The Outbreak of Social Media
What do you think about social media? Do you think this helps students learn in school? Social media is the umbrella that covers politics, and different ways to communicate with friends and family. As an educator, I have not used so much technology in my classroom and I have never been familiar with social interactions until this year. It was so sad to not see my students after spring break this year, which lead to not seeing them at all for the rest of the year because of the coronavirus. I could not believe that a virus that could spread so fast world wide had such an impact on me because I could not believe I wasn't going to see my precious babies until next school year. So I had to communicate through different types of social media such as zoom, google meet, and let's not forget about the lovely google classroom.
So after wiping away the tears and facing reality that I won't see my students again until they are in 2nd grade, I socially interacted through google classroom and google meet the most during the remaining school year. This is were parent and teacher communication really came into play. I was always willing to communicate with my parents 24/7. Whatever they needed or any questions they might have, we would figure it out together. When students have been introduced to google classroom, " there are ways to help [them] become mindful, critical users of social media as well as active producers of accurate information" (Turner and Hicks, 2017, p. 104). As teachers, we are preparing our students for the future and helping them adapt to the environment where technology will continue to grow.
When using google classroom, I loved reading students comments and seeing their work they would turn in. I would always leave comments on there work and always challenging them with different task each week. According to the MINDFUL exercise in Argument in the Real World monitoring your own reading and writing would benefit students and they would still be exposed to different text and genres as if you were actually there with them (Turner and Hicks, 2017, p. 109). I would always find different ways to create activities students would love and be excited to share with me! Below, you will find a video on the benefits of students using a digital classroom. Let me know what you think! The most important part of social interaction is making sure my students know that I will always be there for them, even if I physically can't be at times. So thank you social media for helping me out with communicating with my parents and students on this bumpy journey.
References:
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M2VICA1zZk. (n.d.).
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Oh, how I missed finishing this year with my students! I was able to do like you and use the Zoom app to see them again, but not all of my students could make that happen. We were able to meet in person 2 weeks ago, but we had to social distance and that made it so hard. Even though it hurt so much, I know I will be able to see most of them next year. Kindergarten students don't always understand why we can't hug. That gives me something to look forward to. I guess losing one of my students on Christmas morning 3 years ago has taught me to enjoy every second I have with every student. It is still the reason I make those connections with them every day possible. I want them to know at the end of every day, I LOVED THEM with my whole heart. This also taught me that social media can be a wonderful tool in the classroom, even though my principal discourages it.
ReplyDeleteOne thing Turner & Hicks (2017), say regarding the use of social media in the classroom is "Social media can be the civic forum that it was once promised to be, so long as we teach students how to read, write, and participate in thoughtful, engaging ways" (p.116). I agree with them because if we had already established this in the classroom before COVID-19 took us from our classrooms, then the transition to digital resources would have been easier for my classroom community.
References
Turner, K.H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching Adolescents to Read and Write Digital Texts: Argument in the Real World. Heineman Publications.
Bethany,
ReplyDeleteOh how I can relate! I was so sad and literally cried for a week after the announcement that we would not return. I think all teachers that truly love their students felt the exact same way. I was very thankful that we did have other avenues to continue to stay in contact and to continue instruction. The wonders of social media are amazing and sometimes scary at the same time. For our students, I do not really think they grasp the importance of how it is used and for the purposes in which it is used for the majority of the time. Turner and Hicks (2017) write about how social media is used without the true thought that should be put into it prior to posting (p. 112). I think that it is a wonderful tool when used appropriately. I would love to incorporate some social media use in my own classroom but am really concerned about student safety and privacy so if I can work that out, I think it would be an awesome tool to have and I think the students would love it! Sestir (2020) explains results of a study that was conducted and explains that social media has positive influences on individuals and promotes new ideas and learning (p. 12). I think this can be true with our students also and learning can truly take place with social media, when it is done responsibly.
Sestir, M. (2020). This is the way the world “friends”: social network site usage and cultivation
effects. The Journal of Social Media in Society, 9(1), 1-21.
https://www.thejsms.org/index.php/TSMRI/article/view/517
Turner, K.H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching Adolescents to Read and Write Digital Texts: Argument in
the Real World. Heineman Publications.
Utilizing Google Classroom as a method of teaching students social media etiquette is a great idea. With the functions available in Google Classroom, a teacher can create a learning experience where shared interests meets digital discourse. Van Dijck and Poell (2017) note that “social media use plays a key role in helping students with particular educational tasks” (p. 580). By using Google Classroom, you can know that Google is COPPA compliant and your district is FERPA compliant. This is really the perfect situation. Allow them to comment, present in Google Meet, lead a discussion thread, and so much more. Turner and Hicks (2017) state that as educators, “we want them {students} to monitor their reading and writing,” while at the same time being sure to “analyze the arguments being made” in the posts of others (p.108). Starting in Google Classroom is a great choice.
ReplyDeleteTurner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann.
Van Dijck, J., & Poell, T. (2017). Social media platforms and education. Van Dijck, J. & T. Poell (2018). Social media platforms and education. In The SAGE Handbook of Social Media, 579- 591.
I agree part of preparing our students for the future requires educators to assist students to comprehend what it is to be a digital citizen. We try to protect them from issues at school, but the real world is just waiting for them outside. I think educators will have to teach and require proper social etiquette while students interact as digital citizens in class. Turner & Hicks agree we must assist our students “to develop the socio-emotional skills that they need to communicate with peers and the broader public while, at the same time, learning how to make logical arguments” (p. 112). The problem stems from not being able to have students realize the importance of their writing on social media. Turner & Hicks state, “to build student’s mindfulness in social media spaces, we first need to help them see their participation in those networks as real reading and writing” (p. 113). I believe every teacher knows we need to teach digital citizenry, but the needs are becoming evident.
ReplyDeleteStudents must navigate the digital world as a place where their actions are their responsibility. Gleason & von Gillern (2018) discuss the need of students “developing skills enabling them to find, evaluate, and share information responsibly, engage in constructive conversation with others from diverse backgrounds, and to ensure their online participation is safe, ethical, and legal” (p. 200). Without these skills, our students will not be prepared for the world that awaits them after school has ended. Gleason & von Gillern (2018) believe “secondary educators also have a role and opportunity to help their students develop skills that enhance students’ ability to identify problems, create persuasive media, and strategically distribute this media to their peers and communities” (p. 210). I was fortunate to have an administrator encourage me to design a digital citizenship class for my students. I hope you have the opportunity to guide your students toward developing their digital citizenship skills in the future.
References
Gleason, B., & Von Gillern, S. (2018). Digital Citizenship with Social Media: Participatory Practices of Teaching and Learning in Secondary Education. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 21(1), 200-212.
Turner, K.H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts: Argument in the real world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
I love hearing new teachers express their adaptiveness. Teaching is a very adaptive career. Then on top of that you throw in Covid -19 and now you have a tornadic environment. You have to re-adjust your mindset, expand your digital resources, all while creating engaging lessons. So now you are using social media to help communicate to parents who thrive on misinformation. Turner and Hicks (2017) details that sharing misinformation is a part of the social media normalcy. People do it without even researching the source of the information they are posting.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there are positive aspects to using social media in the classroom. An article written by a student Bream (2020) details how young people feel it is a vital tool to include in the curriculum. Social media can be used to teach writing tones, demonstrate misuses, and how to use it for community involvement.
References
Bream, O. (2020). Young people and social media a response to Luci Pangrazio. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 1, 13. .
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann.
Bethany I also understand what you went through. The last time I saw most of my students was a half day for me because I had training that school day for the second half of the day. My colleagues and I found out about school being out while we were still at the training, so we never even got to say goodbye.
ReplyDeleteAfter finding out about school being out I started really using Google Classroom. I had used it before, but I now had to use it daily. Turner and Hicks (2017) say, "we want [our students] to monitor their reading and writing, analyze the argument being made, and think carefully before sharing with other readers" (p. 108). I found this to be true during the last several weeks of school online. My students were posting things on Google Classroom that didn't even make sense, or had no purpose in what I had originally posted for them to comment off of. I found myself questioning them in what they meant to say or why they had posted what they did.
References:
Turner, K.H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts: Argument in the real world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.