Lesson Plan
Pedagogical approach: Students’ conceptualising notions of ‘real’, ‘not real’, ‘authentic’, ‘virtual’ and ‘persona’.

View episodes 3 and 4 of Noah & Saskia.
Max and Indy are now co-creators of the comic strip and Noah and Saskia are becoming the best of friends via the ideal selves they project in the virtual world, feeling like they know what’s going on in each others’ heads. Except that neither of them are who they are claiming to be – or are they?

As a whole class on a whiteboard, or in groups with students using Worksheet 4 Virtual Relationships, list advantages and disadvantages of ‘real time’ and virtual relationships. For example, advantages might include freedom from immediate peer group pressure and embarrassment; connecting with people from all around the globe; finding people with similar specialised interests; getting a different point of view. Disadvantages might include the inability to ‘physically’ communicate (share laughs, hugs, smiles, etc); being seen as a ‘geek’; the danger of lack of shared community – are they who they claim to be?

Suggest that the issue isn’t simple as of being authentic in ‘real life’ and being ‘fake’ or ‘acting’ in the virtual world. Students use Worksheet 5, Is Real More Authentic? to explore examples of the characters being ‘real’ and ‘using personas’ in the way they relate to one another. Students share their findings and discuss incentives and barriers characters face in sharing their ‘real selves’.

References to characters using personas include:

• Saskia’s invention of Indy – the perfect ‘lure’
• Renee’s ‘agree’ and ‘ignore’ techniques, to be used with guys
• Saskia acting as Ernesto’s dress-wearing, love-song-singing, salad-tossing girly-girl
• Eddie pretending to be sick to attract attention

References to characters being authentic include:

• Renee telling Saskia she’s got more going for her than any other girl at school because she’s not pretending to be something she’s not
• Eddie explaining to Noah the reason for faking illnesses
• Noah taking on Max’s qualities in the classroom
• Noah admitting he’s not Max
• Max and Indy’s chat where they agree to answer truthfully ten questions each.