Digital Media Top 5 and Am I Me, Online?

Title of Project: Digital Media Top 5 and Am I Me, Online?

Schools and Teachers

Sanford H. Calhoun High School Teacher: Mae Cabrera and Heather Glick

ENL Proficiency Level | ENL Program | Standards | Technology

Appropriate for all English Proficiency Levels | Stand-Alone | 9-12SL5, 9-10SL6 | Google Slides

Assessments

The scaffolded guide questions assigned at the beginning of the project helped students with their thought process in reflecting how they felt about media platforms and their social media identities. The teachers checked in with student progress in the days the project was being completed. One-on-one conferences with students were instrumental to get students to the level of presentation that was expected of them.

Description

Students were asked to examine their online identities in two stages: (1) by identifying what types of media platforms they engage with the most, and choosing the top 5 media they prefer; and, (2) by analyzing how their identities are represented by the the things they post in their social media accounts, as well as the accounts they follow and engage with (posts they like or comment on).

Content

I can understand the instructions for the assigned project.

I can answer the guide questions.

I can create a slide presentation with my personal information.

Language

I can write information about myself in English.

I can create a presentation in English with minimal translation support.

I can confidently present in English in front of the class.

Technology

I can make use of Google Slides and Slides Carnival.

I can create screenshots and screen recordings from my phone and upload it onto my slide presentation.

I can transition from slides to videos seamlessly as I am presenting.

Student work

Procedure

Students used their phones to gather information about the kinds of media platforms they interacted with. They then had to choose a favorite platform and rank 5 of the best content they interacted with. While doing this, students exceeded the limit of 5 and had to re-rank and remove some items on the list to narrow it down to their Top 5. Students had to write a description of each item on the list and justify why each piece of content deserves a place in their top 5. After writing out descriptions, students had to create a slide presentation using Google Slides (some using templates from Slides Carnival). On the day of the presentation, students presented their Top 5 and answered questions about how important digital media is in their lives.

For the second part of the project, students had to examine their digital identities by looking at their profiles in different social media platforms. They described what kind of materials they posted (photo or video), what accounts they followed, and what posts they interacted with most (by watching, liking, or commenting). Then students created a slide presentation using Google Slides to compile their findings about their online identities. Students answered reflection questions about privacy and the accuracy of their profiles when compared to their real lives or actual selves.

Resources and Other Materials

Reflection

The project was enjoyable for students to complete because it gave them a chance to share a piece of themselves with the class. I think social media can be a good talking point in any class, but especially in English as a New Language because it gives students the opportunity to share their stories, thoughts, and any aspect of their lives that is important to them.