.jpg)
There’s no denying that social media has become a central topic for many high school classrooms to explore. Students love to engage with it, and depending on the projects you use to exercise their skills, they may walk away with greater insight into how it affects their lives.
But where do you go to find the best social media projects? What are your options, and which would your students find most engaging?
As a business education curriculum developer, we often hear from business teachers who want to explore either social media marketing, or social media’s impact on our society. Either way, having the right projects is key to ensuring this unit is one your students remember.
In this article, you’ll discover 3 of the best social media projects out there to test your students’ skills:
- Social Media Marketing Bundle from Business Girl
- Social Media Research Project from Creative Lab
- Social Media’s Impact on Teens Project from Teen Tech University
By the end of this article, you’ll have a better sense of each of these projects so that you can choose the best ones for your classroom.
1. Social Media Marketing Bundle from Business Girl
TeachersPayTeachers (TpT) is a digital marketplace that sells thousands of educational resources for teachers in almost any subject area or age range.
Business Girl is one prominent vendor on TpT who offers hundreds of products that cover business topics like marketing, entrepreneurship, and more.
One of the products Business Girl offers is the Social Media Marketing Bundle, which features a collection of social media projects students can work on to exercise marketing skills they’ve picked up in a business class.
These projects are centered around social media marketing, trends, platforms, and more. There are 10 projects total, spread across 107 pages of content:
- 4 C’s of Social Media Marketing
- Social Media Platform Graphic Organizer and Infographic
- Social Media Trends Museum Exhibit
- The Future of Social Media Marketing
- Social Media Campaign Meeting Brief
- Creating a Social Media Campaign Proposal
- Social Media Posting Guide
- Influencer for a Day Project
- Social Media SWOT Analysis
- Consumer Privacy Practices
Included with these projects are rubrics, activities, graphic organizers, and more, each of which will vary depending on what projects you ultimately decide to use in class.
The versatility of this bundle is one of its main strengths. You don’t need to use every project, but by purchasing it, you gain the choice of using the ones that will best fit your course and students. However, if you only want to use one or two projects within the bundle, then you might be better off purchasing those projects individually on Business Girl’s homepage.
How Much Does this Social Media Bundle Cost?
The Social Media Marketing Bundle costs $23.75 on Business Girl’s TpT page. However, another option is to purchase some of the projects within the bundle individually. In that case, each project will cost you between $1.25-3.50.
Who Is this Social Media Bundle Intended For?
The Social Media Marketing Bundle is a good fit for high school business education teachers who want to focus on the marketing advantages social media can provide. It is appropriate for grades 9-12, and will be particularly useful if you need several small, engaging social media projects to assign to your students.
If you need several social media marketing projects to test the skills of your high school business students, then this bundle will likely serve you well.
2. Social Media Research Project from Creative Lab
Another vendor on TpT is Creative Lab, which offers hundreds of projects and activities covering a vast array of topics from history and mathematics to the sciences and more.
One of the products Creative Lab offers is a Social Media Research Project, which asks students to analyze a social media platform of their choice and evaluate whether the platform is harmful or beneficial to society.
As part of this project, students will conduct research and compile their findings into a presentation they then give to their class. This project is divided into 18 pages of content, and includes materials like:
- Step by Step Instructions
- Student Criteria Checklists
- Research Notes Templates
- Presentation Options Pages
- Student Self-Assessments
- Printable Evaluation Forms
- Project Rubrics
- Google Slides
After students complete the research portion of the project, they have several options available to present it to the rest of the class, including a poster board, PowerPoint presentation, or even a paper dodecahedron format.
An important point to keep in mind is that Creative Lab designates this as a Project-Based Learning (PBL) product. PBL is a teaching philosophy where students play a more active, driven role in their learning via the completion of a project. This project works best when your students are disciplined enough to research independently.
How Much Does this Social Media Project Cost?
The Social Media Research Project costs only $2.00 on TpT, making this a very affordable option for teachers who want a solid unit project to help teach social media.
Who Is this Social Media Project Intended For?
The Social Media Research Project is focused more on digital citizenship and enlightening students on the nature of social media. Because of this, it would be a good fit for high school computer applications or social studies courses.
If you need a research project that will get your students thinking critically about social media's role in society, this project is an excellent place to start.
3. Social Media’s Impact on Teens from Teen Tech University
Teen Tech University is yet another vendor on TpT, offering over a hundred products covering subject areas like literature, technology, and media.
One of the resources Teen Tech University offers is a project called Social Media’s Impact on Teens. This project has students conduct research on electronics, the Internet, and social media, and how each of these affects the development and mental health of teens.
Students begin with an engaging activity to grab their attention, before moving onto a research portion to learn about the drawbacks of social media. Altogether, this project is extensive, and over its 30+ pages of content there are materials like:
- Google Slides
- Note-Taking Handouts
- Pacing Guide for Teachers
- Links to 60 Relevant Websites and Video Clips
- Research Project Options
- Research Project Rubrics
- Two Pre-Search Song Analysis Activities
Throughout this project, students explore online resources that educate them on the role social media plays in teen anxiety, cyber-bullying, low self-esteem, and more.
After this, teachers use a Google Slides presentation to introduce students to the projects they can complete to solidify their understanding.
How Much Does this Social Media Project Cost?
Social Media’s Impact on Teens can be purchased on Creative Lab’s TpT site for only $5.10, which is a fair price for the amount of content included.
Who Is this Social Media Project Intended For?
Because Social Media’s Impact on Teens mainly focuses on the psychological effects social media has on young people, it would best fit a high school computer applications or psychology class.
If you need a research project focused around exploring the psychological impact of social media on teens, then this project would be a great choice for you.
Need to Teach More Digital Literacy Skills?
If your students learn to think about social media in an unhealthy way, it will only ever be a burden on their lives. That’s why it’s your job to teach them the insight and skills they need to take control of social media, rather than have it take control of them.
In this article, you’ve discovered some of the best projects out there to test your students’ social media knowledge and skills. If you leverage these projects right, your high schoolers will be well on their way to thinking critically about social media and the advantages it can have.
However, social media is only one part of complete digital literacy. If you want your students to succeed in a rapidly digitizing world, they also need to learn about topics like online communication, digital footprints, and more.
If you need to give your students a more well-rounded digital education, check out this article on how to teach digital literacy skills. This guide will help you teach your students all the other skills they need to master technology in their lives:
