Technologies · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Online Identity: My Digital Footprint

Active learning helps Year 2 students grasp the concept of a digital footprint because abstract ideas like online permanence come alive when they see, touch, and move through concrete representations. By acting out sharing scenarios, drawing their digital steps, and physically asking for permission, students connect abstract risks to their own choices and behaviors.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9TDI2S01

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 35 min · Pairs

Role-Play: Sharing Scenarios

Prepare cards with scenarios like 'A chat app stranger asks for your photo.' Students in pairs draw a card, act out the interaction, decide on a safe response, and share reasoning with the group. Follow with a class chart of safe/unsafe choices.

Evaluate what types of personal information are safe to share with strangers online.

Facilitation Tip

During Role-Play: Sharing Scenarios, provide props like toy phones or tablets to make the situations feel real and immediate for students.

What to look for

Present students with scenarios on cards (e.g., 'A stranger asks for your favorite toy,' 'A friend asks to post a picture of you at school'). Ask students to hold up a green card if it's safe to share and a red card if it's not, explaining their choice for one scenario.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 25 min · Individual

Footprint Mapping: Draw Your Trail

Each student lists or draws three online actions they do, like liking posts or sharing drawings. They connect these with arrows to show a 'footprint' on paper. Pairs compare maps and discuss privacy risks.

Analyze how our online activities contribute to our 'digital footprint'.

Facilitation Tip

When running Footprint Mapping: Draw Your Trail, give each student a large piece of paper and colored markers to trace their digital steps visually.

What to look for

Provide students with a worksheet divided into two columns: 'Safe to Share' and 'Unsafe to Share.' Ask them to draw or write three examples of personal information or online actions in the correct column.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 30 min · Small Groups

Permission Relay Game

In small groups, one student holds an image card of a peer. They pass it only after asking permission aloud and getting a yes. Rotate roles; debrief on why permission matters every time.

Justify the importance of seeking permission before sharing images or information about others.

Facilitation Tip

For Permission Relay Game, set up stations around the room so students can physically move while practicing asking for permission before sharing.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you found a funny picture of your friend. Before you post it online for everyone to see, what is the most important thing you should do, and why?' Facilitate a class discussion on seeking permission.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 20 min · Whole Class

Digital Detective Audit

Whole class brainstorms shared online activities from class apps or games. List them on the board, then vote with thumbs up/down on safety. Discuss adjustments for better privacy.

Evaluate what types of personal information are safe to share with strangers online.

Facilitation Tip

In Digital Detective Audit, use highlighters so students can mark safe and unsafe sharing behaviors directly on printed examples.

What to look for

Present students with scenarios on cards (e.g., 'A stranger asks for your favorite toy,' 'A friend asks to post a picture of you at school'). Ask students to hold up a green card if it's safe to share and a red card if it's not, explaining their choice for one scenario.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract ideas in concrete, relatable experiences. Use storytelling and role-play to make online scenarios feel real, because young learners understand consequences better through immediate, tangible interactions. Avoid abstract explanations about servers or algorithms; instead, focus on the child’s own actions and how they can control their digital footprint. Research suggests that modeling and guided practice—like repeatedly asking students to verbalize permission requests—builds lasting habits more effectively than lectures.

Successful learning looks like students identifying which personal information is unsafe to share and justifying their choices using clear safety rules. They should demonstrate the habit of seeking permission before posting images or details about others, and recognize that their online actions create a lasting record.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Sharing Scenarios, watch for students who say online content disappears when apps are closed.

  Use the role-play to show that once a photo or comment is sent, others can copy or save it, even if the original poster deletes it. Have students act out a friend taking a screenshot of their shared photo and explain that the photo now exists on another device.

• During Permission Relay Game, watch for students who assume it’s okay to share photos if they play with their friends often.

  Pause the relay and ask students to consider their friend’s feelings and rights. Use the relay cards to review phrases like 'Would your friend be happy if this was posted?' and 'What if they didn’t want everyone to see it?' to reinforce consent.

• During Digital Detective Audit, watch for students who treat online strangers the same as school friends.

  Use the printed examples to highlight how strangers online might not have good intentions. Ask students to compare online stranger rules with playground rules, and circle any sharing actions that would be unsafe in both places.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play