About This Lesson
Thinkalong.org is a free, evidence-based interactive tool for students to develop media literacy skills by applying the 5 Key Questions of Media Literacy to public media content. Importantly, the tool does not require registration for teachers or students, abides by student privacy laws, and is advised by a board of both youth and educators.
Each module consists of:
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a compelling and timely question;
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related current and age-appropriate public media content including audio, video, and text;
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extension resources for advanced or highly-interested students;
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student graphic organizers;
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a simple debate tool;
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a teacher's guide to the module;
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and a guide to the 5 Key Questions of Media Literacy.
This Teacher's Guide supports the Should social media companies be allowed to sell your data? module on thinkalong.org. Here is the full module and below is a summary.
Advertisers are reaching younger audiences through social media networks like Snapchat, YouTube, and Instagram and teens have taken to promoting themselves and the advertisements on these platforms with the hopes of receiving recognition and free products. But this self-promotion often takes an excessive amount of time and dedication on the part of the teens in return for small prizes from the advertisers.
To use this module with learners in any setting, we recommend using one of the structured discussion formats outlined at thinkalong.org/structuring-discussions. You can find options for a small or large group, so that all students or just a few participate, and examples of some discussion formats.