Weekly Reflection #3
This week we had guest speaker Jesse Miller join us in class to talk about the usage of Social Media in the classrooms. One thing he told us in the beginning of his presentation was the saying “not every kid makes it to the NHL.” This is important because it is all based on assumptions, just as when parents say “Why are you on your phone so much? You won’t miss anything if you put the phone down, the people on the other end can wait.” Not only does this insinuate the assumption that kids will not miss much on their phones, but also they then project their own “old-fashioned” values and beliefs on these kids who are living in a society that revolves around technology, especially during/after COVID-19.
When COVID-19 hit, all of society was required to work, learn, socialize, etc., through online platforms. And although the usage of technology has constantly been booming, I believe that this was where students, especially younger children, were most affected by the usage of technology. COVID-19 first hit about 2.5 years ago. That means that children who are now in grade 6, were in the middle of grade 4 when the world first went on lockdown. These ages are some of the prime times for building communication skills for children, and on lockdown, they could not socialize with their friends, or continue to build relationships with those in school, sports, etc. Therefore, students resorted to technology, and social media as their method of communication. Jesse said that when parents state that kids will not be missing out if they turn their phone off for an hour, it is an understatement. I agree with this because these kids, and even myself, have grown up and are still growing up in a world where technology and things such as social media are our main forms of communication. From experience, I know that in one hour, these kids could be missing over 100 messages from friends, family, etc.
While some parents and teachers do not understand the importance of technology and social media to these children, as a future educator I want to use technology and social media as resources for my classroom in a positive way. However, I know this means I need to lead by example. As Jesse said that taking away a child’s phone because it could be “distracting” is not a good consequence as it does not teach the child anything. As well, telling a student or child that their messages can wait, while we tell them to hold for us adults to check our emails is simply hypocritical. The idea as educators is to promote the usage of technology and social media, but to teach them the positive and negatives that it comes with. If we lead by example and use our social media and technology appropriately and at the appropriate times, we do not come off hypocritical and students will be more inclined to follow our the example we set. After Jesse’s presentation, I learned that as educators we have a responsibility to keep our students safe, not just in the classroom, but also online.
Overall, I found Jesse’s presentation very interesting and engaging. I think it is extremely important, as future educators, to learn these safety risks of social media for students, but also how to utilize these online resources in the most beneficial way possible for our classrooms.
