Lesson video

Hello, I'm Miss T.

Thanks for joining me today.

In today's lesson, as part of our Media Influence unit, we're going to be looking at how we can seek support online, and that's part of the larger unit on is the internet a good influence in our lives? So let's get started.

Our outcome for today is, "I can explain which online resources are reliable sources of support and advice." Before we get started on today's lesson, it's really important that we think about the ground rules that we follow when we're having discussions in our classrooms. We've got Laura firstly saying, "Listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

And when we disagree, we challenge the statement, we don't challenge the person." We've got Jacob saying, "No judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged." Andeep tell us to respect privacy.

He says, "We can discuss examples, but we do not use names or descriptions that could identify anyone, including ourselves." And finally, Izzy reminds us to choose their level of participation that is right for us.

"Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join a discussion.

We never put anyone on the spot." So with those in mind, let's get started with today's lesson.

So before we get started, let's think about some of the key words that you will see being used in today's lesson.

We've got four keywords for today.

The first one is reliable, the quality of being trustworthy.

The second one is manipulation, which means influencing someone's emotions to make them do something.

The third keyword is influencer, a person who uses social media to influence the behaviour of their followers.

And finally, the word misinformation, which is false or inaccurate information, but not intended to deceive.

See if you can see where these are used during the lesson, and also whether you can use them in your own responses.

So let's get started.

So let's look at our lesson outline for today.

We're looking at how we can seek support online.

Our first lesson outline is, what support can we find online? And our second lesson outline is, should we accept online support from influencers? So let's get started with our first section.

The internet can be a great place to find support and guidance, because it offers lots of different areas of advice.

It can give us a range of resources on virtually any topic.

It can give us professional help, peer support, or step-by-step tutorials.

It can give us an access to diverse communities, and it can give us expert advice.

The internet can provide advice on many topics, such as career and professional development, education and learning, financial support and guidance, health and wellness, the law, family and relationships.

You can find and interact with online support and guidance in many different ways.

We've got Jacob and Laura here.

Jacob says, "I use different art gallery websites to find the support I need for my art homework." And Laura says, "I use webinars to listen to college lectures about subjects I'm interested in studying for my A-Levels." So two really useful ways of using online support with their learning.

Jun then says, "I use video streaming sites to get tips on how to improve my skateboarding skills." Sounds fun.

And Alex says, "I listen to podcasts and read blogs to help me learn about new topics." So always developing his learning there.

So some of the different sources of information that we can find online include websites, live chat, webinars, and social media.

Websites are a collection of information accessed through a web address, covering a particular subject, person, or organisation.

A live chat is an online discussion that involves sending messages over the internet.

Webinars are interactive web-based events where a speaker delivers a presentation to an online audience.

And through social media, which is a type of technology that allows people to share ideas and information, text and images through online communities.

We've also got podcasts, blogs, and the use of artificial intelligence, AI, in a chat bot.

Podcasts are audio recordings on various different topics that you can listen to.

Blogs are a webpage that's updated regularly with casual conversational writing, often in the kind of form of a diary.

And AI chatbots are a computer programme made to chat with people online, where they're designed to sound like a real conversation.

So let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these is an audio recording that you can listen to? Is it A, podcasts, B, social media platforms, or C, AI chatbots? Pause your screen here while you think about your answer.

Well done.

If you put that you thought the answer was A, podcasts, you'd be correct.

But because there's so much information and advice available on the internet, it's hard to decide what to listen to and what to ignore.

Aisha says, "I want support with learning how to write computer code, but lots of websites ask for money." And Alex says, "Asking a teacher or librarian can be a helpful starting place to find free support services, because paid websites aren't always reliable." Selecting the most appropriate online support can be difficult.

So these are some of the considerations that you need to think about.

Jacob says, "Are they charging money for the support service?" Laura says, "How much personal data do I need to give them?" Andeep says, "Is it a reliable source of information or advice?" And Izzy says, "Are there any signs that I'm being manipulated at all?" So four really good questions to ask yourself before you access some of those online resources.

Some of the ways to identify a reliable source of information or advice, can be check if a company or charity is legitimate.

And you can do this by checking their registration on the gov.

uk website.

You can also find out if a payment is valued for money by seeing if you can find any similar information for free.

You also need to look at how your personal data is used.

All companies must have a data protection policy.

So read this so you know what's going on.

So let's check our understanding.

Websites that charge for information are always unreliable.

Is that statement true or false? Pause your screen here while you think about your answer.

If you put that you thought the answer was false, then you'd be correct.

But why is that? Well, websites that charge aren't always unreliable, but you should consider what you're spending your money on, because often you can find similar resources for free.

It's about doing a bit of research before you pay for anything.

So now we're into task A.

For each pupil, can you explain where they might find support online? We've got Jacob.

He says, "I want to talk to other young people about how they chose their A-level subjects." Laura says, "I want to find out more information about making healthy choices." And Aisha says, "I want to learn more about the history of France and its role in the European Union." So three things they want to find out.

Can you give them some suggestions on where they might find appropriate support online? Pause your screen here while you think about your responses, and I look forward to hearing what you've got to say.

Well done.

I hope you came up with some really useful suggestions for these students.

So let's look at each one of them in turn.

Jacob wanted to talk to other young people about how they chose their A-level subjects.

Your answers might have suggested that Jacob could read blogs by young people, attend a webinar by a young person or college, or even use live chat with other students to find out how other young people made their A-level subject choices.

Laura wanted to find out more information about making healthy choices.

You might have said that she should find information on a trustworthy and reliable website, or listen to a podcast or webinar by a certified health expert or medical professional.

And Aisha wanted to learn more about the history of France and its role in the European Union.

You may have said that Aisha should listen to a historical podcast, attend a webinar by an expert on the subject, or visit a reliable website.

So lots of really useful ways to use the resources that we can find online.

So let's move on to our second lesson outline for today.

Should we accept online advice from influencers? One way that young people often seek advice online is by following influencers on social media.

Jacob says, "What's an influencer?" And Andeep replies and says, "An influencer is someone who is able to persuade, influence, a lot of other people, often their followers, to do, buy, or use the same things that they do.

Through this, they can potentially gain fame and earn money." Jacob then says, "Are all influencers unreliable?" And Andeep replies, "Not all.

Some influencers might offer advice because they are trained and experienced in a certain topic.

However, others might not be and could offer misinformation, or even dangerous advice." So a check for understanding here.

All influencers are unreliable and their advice should not be followed.

Nice and straightforward, true or false? Pause your screen here while you think about your answer.

Well done.

If you put the answer was false, you would be correct.

And that's because there are many unreliable influencers who may post information because they're just trying to earn money.

However, some influencers are reliable sources of information, because they have experience or they are trained on that topic.

Some influencers can offer positive, reliable, and trustworthy advice.

An influencer's positive advice may look like this.

They might share educational content.

They might challenge unrealistic expectations.

They might promote social courses.

They might be a positive role model model.

They might reliably review products, and they might provide support and advice when they're trained or experienced in that subject area.

So they are all really positive ways that influencers can use their position to post supportive content.

However, some influencers can offer unreliable and even harmful advice.

This might include promoting toxic trends, posting misinformation, posting paid adverts, so product reviews can be unreliable, because they're being paid to say nice things about those products, maybe posting hate speech, which can be prejudiced, abusive, or threatening language.

Maybe they promote unrealistic expectations, such as body image, and maybe they just provide support and advice, but they're not actually trained or experienced in that subject area.

So there's some of the things to look out for for when an influencer can be unreliable.

So let's have a check for understanding here.

We've got Aisha and Sophia, and they're talking about influencers.

Aisha wants to use social media to get financial advice from other people who've left home to go to university.

It's really good to do your research about that.

And Sophia has a suggestion.

She says, "You should follow @carlysaves456, because she's studying sports science at a university in Manchester, and she talks online about all the ways that you can save money and where you can borrow money from." True or false? @carlysaves456 is a completely reliable source of information about finances.

Pause your screen while you think about your answer.

If you decided that you thought the answer was false, you'd be correct.

And it's that wording of "completely reliable".

Why? Because although she might have some useful perspectives about life at university, we don't know if she has any financial qualifications, and she could easily be sharing misinformation.

So it's good to be careful when you read that sort of content online.

Finding reliable information and support online can be challenging, and sometimes it can feel overwhelming, because there's just so much of it.

So one of the best ways to get support is to ask a trusted adult to help identify the most useful sources of information.

Online support for mental health and wellbeing can be really helpful, but it's very, very important to select this carefully.

You can always speak to a trusted adult.

They can recommend reliable sources of support.

You can always get expert advice, not just an influencer or a content creator.

And be careful of seeking peer support, so support from others who've faced similar experiences in a chat room, because they're not always safe spaces and won't always give helpful advice.

So here's our next check for understanding.

The question is, "Why should you select online support for mental health and wellbeing carefully?" Is it A, so you only find advice that matches what you want to hear? Is it B, to make sure the support is trustworthy, reliable, and based on real facts? Or is it C, because all online support offers the same level of help and guidance? Pause your screen here while you think about your answer.

Well done.

I'm sure you had some really interesting discussions there.

If you put that you felt the answer was B, to make sure the support is trustworthy, reliable, and based on real facts, then you would be correct.

Well done.

So moving into our task B for this lesson.

We've got Angie and Ella here.

They've both got online social media profiles.

I want you to think about which influencer is the most reliable for fitness advice.

You're going to read their profiles on the next slide, and then explain your answer in one paragraph, but you're going to include three reasons.

So Angie and Ella are both online fitness influencers.

Angie says, "I offer free fitness plans for different age groups.

I care about helping people to get fit and healthy, no matter their body shape or size." And then Ella says, "I want people to look and feel their best.

I often post pictures of myself doing exercise to be inspirational for others." Angie studied fitness and human biology at university, and she's also completed a certified nutrition course.

Ella loved PE at school and enjoys cooking at home, and she often posts paid adverts for fitness products.

So which one of these influences are the most reliable? Pause your screen here while you think about your response.

You may have said this.

Angie is a more reliable source for fitness advice, because she studied fitness and human biology at university, meaning she understands how the body works.

She also completed a certified nutrition course, so she knows how diet affects health.

Unlike Ella, Angie's advice is based on real training, not just personal experience.

Ella also often posts adverts for fitness products, which suggests her reviews could be unreliable, as she may be motivated by money.

So we've compared those two influencers, and based on what they post, their qualifications, and their experience, we've decided that Angie is a more reliable source.

So well done if that looks like the answer that you've got in front of you.

So to sum up what we've talked about today, we've been looking at seeking support online.

We've said that the internet can be a great place to find support and guidance, because it offers a wide range of support.

We said it's important to be careful about whom you take advice from online, as some influencers may post misinformation or deliberately try to manipulate you.

And we also said that there are lots of ways to evaluate whether online support is reliable or not.

Going to a charity or government website is a good place to start, especially when looking for support for mental health and wellbeing.

Well done for your answers today.