Thursday, July 27, 2017
I learned about this new thing today called social media
Though I've had an Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter account, I rarely used them. Up until now, they have only been a way to keep in touch with distant family and friends, but I can see that that has really changed since I first opened a FB account. Social media is how some people, especially kids, get most or all of their information. Current events, local news, humor, and other favorites are just a like away and you can unsubscribe or unfollow whenever you want. There really is a need for context to all the information that's being presented on social media. Like we talked about, if you eliminate all of the people who disagree with you on your platform of choice, you surround yourself with people who will not challenge your perspective because you both share it. Kids need to know that they are under a barrage of advertisements that might be deceitful and that information can be reliable or not.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree with you Barry, I am active on most of my social media accounts but rarely post anything. Mostly because I don't have much free time as I used to. I think that social media is there, kids are using it, so why ignore it. As future teachers we should be thinking of creative ways to integrate them in our lessons or school days. I know that I read what is happening on the news through Facebook, so possibly working that into an entry task may be a way to explore current local topics, even global is we wanted. I also think that even reading the comments under a controversial post for example politics, could be a great hook for leading into a class debate or learning about persuasiveness or counterarguments (the teacher may want to filter through them because sometimes they are not always appropriate). The ideas are endless, but I am glad we are able to see social media through a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteBarry, I am mostly in the same boat as you and Suzet. I almost NEVER post on Facebook, and to be honest I could care less about what most of my "friends" are up to. I have recently, however, started to use Instagram to promote my artwork. So far, I have found it to be a pretty cool way to show off my work, and promote events. I am even starting to get that little bit of excitement when the "likes" start to roll in! So...I guess I am trying to say that I kind of get where the kids are coming from. Even though social media only plays a minor role in my life, I can see how it might be of vital social importance to a young person. So, I am going to try and be creative in my future teaching, and see if I can get some positive use out of social media.
ReplyDelete