Social media — :( or :)

 

    Ever since I got my first email address in elementary school, I've been told to keep all of my personal information as private as possible, both on and off the internet. I grew up thinking that if you must be on the internet, you should only use it to connect with people that you know and trust. So even today, none of my social medias or website profiles use my real last name (not even this blogger account!) and I certainly don't accept people that I don't know, even if they look like a legitimate person.

    While I believe there is definitely a lot of truth behind the importance of guarding yourself on the internet, I've also learned from Jeff that social media can be an awesome resource to network and connect with other educators. Using #mathchat on Twitter is a great way to share and learn about different resources that can be used in a math classroom, and it just might be the reason why I create a Twitter account! Things like #mathchat on Twitter or GridPals on Flipgrid are examples of the benefits behind using technology as a teacher and how connecting with strangers can actually be an invaluable resource for your classroom.

    Just like with everything, social media should be taken in moderation. One cannot make all of their personal connections by using Twitter hashtags, but at the same time, a teacher can't fully understand the world their students live in without taking social media into account. For now, I'm going to try to find the balance between these two ends and unlearn my previous negative thoughts towards social media.