2/22 students and social media
I would say I have quite a bit of experience working with online social media and digital composition to connect with others. I have used social media since I was in fifth grade and begged my mom to allow me to get a Facebook account. I feel that I am one of the few people who actually advocates for the use of social media instead of hating on it. I do have a few qualms with social media at times, but it mainly comes down to who and what you follow. Also, age plays a factor. Do I think that I should've been allowed to have a Facebook at approximately ten years old? No, absolutely not. However, I think that once kids are around thirteen or fourteen, they can reap a lot of benefits that social media offers.
Social media can offer friendships, resources for people who might not have the best home life, and tons of other stuff. Growing up, I was extremely shy (still kind of am, but working on it!), and social media was one of the only places I could go to socialize with people like me. Eventually I made friends in school and it was great, and then I went to college six hours away from where I lived my whole life. I didn't know anyone and my only friend was my roommate who was working two jobs and was in pre-med classes. Needless to say, I didn't see her much with the workload. I turned to social media then, too.
There are some issues with social media, I won't deny that. I think Instagram, while very fun sometimes, can be the worst one. At least for me. It started out as stupid, casual pictures and selfies with friends. Now, I feel it's ruled by "influencers" and photoshop. It can definitely cause some body image issues that are pretty damaging. As someone who has somewhat experienced those issues, I would say that there are ways to block certain hashtags and accounts from coming up if they are damaging or triggering to see, but the issue is that some people ignore them to damage themselves further. It's definitely a thin line that is easily crossed, so I see where many people have issues with social media.
However, I think in a classroom, it can be good to draw from social media. Most students have it by now, and it'll help them connect to the material. Showing students an article that's over 5 pages or showing them a TikTok that can give them the same information in three minutes or less? It's an easy choice, in my opinion. I know when my high school teachers would use social media trends/topics, I would be much more engaged because I could understand much better.
I don't think social media should be demonized as much as it is. There are pros and cons of everything, but as a student, social media is a helpful tool for me to interact and understand what's going on. When I see a current event being talked about by someone on my "for you page," I genuinely get interested and look it up to understand further. I think having something in class like that where you find something being talked about on social media and discussing it in class could be a great tool for teachers and students.
I think showing students a TikTok over making them read an article is a great way to incorporate more ways to engage students. Typically, students won't want to read a lengthy article; a video summarizing material is such a better alternative! Using cites our students know very well will also help them be more engaged. I know I appreciated in high school when the teacher put on a crash course video that John Green has on YouTube! I think finding a TikTok account that is educational like that would result in similar results of students finding enjoyment from them.
ReplyDeleteWe both seem to have very similar views of social media, and I agree that the "comfortability" that most students currently have with it makes it a great resource to incorporate into our ELA lessons. I never really think about how much reading I actually do on platforms like Twitter, and as you mention, it is usually the main gateway for me to explore current events and longer digital texts. Having students bring in a tweet, Instagram post, or TikTok that they think is interesting, and then having them find a longer, more "traditional" text that relates to it could be one meaningful way to get them reading, researching, and using their critical thinking skills. What do you think of this idea? Is there anything you would want to add to the process?
ReplyDeleteI think that these readings helped show that the days of just reading by the book in English class are starting to fade, and we as educators need to start getting our hands dirty in the digital world!
I agree that social media can be an educational place! A lot of pages are designed and provided for free for people to learn and talk about topics that may not have been explored before. There is going to be an immediate connection students feel on an instagram page rather than a sourced research paper, due to language or even simply the mechanics of the app versus web page.
ReplyDeleteHmm, don't know why my name is not showing, but this is Charlie! :)
DeleteHi Katie! I really like your blog post and I think you perspective on social media is a great asset. When I think about my own views of social media, I was definitely an avid supporter throughout high school as I think many high schoolers are. I think that when teachers and students can both see the benefits to social media, that can be a great starting point that leads to other forms of digital literacy. It is definitely better to start on common ground with your students rather than saying something like "digital literacy looks like x, y, z and not Facebook, Instagram, TikTok".
ReplyDeleteKatie, I appreciate your balanced approach to social media. It is neither the downfall of humanity nor the panacea. I look forward to seeing/reading how you further articulate these benefits and drawbacks for teaching and learning.
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