Social media is a generalized term that applies to using some form of an online platform to connect with others. There are literally hundreds of different types of platforms, but children in the United States gravitate towards Instagram and Snapchat. The latest poll indicates that ninety-four percent of teens use social media daily. This can be a very positive or negative thing, based on how teens choose to use these platforms. These worksheets explore the proactive uses of several social media platforms.
A Permanent Record - It's very important to understand that once you post something online, it’s out there forever. Think about what it means for everything you post online-from a book review or a blog to a Facebook update or a YouTube video of you on your last vacation-to be retrievable and always potentially available.
Create a Social Media App - Think about the things you do every day, or the things you enjoy doing. How could an app make things easier for you? Could an app provide a new way to enjoy the things that interest you?
Viral Videos - Draw a conclusion about the society we are living in, based on what you have learned about the kinds of videos that "go viral."
Navigating Social Media Risks - List ways that you can minimize each of the following risks that come with using this type of application. Then we will examine them.
Posting Appropriately: Facebook - Practice posting appropriately by creating two posts that share a thought, opinion, or news on your Facebook timeline.
The News on Social Media - Can you believe the news that you read on these networks? It hasn't gone through the fact-checking process like news items in newspapers and magazines. But does that mean it isn't true?
Post, Like, Share - List three things that you have liked on any of the applications that you have used. Why did you like these things?
Who Do You Follow? - List some of the people, organizations, businesses, or hashtags that you follow on social media.
Take a Break People - When you fast from something, you refrain from doing it. Try a social media fast for the next 24 hours. Then answer the questions below.
The Selfie - Describe the last time you took a selfie. Where were you? What made you decide to take the selfie?
Practice Posting Appropriately - Write an appropriate social media post that satisfied each prompt below.
Create an Instagram Profile - Create a brief description of who I am, what I do, or what is most important to me.
About Instagram - Instagram is primarily an image-based sharing platform. Where will you get the images you will share on Instagram?
Smart Use of Platforms - Lists the dos and don'ts for each way that you can use these type of applications.
YouTube - Almost five billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day. Think about your experiences watching YouTube, and answer the questions.
YouTube Part 2 - What value does YouTube provide for the people posting videos?
Here are some ways that will encourage children to use social media positively.
One of the best ways to encourage children to use social media positively is to encourage the children to use it for the lessons. You can ask children to join twitter and follow different blogs. Twitter can help them in researching about different issues of the world. It can open up their minds to so many different perspectives in the world. Blogs will let them find information regarding different lessons. You can tell them about certain informative blogs to follow.
The best way to use social media and internet for students is to find the information for education. It is full of all the topics in the world. You can just type whatever you want and it will open hundreds of pages regarding that topic.
A great way to use social media for the class is to make class groups on different platforms. This will help in keeping everyone up to date. You can encourage informative discussions in the class groups or tell them about any upcoming important projects or events. However, make sure to make some rules for the group so that no bad behavior is tolerated.
Teach children to use social media to inspire others. You can teach them how to write compelling personal stories for their social media that could help other people. Allow them to join different forums related to mental health and personal improvement.
Encourage children to follow inspiring accounts on social media. These online platforms are packed of accounts that share inspiring and motivational stories. This will encourage the children to become more active and purposeful in their life.
In a recent national poll teens have been shown to be using these various platforms for an average of nine hours each day. These same teens are sleeping two hours less (on average) than they are using their various devices for this purpose. It may be a good idea to discuss this with students. Being in the real world less time than you are online, probably is not the best for developing a positive mindset and healthy habits. Once students actually realize how much time they wasting, they tend to change their habits a bit.