Social Media

Social Media: How did it start? What are the types of social media? What happened to some of the different social media sites that were so popular in the past? What are the pros and cons of using social media? Is social media safe? Just what is a "friend" in terms of social media?

This WebQuest is designed for 8th grade Technology Foundations students to research & gather details about how social media evolved, the different types of social media, evaluate the effects of social media on society (positive effects vs negative effects), and cite safety precautions along with defining "friend" in terms of social media (ex. who should they be, who can you trust, how many should you have, etc).

In this WebQuest you will work in assigned groups; your group will complete the entire task together in order to come up with a well thought out presentation. Each member will be expected to perform research to find answers to the questions from the links and other resources. 

Your group will have these objectives to research and present in one interactive PowerPoint presentation:

• Discover how social media started & evolved over the years
• Present support for pros AND cons of having access to social media in school
• Cite safety precautions and security settings available on social media (ex. show screenshots of how to set security settings for your favorite social media sites)
• Define "friend" in terms of social media
• Gather details about different types of social media (Photo Story 3)

*All evidence must be cited!

All members of the group must communicate and work together in order to successfully accomplish this task.

Begin your task by deciding on the jobs within your group:

Leader - You will oversee the whole project. You will make sure everyone is doing their job and help out with all aspects of the project.

Researcher - You will be in charge of researching and finding information about each section. 

Writer - You will be in charge of preparing the information to be placed into each slide, such as typing, inserting media, & setting up the presentation. 

All members will communicate with each other throughout the whole process and will help each other with their jobs as needed. Groups should stay on task at all times.

Presentation requirements:

• Presentation - background must have one theme or background color for continuity; one font style per slide
• Title Page - includes a unique title of the project; contains each members' name
• Content must be accurate, factual- evidence is provided 
• Information is organized, logical 
• Beginning, End, and Citation Slide must be included
• Project must be consistent
•  transitions, animations, themes, colors must be present
• Use of graphics must be planned, consistent
• Each slide must have at least 1 coordinating picture 
• Text must be planned to enhance readability
•  bold, italics, color, etc.
• Minimal to no errors should be present in your visual presentation

Section 1: How different social media sites started. 

1. Use the links below as GUIDES for your research. Please do not feel as if you must use only the links I have provided. Begin identifying different elements of the evolution of social media. Observe different networks' rise and fall of power, business aspects of using social media, its appeal and effects on society. 
2. Discuss with your group which pieces of information you would like. Make sure you have ENOUGH information for your presentation. 
3. You should have at least three slides for this section

GOOGLE

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES SEARCH ENGINE

SOCIAL NETWORKING FACT SHEET

Section 2: Types of social media - where are they now?

1. Use Photo Story 3 to create a video showing various social media sites (minimum of ten sites)
2. Include the site icon, title, transition effects, and music throughout the video
3. Be sure to include an interesting fact regarding each social media site 
4. Insert the video into a slide. Set to play when slide appears.

Section 3: Pros & Cons of social media

1. As a group brainstorm to create a list of pros and cons of having access to social media in school.
2. Insert a slide using the Comparison Layout to present the results.
3. As a group, create a survey asking students, teachers, and adminstrators which social media sites they use the most.
4. Gather the information from the survey and create a spreadsheet chart showing the results (include x/y axis titles).
5. Insert the spreadsheet chart into a slide.

Section 4: Is social media safe? What is a "friend" in terms of social media?

1. Show how to set security settings for Facebook and two other commonly used social media sites by using "screenshots", inserted into a slide for each one. 
2. Copy & paste the screenshots, crop & resize for best view.
3. Use labels and arrows to identify important parts of the screenshot.
4. Work as a group to define "friend" in terms of social media - who they should be, who you should trust, how many you should have, etc. Use internet sources to back up your facts.
5. Insert a slide that includes information from your fact-finding mission.

Work together as a group and refer to your presentation requirements at the top of the Process page in order to check content, organization, and most of all, required elements. Watch your presentation as a group with a critical eye. When all group members agree, you are ready to present the final project. 

EVALUATION

Group Participation (20 points)

Group Presentation (20 points)

PowerPoint Evaluation (35 points):

Photo Story 3 Evaluation (25 points):