked this activity for its applicability to the students daily lives, for the opportunity to look at and empathize with individuals on both sides, and to have an opportunity to serve as the facilitator or problem solver in the letter writing portion.  After viewing this I chose to create my own activity modeled on this to teach digital literacy issues (dangers of cyberbullying) while connecting it to content as well. I completed this activity with my ALT class.  It is small group and lends itself well to discussion.  I chose an article from the point of view of a current US politician who is consistently trolled by Americans on the opposite political spectrum. This article contained examples of numerous comments by the same troll who even at times made death threats.  I also had a second article from the point of view of a high school girl who made a post condemning the reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision and the backlash she received.  We completed the project idea twice.  We read each article aloud as a whole class.  Then students worked in pairs to write their opposing letters in both instances.  One to the bully/troll, and another to the victim.  After the letters were written, pairs swapped them and discussed their approaches.  This really led to meaningful discussion and in my opinion, a huge take away for the kids on how much cyberbullying can effect someone mentally or even their career.  It was powerful.  In the future I would simply make sure my students had more background if the article I choose is specific.  For this activity I had to spend additional time I did not initially intend to explain the politician in article #1’s platform and views.  This was necessary for them to better understand where the troll was coming from.  I had to spend some time explaining the Roe v Wade decision and the implications of its reversal (what this could lead to) in order for them to fully grasp the weight of this reversal and the girl in article #2’s passion about it.  Other than more background prior to the activity, I felt it was very beneficial for the kids to participate in and I will definitely be repeating this again.