When considering high school PE, teaching digital citizenship doesn’t exactly seem to be the most practical lesson, as we rarely incorporate devices into our PE classes when we’re at school. However, with our current situation and the implementation of distance learning across the country, we need to be ready to teach and learn in an online world. Educating our high schoolers on digital citizenship will not only allow our world of distance learning to become a safer place, but will also hopefully ultimately make the internet a better place for everyone.
Distance learning in PE might entail students partaking in physical activity in front of their webcams. We all know this is something that many people are not going to be super comfortable with. The fear of being bullied for what you look like while exercising is very real. One way to directly make it personal for students is to bring this factor to light, and have an open discussion about our embarrassment. We all experience this! Another way to make digital citizenship personal for students is to have them investigate this awesome source below, and have them think, pair, share (or class discussion) an example of a time they have encountered something from this list while online… then brainstorm ways to combat that instance of cyberbullying. Various Ways of Cyber Bullying Finally, students will be encouraged to have an open discussion about a time cyberbullying affected them or somebody close to them, and the ways they dealt with it. Did you (or they) handle it as well as they could have? What do you wish went differently?
4 Comments
Scott Marsden
6/9/2020 03:23:42 pm
Dustin,
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Erica Reeves
6/9/2020 03:25:29 pm
Dustin, it might be a worst nightmare situation for the majority of people, young and old, to have people watch you as you workout. The vulnerability feels huge, if the environment and culture of acceptance is not there. I have personally been in ZUMBA workouts for years, and I still want the instructor to reassure me that I am doing great and no one in the room is judging my dance abilities. The classes where teachers are establishing acceptance, low risk, and emphasizing everyone doing their best with no judgement usually are the classes in gyms that are filled to capacity and have to turn away late comers. However, I have been in classes where the instructor pointed out individuals in the midst of the workout to correct them, myself included, and it just puts doubts in your head when you have REALLY been doing your best and giving your all. PE teachers really have an important job to raise self esteem, maintain a culture of acceptance, and motivate many, and that includes having a no-tolerance policy of bullying, whether that is live or online. Thank you for incorporating the anti-cyberbullying lessons into your PE distance learning classes.
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Kathy Flynn
6/10/2020 11:38:29 am
Dustin,
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6/11/2020 12:17:57 pm
I've been overweight since ten. I'm currently 41. It didn't stop me from running, playing softball, being a high school basketball and football cheerleader, or dancer. I always felt I "had to prove myself". As an adult, I'm seeing a shift in larger bodies being more accepted. Health comes in all shapes and sizes. And the absolute MOST confortable I've ever been, was in a "Fat Kid Dance Party". It was designed by someone who describes themselves as, "a queer fat femme". During the dance lessons, they made it VERY clear that we can all feel awkward and it is celebrated. In fact, we would yell it out when it happened and everyone would cheer. We were also encouraged to "fill the space". Larger people are always made to feel that we take up too much space and owning that space is a hard habit to break. I would like to encourage you and any other PE teachers out there, to research and implement ways to make everyone feel included. I know this was supposed to be about digitial citizenship, but bullying in PE is a real thing and can have WAY lasting effects.
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About Dustin Green:High School PE Teacher Archives
March 2021
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