Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support. FOR THE WEEK OF MAR. 11, 2013 Coming soon to your screen: Facebook changes its news feed to give users more content choicesFacebook's boss compares its news feed to a newspaper. List ways that those information sources are similar and ways that they are not alike.
Show one or more examples of how newspapers use social media and mobile phones, and recognize them as part of daily life.
What parts of newspaper design – online or in print – do you like or think could be better? Discuss how the layout of a website or published material can make it more inviting.
Don't get to comfortable with your Facebook news feed – it's changing dramatically. The company last week previewed upgrades that include larger photos, longer preview text when friends post links and the ability to see recent activity just by preferred categories. Instead of two choices for how to sort your news feed -- "top stories" and "most recent" – the revised Facebook will offer seven options. Users will be able to toggle between multiple versions of their news feed. One shows updates only from friends; another is limited to people designated as close friends. One is all photos, one has nothing but music, and one is devoted to pages you “like” and public figures you follow. A gradual rollout of the new look is under way. It'll be a few months until all users gain access. When you're eligible, a button to switch to it will be atop your page. New versions of Facebook’s mobile apps will become available in the next few weeks. . A day after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and company executives announced their new moves at a California media briefing, Time magazine posted an article headlined "Is Facebook Losing Its Cool? Some Teens Think So." It quotes a 15-year-old at Briarwood Christian High School in Birmingham, Ala., who's annoyed that her parents, aunts and uncles "are constantly commenting on your stuff." The magazine notes that "the world's biggest social network is now just one of an assortment of social apps teens use on their smart phones instead of the nexus of their social media activity."
Front Page Talking Points is written by
Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2026
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