Our students spend a lot of time using screen media but not much time creating digital content. According to Common Sense Media, teens spend only three percent of their time creating new things. With an average of 9 hours a day spent consuming media, teens could accomplish great things if they devoted a larger slice of their digital time to making stuff.
We can encourage our students to become content creators by exposing them to opportunities to write, record, film, build, design, and code using digital media.
Here are 38 ways your students can use screen media to create content. Each idea can be integrated into a classroom lesson, used as a stand-alone project, or featured during genius hour. Inspire your students to . . .
- Start or contribute to a blog.
- Contribute to a wiki.
- Record a podcast.
- Learn and write source code.
- Design an infographic.
- Create a Web site.
- Create a vlog (video blog).
- Design a digital poster.
- Create a Slideshare presentation.
- Create a PechaKucha presentation.
- Edit, enhance, and upload an image.
- Design an album or book cover.
- Record a newscast.
- Record a song.
- Create a music video.
- Design a brochure.
- Design a blueprint.
- Create a YouTube video.
- Plan a social-media campaign for a good cause.
- Film a public-service announcement.
- Animate a story.
- Record a poetry reading.
- Create a GIF.
- Create a meme.
- Write a play or movie script.
- Build an interactive time line.
- Host a classroom Webinar.
- Design a video game.
- Design a model for 3D printing.
- Write fan fiction.
- Review a book, a restaurant, a movie, or an album.
- Write and illustrate a comic strip.
- Create and administer a poll.
- Design a personal logo.
- Design a map.
- Develop an app.
- Create a time-lapse video.
- Design something using code.
Do you have any other ideas for digital projects? We'd love to hear them!