Task+Statement

**Facebook: Friend or Foe?** Facebook, Twitter, cellphones, video games...Today's students have countless technological tools at their fingertips. Many people are concerned that the ever-present nature of this technology is setting young people up for trouble in the future. Opponents of these new devices and applications especially worry that social media is hampering students' ability to communicate, think critically, and perform well in school. Proponents say that social media and modern technological conveniences allow young people to perform more efficiently and do more than they ever could without these tools. So what do you think? What support do you have for your view?

Below you will find an overview of the performance task you will complete in order to address the questions raised above:


 * **Goal:** You will use your knowledge of mathematics to create a method for collecting relevant data, collect and analyze that data to determine a function that best models the data, and then report your conclusions regarding use of social media, cellphones, video games, or some other "recreational" modern technology and how that relates to student performance in school.


 * **Role:** Your will serve as a member of a three-person university research team charged with investigating and reporting on a possible link between use of "recreational" modern technology and student performance in school.


 * **Audience:**As university researchers, you have two target audiences for this task. First, you must produce technical work that can be peer-reviewed by other mathematical experts (your teacher and classmates) who will be able to support the validity of your methods and claims. Second, you must produce work that can be presented to the public at large (the school community) and understood by the average newspaper reader.


 * **Situation:** The university has a received a grant from the federal government in order to investigate a link between use of "recreational" modern technology and student performance. As a research institution, your school depends on quality work from researchers like you for much of its funding. The school also benefits from the publicity and prestige of reporting these findings to the public.


 * **Product:** You will produce a media presentation (newscast, newspaper article, blog post, PowerPoint presentation, etc.) for the public which explains the conclusions of your research along with a technical report explaining how you came to your conclusions using solid mathematical reasoning.

//Technical Report// - > //Report to the Public// -
 * __Your Final Product must include //all// of the following elements__: **
 * 1) The raw data collected in an easily-understood format.
 * 2) An explanation of the methodology used in the data collection including how data was collected, why that particular data was collected, and your confidence in the data.
 * 3) Graphs, tables, and calculations created and performed in search of a mathematical model to represent the collected data.
 * 4) Explanation of how the collected data was analyzed in search of a linear, quadratic, or other function which most closely models the data.
 * 5) Explanation of the features of the mathematical model(s) created, including: scope of the model, any key data points, trends in the graph, accuracy of the model, and any other features you feel may be significant.
 * 6) Conclusions regarding the final model(s) created and the process used to develop that model. What does the model tell you about real life? How confident are you in your findings?
 * 1) A visual representation of the mathematical model(s) you have developed. You may use multiple representations, or choose one that you feel best illustrates your conclusions.
 * 2) Predictions regarding a hypothetical student's use of technology and the effect on his/her academic performance. //(For example: if your daughter were to increase the amount of time she spent talking on the phone, you could expect a drop of 2% in her math class average for every additional hour spent chatting per week.)//
 * 3) Recommendations for parents/students regarding use of technology for recreational purposes.
 * 4) Explanation of data collection method and confidence in mathematical model for predicting real-life behavior.

**__Guiding Questions__:** //Before beginning your performance task, consider the following guiding questions. These will help you in your planning and should be addressed in your final product.//
 * 1) What kind of data can you collect in order to identify a relationship between the two aspects of student life involved in this task?
 * 2) How do we determine the “quality” of our mathematical model? What are the limitations of the model?
 * 3) What predictions can you accurately make using your mathematical model?


 * __A few additional notes__: **
 * You may collect data on as many different, relevant areas of student performance and use of technology for recreation as you like. You may then choose the data that provides the best model from which to draw your conclusions.
 * You may create more than one model. You have to produce only one for your final projects, but you are encouraged to do more.
 * If you have another idea for how to present data to the public other than those previously mentioned, feel free to suggest it to your teacher. Note that it must include a //visual// element.

Please see the rubric //**HERE**// for more specific details regarding how you will be assessed for this assignment.