Digital Literacy Modules

Relationships and Communication

• Digital Media Literacy Video Series by LearnFree

  • LearnFree's Digital Media Literacy Video Series is a collection of 15 short videos, most of which are 3 minutes or less.
  • Sample titles related to relationships and communication online include:
    • Why Do People Troll?
    • What is an Echo Chamber?
    • How Filter Bubbles Isolate You
  • Note: Most of these videos were produced in 2020 or before, so details about specific social media platforms and the design of websites, may have changed, but the underlying principles are still relevant. 

• Learning.com's 10 Principles of Respectful and Courteous Online Behavior: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators: Educators, all adults, and students should understand and follow the guidelines offered to promote positive online communication and engagement.

Ethical Digital Engagement

Important Tips for Creating Content Online:

• Being an engaged digital citizen assumes that you will create and not just consume content online.
• Similar to when doing academic work, it is important to cite and otherwise credit authors and artists when you use content that is not your own original material. This applies to text, images, music, and video. 
• Copyright refers to the right of a creator of original content to control its use and distribution. Use and distribution include displaying, performing, producing copies, and developing derivative versions (variations on the original).
  • Unless otherwise indicated by the creator, any of these use and distribution cases require the creator's permission. [Fair use may allow some instances of use and distribution of others' original works with proper citation or attribution, such as in educational projects with limited, controlled access.] 
  • Some online hosting sites like YouTube and podcast platforms will flag or take down materials that include instances of suspected copyright infringement. 

Resources for More Information

• Understanding Copyright, Public Domain, and Fair Use Video by LearnFree. This short video provides a quick overview of the concepts of copyright, public domain, and Fair Use and explains why they are important to artists, writers, and anyone producing and sharing content.
• Understanding Copyright for Digital Content: A Concise Guide by ProfileTree, a web design and marketing company, is more comprehensive than "concise" with its text and video explanations of related concepts. The site does a good job of explaining why understanding these terms is essential for bloggers, vloggers, and other online creators.
• Copyright Tutorial by Credo presents information about copyright and allows learners to assess their knowledge with easy-to-complete questions.  

Privacy, Security, and Digital Identity Management

Video Resources 

• Protect Yourself Online with These 10 Easy Tips video by the Education Magazine
• How to Protect Your Privacy Online video by Kaspersky, a cybersecurity services and solutions company
• Understanding Your Digital Footprint: Media Activity video with a short accompanying activity by by the Digital Classroom Experience

Additional Resources

• Digital Privacy tutorial by Credo includes multiple embedded videos and activities covering various aspects of protecting your personal privacy and reputation online.
• Privacy and Security News and Popular Guides site by ConnectSafely, a non-profit organization that aims to "help users get the most from their technology while managing the risks and help decision-makers craft sensible policies that encourage both innovation and responsible use."
• Online Privacy and Security, a consumer advice website by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission

Online Engagement and Health/Wellbeing

Digital Media Literacy Video Series by LearnFree

• LearnFree's Digital Media Literacy Video Series is a collection of 15 short videos, most of which are 3 minutes or less.

• Titles related to having a healthy relationship with technology include:

  • Always On in a Digital World
  • The Problem with Photo Manipulation
  • Why We Can't Stop Scrolling 
  • FOMO: Our Relationship with Social Media 
     
• Note: Most of these videos were produced in 2020 or before, so specific details about social media platforms and website design may have changed, but the underlying principles are still relevant.