+ Improving Awareness

+ Globaloria = Global Media Exploration Remember the “global” in Globaloria. This is a learning network that lets you connect with people in other schools, towns, counties, states and countries. Being global means you have access to more resources, more brains, more help, more ideas, more cool stuff. Being global means being respectful and aware of other cultures and points of view.

+ Be Pro-Active Remind students they are creating games for a world audience Discuss with students ideas/terms that could be misunderstood Be positive and use examples—I resent being referred to as a “hillbilly” because I am from West Virginia Look over student work carefully Use the following tips to generate a conversation with students about game content “do’s and don’ts”

+ Use humor thoughtfully and carefully. Humor in games is powerful and can be a big motivator for players, but combining humor with serious subjects can be challenging. It may be completely unintentional, but you can end up offending or upsetting players; turning them off instead of educating them. You may also end up making light of something serious. Instead of highlighting the dangers of an issue you may accidentally seem to endorse the negative side of it.

+ Strive for objectivity. Don’t be one-sided. If you are exploring a political issue in your game, make sure to examine it from multiple perspectives. Explaining only one point of view on a social or political issue is not educational, it is propagandistic. Challenge yourself to explain (at least) two sides of an argument. How can you use the game to help the player explore a controversial issue in a compelling way and learn something new?

+ Avoid casual or slang terms for groups. (Most especially if you are not part of that group.) Hobo. Hillbilly. Ghetto. Trailer Trash. Gay. Monkey. These words, and many more, have the power to hurt or insult, even if you didn't mean them in “that” way. All the hard work you put into making a good game with lots of learning content and cool game play may be lost on the player because of one offensive word. Don’t let that happen.

+ Avoid stereotypes, period. Don’t use stereotypical images or words to represent people from other cultures. Don’t use stereotypes to represent your own culture. Stereotypes are usually based on half truths or lies. Including them in your game can make you look silly or uninformed or mean-spirited. Which you are not! Don’t assume anything is true just because you heard it before. Do some research and find out for yourself. Don’t think people will know you are just kidding.

+ State Policy 3.1. All students enrolled in West Virginia public schools shall behave in a manner that promotes a school environment that is nurturing, orderly, safe and conducive to learning and personal-social development Students will help create an atmosphere free from bullying, intimidation and harassment.

+ Sample County Policy (Randolph) Students are expected to abide by the following generally- accepted rules of network etiquette: 1. Be polite, courteous, and respectful in your messages to others. Use language appropriate to school situations in any communications made through the Board's computers/network. Do not use obscene, profane, vulgar, sexually explicit, defamatory, or abusive language in your messages.

+ Globaloria Guidelines Respect others Treat others and their contributions with respect and foster considerate dialogue. Do not use offensive language. Inappropriate, crude, or abusive language is unacceptable. Everyone's input is welcomed and honored. "Flaming" others or demeaning their participation is not permitted. Report inappropriate behavior. Remove and/or report disrespectful or provocative content. Don't seek revenge.