Blog 8- Social Media/Technology
Social Media and Technology Use in Schools
I have grown up using and having access to technology and social media. In school, SMART boards were installed into every single classroom in first grade. In first grade I was five years old. When I was in eighth grade my school district began to give out Chromebooks to every single student. When I was a senior in high school the school district thought that the SMART boards were not good enough anymore and changed to a more advanced board. Even now as a 19 year old college student writing this blog on my computer, technology is essential to learning. It is necessary.
I think that there is a difference between social media use in schools and technology that needs to be acknowledged. I do not think that social media is beneficially in school and in the classroom but I do think that technology is. I do not think that students need to be on Instagram, Snapchat, Netflix, TikTok, etc. during instructional time or class time in school because it is extremely distracting not only to the student but also to their peers and their teacher. There is a time and place to use phones but if the teacher has not allowed permission to do so, phones should not be out. There are different methods of reducing the use of phones that teachers are using including making students put their phones in cubbies or bins or making them leave their backpacks at the front of the room. In an education week article it states, “More than 30 schools, or in some cases, entire districts have enacted or stepped up some sort of cellphone restrictions beginning in either the 2018-19 school year or the start of this academic year, according to an Education Week analysis”(Klein, 2019). Personally, I do not think this is necessary and I think that it will create a sense of resentment and anger towards the teacher, I know I have felt this way especially because I was always the student who followed all rules and never used my phone when I was not allowed to. It feels almost like a punishment. For me I think that the phones stay in the backpack and should not come out unless allowed and if a student can not follow those basic rules, then that is when consequences need to come into play.
Although I might not agree with the ways that teachers and administration handle phone restrictions, I do think that social media can be dangerous and does take a toll on the mental health of young kids and young adults. “A growing number of studies have linked children’s use of smartphones and social media to their deteriorating mental health”(Langreo, 2023). I think that before social media and mobile phones were used if a child was being bullied in school, they would be able to go home and not have to worry about being bullied. Now that social media and phones are in the hands of so many kids, bullying can continue behind school walls through cyberbullying. In the documentary, “ Plugged In: The True Toxicity of Social Media”, there were so many examples of how social media and cyberbullying affected kids. One being the Britain’s Got Talent contestant who was on the show at 12 years old because he loved to sing and wanted to share that with the world. He was basically forced to get social media and would get terrible comments from people all over the world who did not even know him. This just shows how social media can really enable anyone to bully. Cyberbullying is especially worse than bullying face to face because it is constant bullying and most people who bully behind a screen do not hold back because they are not having to say these horrible things to a real human beings face. If they did, they probably would not say things as bad as they do online.
On the other hand I think that the use of school regulated technology can be very beneficial to students especially since technology has become such a crucial part of society. I think for a lot of older teachers they have tried to not use technology because they do not want change but now to reach your students and help them learn, you have to use resources and things that they know. And they know quite a lot about technology and are knowing more from much younger ages than ever before. I have a 12 year old brother and I think he knew more about technology whether it be an Ipad, phone, computer or tv, than I did at the same point in time because he had access to it from such a young age. There are so many positive things that can come with having computers, tablets or digital boards. There are so many different interactive learning materials online that I was able to learn so much from or that helped me study. I loved and still love to use quizlet for memorization and learning terms because I would always struggle with being able to memorize things and by having it online it made it more fun and enabled me to study anywhere. I think that by having technology in the classroom it enhances learning and helps teachers teach even more being that the students can have immediate access to so many different resources. In an article/interview on NPR, Michel Martin says, “So what I think the tablet will do, is enable teachers to be more effective at what they want to do, and it supports them”(NPR, 2013). There are always concerns of students getting distracted, not actually doing the work they need to do, etc. But there are ways to prevent this as well using resources such as Go Guardian to ensure that if students are supposed to be doing something specific that they are doing it or are at least on that tab. I think that as a future educator it will be important for me to create a trusting relationship with my students so that I will not have to sit and watch what they are doing on their computers or tablets but if it is necessary than you have to do what you have to do until that trust is built back.
Overall, I think that the use of technology in schools is crucial at this point in society and yes, can be distracting at times but if it is used in the right ways in can be extremely beneficial for students. As for phones and social media, I do no think that they should be used during instructional time because during instructional time learning is to be happening and not texting a friend about a funny tik tok they just watched. As much as I too love to do that, class time is not the place. I understand as well why some schools might prohibit the use of phones for the whole day but personally I think that in between periods or at lunch when it is the students personal time they should be able to choose if they want to use their phones. As a future elementary school teacher, I wonder if I will have these issues with phones and social media in the coming years as children are getting phones much younger now. I hope that I will not really have to deal with this issue but if I do, I am definitely prepared and have a lot of resources now to help me if I run into this issue.
References:
Klein, A. (2019, September 6). Schools say no to cell phones. But is it a smart move? Education Week.
Langreo, L. — (2023, October 16). Cellphones Bans Can Ease Students' Stress and Anxiety, say Educators. Education Week https://www.edweek.org/leadership/cellphone-bans-can-ease-students-stress-and-anxiety-educators-say/2023/10
NPR. (2013, September 23). School Technology: Pros outweigh cons?. NPR. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=225404574
Willett, R. (Director). (2019). Plugged-In: The Toxicity of Social Media Revealed. [YouTube Video]. Brick in the Wall Media.
Hey Kailey!
ReplyDeleteYou made a lot of interesting points in your blog post this week. When you mentioned cell-phone bans, and compliant students being punished for following the rules, I felt that it was an interesting take. If students are following the rules and not using their phones, then the implementation of these restrictions shouldn’t negatively impact those students. On the other hand, I understand that these restrictions do come with some draw backs. Students should have access to their cell phones for emergencies or even classroom games, like kahoot if they are used appropriately. The strongest part of your argument was the details you focused on when it came to mental health. Being constantly connected to social media can be detrimental to a young mind. Overall, I agreed with your standpoint, and I think with moderation, social media and technology can make its way into the classroom successfully. How will you implement technology into your future classroom?