• http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32057601

While I was playing the BBC Syrian refugee game I felt that I have to take less risky decisions in order to protect myself and my family. I also felt that I have to take the right decisions without losing any member in my family in order to reach Europe safely. I learned from this game how to take right decisions based upon the information I’ve received. I had to take those decisions in minimal time as if I was in the game in real life for example, when I got to choose between travelling through the sea or by land, I chose the sea because it was less risky in the game because I won’t get caught. I think one suggestion would be that they could give the player more options regarding offering suitable priced for the Syrian people, as they have low amount of money when they left Syria.

•  “Bad News” game:   https://www.getbadnews.com/#intro

I learnt from this game that in order to publish a fake fabricated news and get lot of followers, I needs to be publishing the news in an emotional way. For example, fake news about the crashed plane, I interviewed a mother that said that her daughter died. Obviously this was a fabricated news because they still didn’t find the plan and the authorities didn’t estimate or know the people who died. By publishing fake news based on people’s emotions I get lots of followers. Additionally, when I attacked the government and institutions I get lots of followers. I learnt that a well-crafted lie published at the right time makes people lose trust in institutions. For me I wasn’t used to fake or fabricate news, but it was very interesting experience. I learnt how to convince people with fabricated new now! I suggest that they would improve the game colors, graphics and to make it more interesting.

• Gender equality game

http://mabouelfath97.blogspot.com.eg/2017/10/gender-equality-game-final.html

When I played this game as if I am a female and found out that when I went with my father to buy a toy and I chose an easy bake oven as toy. He encouraged me a lot and he said “it would be considered as good practice for you when you grow up to be a mother because it’ll help you develop the necessary nurturing, caretaking and/or cooking skills.” Aditionally, the game discriminated between men and women in terms of jobs, as when the teacher asked what do you want to be when you get old. I chose to be an engineer then the teacher replied that this job is for men. I felt that the game didn’t achieve equality between the men and women. I learnt that there should be equality between men and women. I suggest that the game should be developed to be on a website or an application and can be turned into a story with characters on screen and not just pictures of google slides.

• Animal Rights by Guirguis (2018) – background hereit changed to be called (living)

In this game I was a little child and I need to listen to mum I was called at first by a man that I don’t know and I was given a choice to go or not. I chose not to and listened to my mother. We suddenly found lots of people around us trying to kidnap me and my mum. Then I yelled for help and people saved me, but they couldn’t save mum. The goal of the game was to make the participants be more kind to them, if you were in their position, you will want someone to be kind to you. I suggest that the game would include some videos or pictures that would show what is happening in the story. I think that that the game should include more options like the people who were there would call the police for help for example.

• On Single Moms by Merna (2018) – background here

I felt that I am responsible for my child and I have to take care of him. I took the right decision of getting divorced from the awful man and living a good, healthy and safe life with my son. I learnt that women nowadays are being independent, as they can work thing with themselves without the help of a man. I think that the game should offer more job vacancies for women and eliminate the discrimination between men and women. Both men and women should be equal in terms of rights and laws. I think that the Arab society must change the way its thinking about a divorced women and treat her in an acceptable way without differentiating her from the society.  

Finally, I think that in these games I had to take important life decisions that would affect the rest of my life. Therefore, I needed to be wise enough in order to take the right decision. These games would be more interesting if they were made as a mobile application or as video games similar to those we find on the app store or google play and other stores. I think I would improve these games to include more variety of choices and not between 2 or 3 choices as similar to real life. In the refugee game I think I was very wise in taking my decisions because I am responsible for a family, but as a game I think it would be more interesting if it was a video game. The second game is very interesting because I learnt how fabricate news, but it needs to work on it graphics and the quality of the game. All the games I played shared a common feature, which was taking real life decisions in a game. these games would be more interesting if they were video games.  

This image reflects a tragic reality that is experienced in Egypt particularly, where we find that the Egyptian government gives a day off due to the bad weather and does not give a vacation to avoid the spread of the Corona virus. This virus is a global epidemic and must be dealt with with a high degree of awareness that makes us maintain health and protect citizen’s life. From my point of view, I think that the government must shut down schools, universities and crowded places like trains, buses and people must stay at home. The government must work more on the awareness campaigns in order to alert people. I don’t know why the government doesn’t give much importance in dealing with the corona virus at the required level of responsibility and attention.

Social media shows how governments are corrupt and also gives the opposition an opportunity to topple regimes, without finding a solution to build a better future. I think that social media should be used in a way that makes a difference in our lives and reach a better future. Moreover, we must work to achieve the goal, because dialogue and speech do not make us get to what we want. From my point of view, I think that social media should be used in an effective way by showing the positives and avoiding the negatives.

      I think that the world has become a small village through which people can easily communicate, and through it also, the news arrives very quickly in a few seconds. Additionally, Social media makes privacy non-existent, but for me I keep my personal information for myself and I don’t share things such as where am I and what I am doing and I always close the location on my phone. However, I like to share important things that would happen such as celebrating birthdays and things like that. It is easy to know the news of others and follow them. From my point of view, I think that we should use social media in a responsible way, so we must choose those we follow based on the unity of thought, moderation in thinking, and distance from extremism and If there is a difference in thinking, then somehow we must meet in a point.

      The part of the event that was interesting when we went in to groups and started writing sticky notes on the board about things that are linked with digital literacies. I wrote protection of the digital identity, coding and programming.

      I learnt from the digital literacies that I should use the social media in a way that won’t harm me and others, and also learnt to be skeptic about everything is see and hear until it is proved right. Moreover, learnt how to protect my digital identity in various ways. From the questions I answered in the campus conversation the results revealed that I am comfortable in creation and innovation and also comfortable in tools and technology.

Citation

Bali, M. (2020). Critical Digital Citizenship: Promoting Empathy and Social Justice Online – Connected Learning Alliance. [online] Connected Learning Alliance. Available at: https://clalliance.org/blog/critical-digital-citizenship-empathy-social-justice-online/ [Accessed 24 Feb. 2020].

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Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

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This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

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