Hi Blog,
For today’s class, we had a guest speaker Jesse Miller give a presentation on our presence as teachers on social media and managing our digital footprint. With the dramatic increase in students (especially in middle school) being on social media, it’s important to be aware of the presence we have as future educators and the measures we can take to ensure our students are also as safe as they can be online. I really like the points Jesse made on the role of teachers and their place in “policing” student’s use of phones in the class and how the ramifications of restricting that use through forceful removal without context, causes student’s attitudes to become more negative towards the rules around phones. I think it gives some student’s an adrenaline rush to use the phone in spite of the rules, and it simultaneously puts into the question the level of respect student’s have around the rules of the class, especially if the teacher isn’t always modelling those rules themselves. The way adults use social media and the comparison to children is phenomenal. The connection never occurred to me that some adults go on online forums, or flock to instagram comment-sections and say really vile things. The adults aren’t punished, but if children see that and do the same thing, their punishments are quite serious, and that simple isn’t fair. There should be a system of accountability for all users of social media, not limited to a certain age group. Children are smart, they will see that adults don’t get punished and will potentially formulate that mindset of “this isn’t okay now, but it will be once I’m older”.
I think for younger learners, besides the advisory around comments and opinions on the internet, we could begin with a simple conversation of what the difference (or lack thereof) is between online and real life friends and provide examples relevant to their own lives. The assemblies can be helpful, but creating those personal connections in the classroom and letting students know that they have the privilege of choice in who they grant digital access to is vital. It can make the difference between a student gaining the comfort and confidence to use social media to their advantage. If anything, if teachers are “given” this responsibility of digital safety, they should re-enforce the positives of social media while providing as many strategies and mindful questions for student’s to have in their minds while using apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.
Truthfully, for me, I probably won’t change the way I use social media because I’m already a pretty private person. All my social media accounts are either private, have no personal posts on them, and/or don’t have my full name as my username. I’m not a huge fan of the idea that anyone and everyone can find me super easily, and I’ve taken some of those measures since day 1. In high school, I admittedly followed the trend of frequently posting on social media because it was the “it thing” to do and getting those “likes” was a digital popularity boost. Since coming to university, the amount of times I post has dramatically decreased, because it just isn’t something I want to spend my time doing anymore. Now people have to be my friend in real life to truly know what I’ve got going on. The only real thing you’ll gain from my Instagram nowadays are restaurants and food spots, with some occasional features of my friends instagram handles hahaha!
