Reflection #3 – Social Media and Mobile Technology

Picture Attribute

Photo by Katerina Holmes on pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/multiethnic-schoolchildren-watching-video-on-smartphone-during-break-in-classroom-5905504/

What?

During class on October 9th, we discussed the use of technology in the classroom and the impacts that come with this. Jesse Miller was our guest speaker for this class and his presentation was very informative and engaging. We focused on the advantages and disadvantages that come with social media in the classroom. He explained how our devices are used for out personal, social and professional lives. We also discussed many cases where educations did not use social media in a positive way. This presentation was also super helpful for me and my group members for our technology presentation in this class. We are doing our project on the topic of social media in the classroom and we definitely learnt a lot we can incorporate into our presentation.

So What?

It is important for us as educators to know how to work with social media as it is not going away anytime soon and is constantly evolving. We often hear parents, government and teachers expression many of the negatives that come with social media, which leads to them believing a phone ban is the best option for children. Rather Jesse explained that a banned is not going to do anything but mask the underlying issues. Instead we as educations must have student led discussions about social media concerns to educator children in how to use social media in a positive and safe way. For many students phones are used to support their learning by using music, timers or photographing in classes. In saying this we also investigated recent cases on teachers in the classroom crossing professional boundaries and in these cases children’s phones may be used as a safety parameter.

Now What?

Moving forward, I will have open discussions in my classroom to educate my students in being responsible on the web. I will do this by leading with open ended questions such as “what does social media mean to you”, “how do adults in your life use social media”, and “how does social media make you feel”. During this discussion I will create a space that is accepting, safe, inclusive and supportive. I will also educate parents in how to have these conversations about internet safety online. Lastly, I will advocate for a focus on education rather than bans to help our children safe rather than naive.