🗑 NEW: Let's Go Viral writing activity

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💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡

📲 The “Let’s Go Viral” writing activity

Some social media content is pretty mindless.

However, there are LOTS of creators who put SIGNIFICANT time and thought into making their content go viral.

They identify the audience. They storyboard the video. They outline the script. They brainstorm unique hooks to draw viewers in.

Your students have undoubtedly seen the results of this process …

… but have they ever participated in it?

The “Let’s Go Viral” writing activity lets them go through the same process as some of their favorite creators — but with whatever they’re learning in your class.

In this activity, students identify how they could share what they’re learning in your class with an audience — TikTok-style.

They don’t actually have to create a video OR share it … just go through the process.

That process includes:

• The topic: What is the content? What is the video about?

• The audience: Who is it for, and how will it connect with that audience?

• The hook: How will the video grab the audience’s attention?

• The message: How will the video tell about the topic?

• The visuals: How will the video communicate the message visually?

• The text: What text will be used in text tags, video description, and hashtags?

• Now, let’s go viral: This lets students reflect on the message and the process to solidify learning.

❤️ If students love it, use it!

The “Let’s Go Viral” writing activity fits perfectly with the ideas I share in my book Tech Like a Pirate — and what I share in my keynote speech for educators, “The Attention Switch.”

• The concept: If students love it, use it!

• It doesn’t even have to use the thing/app they love … it just has to remind them of it.

• You don’t need the app to create the experience.

• If students love something … and learning feels like what they love … it starts to change how they feel about the learning.

Find more ways to teach like this in my book, Tech Like a Pirate …

… and learn more about bringing my keynote, “The Attention Switch,” to your school, district or event!

🗄 Get the template

Get the “Let’s Go Viral” writing activity template …

• in Google Slides here

• in PowerPoint here

• in a Canva template here

💼 Loving this template? We have SO many more templates just like this — including more than a dozen social media-inspired templates — in our FREE templates library. Check them out here!

🗄 TEMPLATE 🗄

💬 The Social Media Reply template

If you liked the “Let’s Go Viral” writing activity above, this might be right up your alley, too …

The Social Media Reply template simulates Facebook posts …

• Students can create text or image posts about anything.

• They can write comments showing how others might reply.

• Everything is editable — including the profile pictures.

(Of course, you might have to explain to some of them what Facebook is … because, you know, they see it as their parent’s — or grandparents’ — social media!) 😂

This could be a fun way for students to show how characters in a book might interact with each other …

… or a way to show how they would explain a new concept to a friend or their social media network …

… or even a way to practice digital citizenship — how you should (or shouldn’t) interact on social media.

We have LOTS of ideas for using this template in this blog post about it!

🗄 Get the Social Media Reply template (Google Slides / PowerPoint)

👋 How we can help

There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:

1. Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.

2. Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.

3. Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!