Clubs: Web Literacy Basics curriculum

For clubs, we needed well curated and field-tested curriculum informed by our pedagogy:

Our pedagogy

Why we teach: This is our mission. We are dedicated to empowering others with web literacy so that they have agency on the web as creators, citizens and future leaders.

How we teach: This is our pedagogy. Teaching and learning is how we achieve our mission. They are political as well as self-actualizing acts. We teach and learn by making projects together and openly reflecting on the process in an inclusive and locally relevant environment. Learning is social, production-centered, and open-ended. It is done best when facilitated in small groups meeting in-person.

Who we teach: This is our audience. We teach our peers, so that we can reflect and improve together. We teach our local community, so we can give back and make a different locally.

What we teach: This is our subject. We teach web literacy, which encompasses the mechanics, culture and citizenship of the web. Our learners are more self-actualized as creators when they can use the web as a platform for creativity. They are better citizens when they can make more informed choices on the web. And they are economically more empowered with skills and practical knowledge of this public resources.

Where we teach: This is our classroom. We teach locally, wherever we have our learners, be that in formal classrooms, to libraries and coffee shops and kitchen tables. We learn globally, as we connect with peers who inspire and mentor us to make local change that has a global impact.

Curriculum Partners

For the last few years, web literacy pioneers have been developing open educational resources to teach the web.

Over the last two months, we curated some of the brightest examples of that work and sequenced it into a six-part introductory module.

I’d like to acknowledge these organizations for their leadership here and for building in the open: MOUSE, Creative Commons, P2PU School of Open, WYNC Radio Rookies, and Mozilla Indonesia.

They inspired and shared the foundational materials for the first module. Here’s what the result looks like!

Web Literacy Basics

Learners get familiar with reading, writing and participating on the web in this six-part module. Discover the foundations of the web through production and collaboration. The learning objectives underpinning each activity are informed by Mozilla’s Web Literacy Map.

Complete the activities in sequence, or mix & match for your learners.

1. Reading the Web

A. Kraken the Code. Understanding credibility.

Learners use the Internet to solve the mystery of The Kraken, a legendary sea creature, while also learning about search terms, keywords, and how to assess the validity and relevance of web sources.

B. Ping Kong. Understanding web mechanics.

For many, “the Internet” is an abstract and overwhelming concept. This activity challenges learners to think concretely about how the internet communicates with a computer.

2. Writing the Web

A. Hack the News. Understanding remixing.

Learners use X-Ray Goggles to remix a news website, learning about openly-licensed resources, different forms of media, and how to create something new on the Web through remix.

B. HTML Puzzle Boxes. Understanding composing for the web.

Learners race to sequence the paper boxes labeled with HTML tags, becoming familiar with the most common HTML tags and how to structure a web page.

3. Participating on the Web

A. Web Chef. Understanding open practices.

Learners teach their peers a skill and document the steps by making a web resource that includes properly attributed open content.

FINAL PROJECT: B. Story of Us. Understanding community participation.

Learners tell their Story of Self, use it to reflect on what they have learned, and how they want to participate on the web and with their community going.