So far this course has worked through four things you do online: understanding your own habits, judging whether what you see is worth trusting, following the things you are interested in, and publishing your own work responsibly. Today you meet the big piece of work that pulls all four together. It is one published digital piece of your own, built over many classes rather than finished in one. By the end of today you will know what it is for, what good work looks like, and you will have a few possible topics with one clear front-runner.

Here is one sample topic, mapped out on the board so you can copy the shape of it:

Topic: Why notification settings change homework focus

• Understanding myself online: track my own lock-screen habits and when I silence alerts
• Evaluating online content: school advice pages vs influencer productivity tips; check date and evidence
• Following my interests online: short-form study-with-me clips and how they shape focus habits
• Publishing online: short explainer for first years; no classmates named

You will test your own topics with two scores out of 5: how much of the course learning the topic lets you show, and how much you genuinely care about it. This sample scores 4 for course coverage and 5 for real interest, so it is worth keeping as a front-runner, as long as the format stays realistic.

These plain markers match the official list your work is judged against; your teacher may show the school's student-friendly version beside them.

Pair talk (about 2 minutes): With a partner, rank these three draft topics from strongest to weakest for a project like this, and be ready to 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.

A good topic is relevant to your life, big enough to show learning across the course, and small enough that you can finish it. Then work through this process on your own:

1. Pick the two strongest titles out of your three, and keep the third as a reserve name in case one of the other two falls apart later.
2. Map Topic A in full against the four parts of the course, copying the shape of the sample on the board, with one short note under each heading using the grid prompts below.
3. Score Topic A out of 5 on two questions only: does it let me show learning across the whole course, and do I care about it enough to stay with it for weeks?
4. For Topic B: write the title, then both scores. Add full notes under all four headings if you can, or at least jot down which parts of the course it could cover.
5. Circle one front-runner for now. You can change your mind later, but pick the strongest one today.

Copyable grid shape (full notes required for Topic A; Topic B at least title + both scores):

• Topic title:
• Myself online: what about your own habits, rights, consent or safety could this show?
• Evaluating: what sources would you need to check, and how would you judge them?
• Interests: what media formats, influence, misinformation or manipulation questions sit inside this topic?
• Publishing: what would you make, who is it for, and what safety or crediting choices would matter?
• Score strand coverage (/5):
• Score real interest (/5):
• Front-runner? (circle one)

A stop at the halfway mark: after about 6 minutes everyone pauses and underlines their most specific topic title. If it still sounds as broad as a whole section of the course, narrow it using the example on the board. Then go back and finish Topic A and score Topic B.

Before you finish, check: Topic A fully mapped (four short notes + both scores), Topic B with title + both scores (full second map only if you have time or as extension), and one circled front-runner. A third topic name only if you still have time.

Turn your circled topic into a clear starting decision. Write these three things only:

• Your front-runner topic in one sentence
• Which strands it lets you show, with one piece of possible evidence for each strand you name
• The one thing you still need to find out before you can be sure this topic will work (for example: is there enough trustworthy material, can you publish without harming anyone's privacy, is the format realistic)

The Student Project is longer work that pulls the whole course together. The Features of Quality reward critical thinking, honest process and responsible choices, not just a polished final file. Your front-runner is a starting decision. Next you will turn it into a plan with milestones you can actually hit.