This course has looked at four things you do online: understanding your own habits, judging what you can trust, following your interests, and publishing work responsibly. Today you meet the Student Project, which brings all four together. It is one digital piece that you make and publish, built over many classes. By the end of today you will know what good work looks like, and you will have a front-runner, the topic you like best so far.
Your project is one digital piece you publish, about something that matters in your life. It must use learning from all four parts, or strands, of the course. It goes on your record of work for the year, and it is judged against the Features of Quality, an official list of what strong work shows.
Here is a sample topic.
Topic: Why notification settings change homework focus
- Understanding myself online: keep track of how often I check my lock screen and when I turn off notifications
- Evaluating online content: compare advice on school websites with tips from influencers about getting more done, and check how recent each one is and what proof it gives
- Following my interests online: look at short videos where people film themselves studying, and how they affect the way people concentrate
- Publishing online: make a short piece explaining all this to first years, without naming any classmates
You will give each of your topics two scores out of 5, one for how much course learning it lets you show and one for how much you care about it. The sample gets 4 for course learning and 5 for interest, so it is a good front-runner, as long as you can really finish what you plan to make.
It usually shows that you:
- chose a topic you care about, and a format, such as a video or poster, that suits your audience
- checked your sources carefully instead of trusting the first result
- published safely, respecting copyright (who owns a piece of work), consent (permission from people you share things about) and privacy, and crediting others' work
- kept an honest log of your planning, research and any help, including from AI
Pair talk: With a partner, take about 2 minutes to rank these topics from strongest to weakest and say why.
(1) Social media
(2) How group chats put friendship pressure on first years
(3) A ten-minute video listing every app I use
On your own, write three topic titles in about 3 minutes. Each one should matter in your life, show learning from across the course, and be narrow enough to research and finish. For example, "social media" is too broad, but "how group chats affect friendship pressure in first year" or "why short-form sports clips change how people follow GAA" would work.
If your teacher allows AI tools, you may use them as a helper, but say so in your log. AI must not choose your topic, make up the facts you use or write the piece for you.
Then work through these steps.
- Pick your two strongest titles. Call the best one Topic A and the other Topic B, and keep the third as a spare.
- Fill in the grid below for Topic A, writing one short note under each heading.
- Give Topic A two scores out of 5, one for how much of the course it shows and one for how much you care about it.
- For Topic B, write the title and both scores.
- Circle one front-runner. You can change your mind later.
- Topic title:
- Myself online: What could this show about your own habits, rights, consent or safety?
- Evaluating: What sources would you need to check, and how would you judge them?
- Interests: Where does this topic show up in the videos, posts or apps you follow, and could any of it be false or be trying to push people into thinking something?
- Publishing: What would you make, who is it for, and what safety or crediting choices would matter?
- Score for how much of the course it covers (out of 5):
- Score for how much you care about it (out of 5):
- Front-runner? (circle one)
Halfway stop: After about 6 minutes, everyone stops and underlines their most specific title. If it is still as broad as "social media" or "phones", narrow it using the example on the board, and then carry on with your steps.
Before you finish, check that Topic A has four notes and two scores, Topic B has two scores, and one topic is circled. If you have time, fill in a grid for Topic B too.
On your own, write these three things about your circled topic:
- your front-runner topic in one sentence
- which strands it lets you show, with one thing you could do for each, such as tracking your habits or checking a source
- one thing you still need to check before you can be sure it will work, such as whether there is enough information you can trust, whether it is safe to publish, or whether you can really make what you plan
Make sure your title is specific. "Phones" is too broad, but "why notification settings change homework focus" would work. If one topic got your best interest score but a different topic got your best course score, add one line saying which score you trusted more and why.
Save this the class way, wherever your class keeps its work, so it is ready for the next planning lessons. You are not researching the project today.
The Student Project brings the whole course together. The Features of Quality show that good project work comes from thinking carefully about what you find, being honest about how you worked and making safe choices, not just from a neat final piece. Your front-runner is only a starting point. Next you will plan it out with milestones, which are smaller goals you can reach along the way.
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