As we wind down the 2017-2018 school year, Grade 7 students are creating videos that are designed to teach fellow young teens how to deal with cyberbullying issues. Students research how to block and/or report cyberbullying in apps and/or websites that they themselves use so that their videos are relevant to them. They annotate their videos with callouts and use formatting so that it is engaging for their fellow classmates to watch. While we ultimately hope that our 7th grade students never have to utilize these strategies, they are prepared with the skills that they need to combat cyberbullying. You may view a sample video below. Congratulations to our 7th graders for working hard on these projects!
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At the age of 13, children can legally create their own social media accounts on giants such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter without parental permission. If your child isn't already on social media, he or she might be soon. As such, it is important for your young teens to be familiar with the pitfalls of social media use.
In this project, students research two topics related to social media. They check their sources for reliability, then write a blog in which they give facts that they have learned through their research as well as their own opinions on the subject, making sure to cite their sources in proper MLA format. At the conclusion of the project, students will view and comment on each other's blogs in order to gain a greater understanding of the issues surrounding social media use. You may view a sample project by clicking here or by clicking on the image below. Social media is an interesting place. Most teens are aware of basic safety and security issues, such as not allowing strangers to access social media profiles and not giving away passwords.
However, what is not as well known are some of the legal aspects behind social media. Who owns your Instagram photos? Are your snaps on Snapchat truly deleted? Can school officials and employers search your profile and/or demand your password? Many 7th graders are close to turning 13 years of age, if they are not already. This is the age in which a child can legally create a social media account on their own without parental permission. This project helps to prepare young teens for the world of social media. Students research two lesser-known issues related to social media and create a website dedicated to teaching other students about these issues. In addition to learning about these issues, they learn how to evaluate current news stories related to social media for credibility. Students also learn how to format in-text and MLA citations to give credit to the sources that they have researched. Students will be completing these websites over the course of the next few weeks. Once student websites are created, they will be shared on a main class website in which other students and families may view and comment on student work. This post will be updated once students create their websites so that you may view them as well. Here is a screenshot of an example web page in this project: |
AuthorMy name is Erin Foley, and I have a passion for reading, technology and helping students learn! In addition to operating the HMS Library/Media Center, I also teach Grades 5-8 Digital Literacy. Archives
June 2018
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