Digital Creation Ethics

Year Level

Year 10

Duration

49 minutes

Class Size

30 students

---

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Understand legal and ethical responsibilities in creating and exchanging digital content, including plagiarism, copyright, fair dealing, and licensing.
• Demonstrate respect and responsibility by protecting their own digital creations and appropriately crediting others' content.
• Identify and apply referencing conventions, copyright, trademark protocols, and criteria for fair use to respect intellectual property.
• Develop digital literacy skills linked to ethical practices in content creation and remixing, aligned with the Australian Curriculum (v9) general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities.

Australian Curriculum Links

• General Capability: ICT Capability
  • Examine and apply appropriate social, ethical, legal, and technical protocols in digital environments.
• Health and Physical Education - Personal, Social and Community Health
  • Investigate influences on personal identity and how this relates to respectful relationships.
• Technologies - Digital Technologies
  • Define and clarify terms associated with ethical and legal responsibilities for digital information and systems, including copyright and intellectual property legislation (AC9TDE10P03).

---

Differentiation

• For students requiring additional support (e.g., students with disabilities or acting learners), provide clear, step-by-step written instructions and scaffolded templates for crediting and referencing content.
• Use audio-visual supports and real-world examples.
• For advanced learners, include extension activities exploring case studies of intellectual property infringement and innovative licensing models such as Creative Commons.
• Provide peer mentoring opportunities to facilitate understanding.

---

Materials Required

• Computers or tablets with internet access for research.
• Projector for presentations.
• Handouts summarising copyright, plagiarism, referencing essentials.
• Examples of digital content with varying licensing (e.g., Creative Commons, public domain, copyrighted).
• Digital checklist for ethical content creation and referencing.

---

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Begin with a brief recap of digital literacy concepts previously studied.
• Introduce today's focus: creating and exchanging digital content responsibly.
• Pose an engaging question: "What could happen if someone uses someone else’s digital work without permission?"

2. Mini-lecture & Discussion (10 minutes)

• Define key terms: plagiarism, copyright, fair dealing, licensing, referencing conventions, intellectual property.
• Explain why respecting these is essential for ethical digital citizenship and personal responsibility.
• Discuss examples of digital content misuse and consequences (both legal and social).
• Use real-life scenarios relevant to students (e.g., sharing memes, using images for school projects).

3. Group Activity – Exploring Intellectual Property (15 minutes)

• Divide students into groups of 5.
• Each group is given a set of digital content samples (images, videos, text) with various licenses.
• Task: Analyze each sample to identify if reuse or remixing is allowed and what credits or permissions are required.
• Groups fill out a guided worksheet checking for appropriate attribution, license type, and ethical considerations.
• Differentiation: Provide scaffolded worksheets and examples for support learners; challenge advanced students to suggest alternative ways to reuse content ethically.

4. Practical Exercise – Creating Ethically (15 minutes)

• Individually or in pairs, students create a short digital presentation, poster, or social media post on a topic of their choice.
• The creation must incorporate at least one external digital element (image, clip, quote) properly attributed, following referencing conventions.
• Students use a provided checklist to ensure all legal and ethical guidelines are met.
• For students needing support, provide templates and step-by-step guidance.
• For accelerated learners, encourage exploration of licensing options for their original work.

5. Reflection and Sharing (4 minutes)

• Invite volunteers to share their creations and explain how they credited external content and protected their original work.
• Facilitate a short discussion on the importance of respect and responsibility in digital creations.

---

Assessment

• Formative assessment through group worksheets analyzing intellectual property and individual practical exercise using the digital ethics checklist.
• Teacher observation of participation in discussions and activities.
• Review of digital creations for appropriate attribution and ethical compliance.

---

Cross-curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities

• Emphasise Critical and Creative Thinking by evaluating digital content’s legality and ethics.
• Integrate Ethical Understanding for responsible behaviour online.
• Link to Personal and Social Capability through discussions of respect and responsibility.
• Support students' development of digital communication skills aligning with the national ICT Capability.

---

Teacher Notes & Tips

• Use real examples from social media or popular digital platforms to make the lesson relatable.
• Reinforce the concept of ‘owning’ digital creations to boost student pride and responsibility.
• Link to students’ prior knowledge of digital literacy to deepen understanding.
• Highlight Australian law basics with simplified explanations suitable for Year 10.
• Include reminders on safe sharing and privacy when exchanging digital content.
• Consider a follow-up project on creating a digital portfolio respecting copyright and intellectual property laws.

---

This detailed lesson plan embodies the Australian Curriculum's emphasis on ethical digital literacy, preparing Year 10 students for responsible engagement with digital content in their educational and personal lives. It balances conceptual understanding with practical application and provides scaffolding suitable for diverse learner needs.