Cyber Awareness - Stage 6 Communications PDF

STAGE 6 Unit focus: Cyber Awareness Text focus: Information Text Communictions Children are communicating online more than ever, so it’s critical that you know how to do so safely, not just to...

STAGE 6 Unit focus: Cyber Awareness Text focus: Information Text Communictions Children are communicating online more than ever, so it’s critical that you know how to do so safely, not just to protect yourself but the people you are communicating with. The services that children use are ever-changing, so something that is popular today might not be next year or even next month! You might think that communicating online only includes text messages or WhatsApp, but it actually covers any type of contact that you have with other people through the Internet. When you chat with somebody through a computer game, you are communicating. When you post a comment on a YouTube video, you are communicating. The same goes for TikTok videos or Instagram. Communication doesn’t always have to be two-way. A lot of online communication is one-way, which can make it more harmful. If you are watching a video on YouTube or Twitch, then the person who created the content can communicate with you, but you can’t easily communicate directly back to them. This can make it very easy for malicious individuals to influence children and even adults. Most people have compassion and empathy, which means that they don’t want to upset or hurt other people. It is easy to be kind to people when you are standing next to them; you can see the emotions on their faces and hear how upset they are if you say something mean. When you communicate online, you lose all of that. You can’t see their face, you can’t hear their voice, and it’s very easy to misunderstand things. It’s also a lot easier to be mean to people as a result. That doesn’t make it any less hurtful. All of this doesn’t just apply to your friends. Anybody who has ever uploaded content to a site like YouTube or Twitch will know how disheartening and upsetting it can be when they receive hurtful comments. It’s easy to think that content creators are superheroes who are immune to it all, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. A ding ro Rea und all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed e um C u r r ic ul Th http://www.literacyshedplus.com There is a famous quote that says: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” This is definitely something that we could all do with remembering when we communicate online. Unfortunately, we don’t always have the best role models. The media in most countries have a habit of being cruel to people, which can have devastating results. Caroline Flack was a popular TV presenter who ended up taking her own life after horrendous abuse from both the media and online trolls. Once somebody starts to be abusive online, especially to a famous person, it often snowballs until thousands of people join in. This can be overwhelming. Even though you and your friends might not be famous, the same thing often happens during fallouts. You have probably experienced two people falling out, then people take a side, and soon there are lots of people being horrible to one or two others. This is even worse when it happens online because there is no escape from it, even when you go home. Before you say or post something mean on a digital platform, take time to stop and think: is it unkind, is it unnecessary and is it going to negatively impact somebody? If any of those answers is yes, then don’t say it. VOCABULARY FOCUS 1. Which word in the first paragraph describes something as being very important? 2. Find a word in the text that is a synonym for “dangerous”. 3. What impression do you have of somebody described as “malicious”? 4. Write a word that you think is an antonym of “disheartening”. 5. Find and copy a word that describes something as getting worse and worse as it builds up. VIPERS QUESTIONS R True or false: online communication covers all different types of contact online. R Is online communication always between two or more people? S Summarise why it is important to think about what you say online. S What do you think is the meaning behind the quote in the text? I Why might online comments be harder to escape than comments in person? all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com