Implications for Practice: Given the increasing prevalence of social media in our lives and in our schools, how will you manage it in your classroom?
With the world we are living in, and the constant changes and innovations occurring with technology. I think it is crucial for students to learn about media and digital literacy, and I think it is important for that to be taught in the classroom, but I also think that it is not solely the teacher’s responsibility to teach this to their students. Parents should play a role in keeping kids safe on the internet and social media.
Social media in the classroom is a hot topic right now and there seems to be the same conversations and arguments that occurred in this case study. There are the teachers that feel that students do not need to be exposed to it at school, and there are the teachers who feel that it is in the student’s best interest to get as much education about it as possible. I would say that I fall more to the side of teaching students how to use and engage with social media properly, but in my classroom, I will likely institute a “No Cellphone” policy. Especially in the younger grades as there should be little to no reason for those children to bring cellphones into the classroom. I do think that if I want to have that policy in my classroom, I will need to lead by example and put my phone in my desk for the day. I think with this policy, it not only shows students that they do not need to have it in their hands all day, and that there are times when we need to focus on other things, but also that even adults can show restraint, and regulating cellphone or social media use is important.
I think YouTube and websites are a great alternative form of instruction, and there are some videos and content that would help student learning deepen. I think using that technology as teaching moments is important as well. Explaining that we need to watch videos before we play them to make sure they are appropriate for our audience, and that we need to be mindful of the advertisements that come with watching videos.
In our Social Studies class this past week, we spent time taking about media and digital literacy and how important it was that students need to be taught and explained, the outcomes of their actions on social media. They need to see the harm that can be done by making a rude comment on a photo or asking someone for nudes and be able to use their critical thinking skills to make the right decision.
Social media is a part of this world, and it would be impossible to think that a classroom could be completely free of social media, because it is so prevalent. I think the best way we can help the next generation, is to make them aware of what can happen and teach them media and digital literacy so that can make wise decisions while using social media.