According to Commonsense Media, many children around the age of 7 or 8 begin to use avatars to visit virtual worlds like Club Penguin or Habbo Hotel (Commonsense Media site, “All About Avatars”). Children have many creative choices to make when they select an avatar to represent them. Depending on the site they’re visiting, their avatar could be an elephant, or a samurai warrior. Within games, they also have choices for customizing the look of their avatar (their clothes or hairstyle, for example). In this MediaLit Moment, your students will get a chance to see how other students perceive the characters they use to represent themselves online. In the process, they’ll become aware of the fact that they are creating a character in the same way characters are created (i.e., constructed) for movies and TV.
Have students react to drawings of online avatars from other unidentified students in class
AHA!: I get to decide who this character is and how he/she looks or feels!
Key Question #1: Who created this message?
Core Concept #1: All media messages are constructed
Grade Level: 2-4
Materials: pencil, marker, crayon or other drawing implements, paper
Activity: Ask students about the virtual worlds they like to visit online, and the kinds of avatars they use to represent themselves in those worlds. Ask them to draw their favorite version of one of their avatars (yes, the one with the bright pink hair will be fine!) Students who haven’t visited a virtual world can make up an avatar for themselves.
Have students number themselves in class. Use any numbering or category system you wish. Ask students to write their numbers on their drawings, and devise your own method for students to shuffle the drawings and distribute them to other students in class.
Ask students to write at least one word on the drawing they’ve received which describes the avatar. You may want to ask students to focus on physical characteristics and emotions. Is this avatar upright and confident? Nervous and shaky? Sad and droopy? Students identify themselves by number, and drawings are returned to the students who drew them. Tell students that the comments they received on their drawings show them what other kids might think about their avatar when they see it online. Are these characters different from who they are in real life? Discuss with the entire class. In discussion, emphasize to students that they aren’t just pushing a few buttons to change something about their avatar, they’re creating a complete character. They’re just like the people who put together animated movies or television shows. They make up characters that viewers can recognize--but they only exist in the world of that movie or TV series.
The Five Core Concepts and Five Key Questions of media literacy were developed as part of the Center for Media Literacy’s MediaLit Kit™ and Questions/TIPS (Q/TIPS)™ framework. Used with permission, © 2002-2011, Center for Media Literacy, http://www.medialit.com
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