Creative and Critical Thinking
Summary Explanation of Assignments
Here is a quick overview of the assignments for this unit. However, be sure you read over the specific assignment instructions that follow for each one. Review the marking rubrics for the assignments before you start.
ASSIGNMENT 1: A Starting Point: Self Reflection.
What do you hope to achieve in this course? Consider how you will assess your growth as a writer and new media user. This is why we examine the starting point.
ASSIGNMENT 2: Active Reading
Put your active reading skills to use! Read an article on the best blogging platforms for beginners using an active reading strategy. When you are finished, write an informal, point form response regarding the assignment. Once you have read through the information, make a decision. Which is the best blogging platform for beginners?
ASSIGNMENT 3: Making Inferences
Choose one of the following social media cases to examine and evaluate. Make inferences. Summarize the situation and then formulate your own opinion on the case remembering that your opinion should be based on the facts. Consider how this situation would be different if social media was not a factor? How does this show, or not show, that social media has changed media and communication? Write a 200 word response.
ASSIGNMENT 4: Dialogue
Learn how to creatively write dialogue. Practice starting it on its own line, punctuating correctly, and developing voice. Choose a couple of characters to dialogue about using technology for the first time. Make it fun!
ASSIGNMENT 5: Digital Citizenship
After reading about positive digital citizenship, decide why these social media fails occurred based on the assigned reading. You also get to use and practice effective parenthetical notation as you will cite from the source.
ASSIGNMENT 6: Careers and Trends
Research, discuss, and present information of careers and trends in digital technology and new media. Who knows? Maybe you'll find your future career or even create it yourself.
ASSIGNMENT 7: Response FORUM: Cyberbully
For your first response forum, discuss cyberbullying.
Read the article "The Top 6 Unforgettable Cyberbullying Cases Ever". Consider these cases as you answer the questions below. If you don't have a personal example to discuss or you don't want to discuss it in a forum, then respond to one of the cases in this article.
1. Do you know anyone who has been bullied online? Have you ever been bullied online? What effects can cyberbullying have on the victim?
2. How is cyberbullying different from other forms of bullying? Why do you think some people bully others online?
3. What is the best way to take away a bully’s power over you? What is the worst way to react to cyberbullying?
4. How does it make you feel when you see someone else being bullied? Does bullying behavior make the bully more or less popular?
5. Type in "Cyberbully Conversation Starter" in a search engine to access more questions to get your conversation going.
There are TWO activities in a FORUM:
- Start a new discussion topic by clicking on Add a new discussion topic.
- Reply/Respond to someone else's discussion topic by clicking on their topic and selecting Reply.
ASSIGNMENT 8: PROJECT: Writing a Persuasive essay
Write a 800 word composition on a controversial issue where you clearly state and support your opinion from research on one of the following topics. Be sure to follow the provided guidelines for effective essay writing.