Know the Signs
Social Media: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
MINDS ON
Based on what you've watched and read about in this unit, as well as your own experiences, you probably have some sense of what some of the risks of using social media can be. Are there any benefits though? For example: One benefit of social media is that it helps you stay connected to people you don't see very often. One risk is that you could end up spending too much time online.
Benefits and Risks of Social Media Use for Teens
Brainstorm a list of the benefits and risks of social media use for teens.
Did you find there were more risks or more benefits? If so, does that necessarily mean that social media has more risks than benefits?
Your Opinion Counts: Do you think there are more risks than benefits to using social media as a way to communicate with others? Why or why not?
ACTION
Now it’s time to read about both sides of this topic in some more detail:
Benefits of Social Media Use for Teens
Around the world, young people are using social media as a platform for doing great things! Here are some examples:
BenefitsofSocialMedia
Would You Recommend This Site?
A friend of yours is looking for support on-line instead of talking to someone face to face and has shared these sites with you.
- Would you recommend these sites to your friend? Why or why not?
- How would your friend benefit from using any of these sites?
- What would you caution your friend about these sites?
- What should your friend keep in mind to protect their own safety when accessing these sites?
Limiting Your Risks Online
While you can't completely eliminate all risks when you choose to participate in the online world, there are some things you can do to limit your risks.
1. Social Media Privacy Settings
Are you revealing more on social media than you mean to be revealing? Privacy settings can sometimes be tough to find or figure out on social media so here are some links to instructions for some popular social media sites.
2. Think Before You Post
Before you post anything online, consider the following:
- Is it true?
- Is it helpful?
- Is it inspiring?
- Is it necessary?
- Is it kind?
3. Be Careful Who You Friend
Be cautious about friending strangers. If you get a friend request from someone you don't know, check their profile before accepting their request - better still, don't accept friend requests from people you don't know. Spammers and hackers often create fake profiles to try to trick people.
4. Talk to Someone
If you ever encounter someone or something online that makes you uncomfortable, tell someone. If you don't feel like you have anyone you can tell, you can contact the Kids Help Phone.
Additional Tips
While these may be some good tips, you can probably think of a few more tips or even some changes you'd make to the tips given.
Come up with two additional tips for either protecting yourself online, rules for good online behaviour, or rules that you disagree with and why.
If you're having trouble coming up with ideas on your own, have a look at these sites for ideas:
"Post" That Social Media Message
Posters are an effective tool to communicate a message that is both eye-catching and informative. Posters use features to attract and hold your reader’s attention and to convey powerful messages.
Some important features of posters include:
- Large font to attract your reader’s attention;
- A simple and clear layout so your reader can easily find the information;
- A feature such as a headline or an image that will quickly catch your reader's eye;
- The most important messages are emphasized by size and choice of colour;
- The images that are all related to your message;
- The images are arranged in a logical sequence;
- Bold, intense colours to enhance your message so that it can be easily seen from a distance.
Search the internet to find a poster about tips for using technology and social media safely.
- Identify who you think the intended audience is for the poster,
- Using the criteria for an effective poster above, provide three reasons why you think your poster is either effective or ineffective at communicating its message to the intended audience.
CONSOLIDATION
Create a Poster
Now it's your turn to use a media form to promote your message about safe use of social media.
Using ideas this activity, and the tips you read in this activity, create a poster to illustrate your top 5 tips for positive online interactions. This can be a mix of rules for protecting your privacy and rules for good online behaviour. The audience for your poster should be your peers and they should be able read the information quickly so you will need to find a balance between making your poster eye-catching and easy to read, while communicating important information.
Here are some free sites that you can use to make eye-catching posters.
Along with your poster, include a brief paragraph explaining how you used the features of an effective poster to communicate your message and why you thought these 5 tips were the most important.
Use the following checklist to ensure that you have met the criteria for this assignment:
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My poster contains: |
Got it! |
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A clear and informative title (this also should be the largest font) |
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Colours help make the information eye-catching and easy to read |
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Images enhance main ideas of the post but don't interfere with the viewer's ability to read the poster |
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Images that are all related to my message and are arranged in a logical sequence |
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5 tips or rules (second largest font) |
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A brief explanation along with each tip or rule (third largest font) |
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Tips and rules promote online safety and positive behaviour |
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I have included an explanatory paragraph about how I have used the features effectively to communicate my message |
Learning Goals and Success Criteria
Learning Skills and Work Habits