Description: Social media plays a big role in most teens' lives, and research shows that it causes intense feelings -- both positive and negative. But not all media use is the same. There are many benefits that come with both active and passive media use. For better social and emotional well-being, encourage students to become creators of digital media, not just consumers.
Essential Question: How does your social media use affect how you feel?
Learning Targets
Students will be able to:
Lesson Plan
Description: New tech, like location services and smart devices, helps make our lives easier and opens opportunities that didn't exist before. But these innovations also come with a cost -- especially to our privacy. Help students consider the benefits and drawbacks of these new technologies -- and decide whether they're ultimately worth it.
Essential Question: What privacy risks do new technologies present, and how do we decide if they're worth it?
Learning Targets
Students will be able to:
Lesson Plan
Description: Social media gives us a chance to choose how we present ourselves to the world. We can snap and share a pic in the moment or carefully stage photos and select only the ones we think are best. When students reflect on these choices, they can better understand the self they are presenting and the self they aim to be.
Essential Question: How can I create a social media presence that represents the real me?
Learning Targets
Students will be able to:
Lesson Plan
Description: "It's complicated" can describe many of our relationships with others, both romantic and otherwise. Add digital devices and social media to the mix, and things get complicated even further. Help students take the first step toward building healthy and rewarding friendships and romantic relationships, both online and off.
Essential Question: How can I make sure my relationships are positive and healthy?
Learning Targets
Students will be able to:
Lesson Plan
Description: As humans, we thrive on social connections and group associations. But this tendency can also lead us to be suspicious of people outside our group. This fear -- xenophobia -- can be overcome by more exposure to people who are different from us. However, the internet can often make this more difficult. Help students recognize this challenge and find strategies for navigating content online.
Essential Question: How can we counter online hate speech and xenophobia?
Learning Targets
Students will be able to:
Lesson Plan
Description: Our brains are great at using past experiences to make quick decisions on the fly, but these shortcuts can also lead to bias. "Confirmation bias" is our brain's tendency to seek out information that confirms things we already think we know. Help your students learn to recognize this when they encounter news online, as a way to examine competing opinions and ideas and to avoid drawing questionable conclusions.
Essential Question: How can we challenge our own confirmation bias?
Learning Targets
Students will be able to:
Lesson Plan