Being raised with technology, I would like to think that I am proficient at connecting with others online as well as posting compositions to add to my digital footprint. I have been using social media for over ten years and my digital footprint has definitely grown significantly over that time. I have Facebook mainly to post memes for the same eight people that seem to check in and enjoy them (Haha!) In my adult life, my relationship with social media has been fading as I've been seeing my screentime decrease the last few years. I don't know if it is because I am getting old or what, but I used to be so involved and invested in Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, etc. To promote social action, a prime example I have is the Facebook birthday fundraisers! Every year I dedicate my birthday fundraiser to Ocean Clean Up and over three years I have raised over three-hundred dollars!
Strictly involving education, I took a class at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville called Ed. Media Theory, and collectively as a class we explored diff
erent platforms and software that are available and are useful in a progressive education environment. I was exposed to Jamboard, PLC's using Twitter, Remind, Blogger (I'm currently using the account I created in that class), Kahoot, and several other fun and engaging ways to celebrate the accessibility and potential use for technology in our classrooms. I was actually blown away by how useful Twitter can be as a Personal Learning Community--aligning our twitter algorithms can truly be beneficial. Students can embrace technology and accept it as a tool in their lives that will only get more elaborate as we move into the future. However, it is clear that not everyone is behind the idea of frequently incorporating technology and social media in education.
Pitfalls
The most haunting aspect of digital media being incorporated into ELA classrooms is our enemy the Digital Divide. This is something that is and has been out of our control for some time. We cannot guarantee that all of our students will have access to the necessary tools to be successful in a technology and social media-based curriculum.
The Haddix & Sealey Ruiz article truly opened my eyes to the current state of affairs regarding the public opinion of education's relationship with technology and social media. Depending on the location, digital tools can be demonized or celebrated. The authors spoke how in schools with high populations of Hispanic and/or African American students, technology is likely to be more policed because of racial profiling. The idea or belief that if these kids are using technology, it is being used to talk about the exchange of drugs, planning of violence, or other forms of misuse.
Another conversation that needs to be had is the youth's ability to determine whether something is appropriate to post or not. This is something that I struggled with back in my youth in the early days of Facebook. I still have posts that come up as memories and I feel a shudder of cringe and regret jolt through my entire body as I attempt to erase something that has already been out in the web for a decade. Which is something we need to ensure our students understand--erasing something from your profile doesn't completely erase it from your digital footprint.
The last pitfall I'm going to mention in this post in the amount of false information that is available to all users of the internet. I feel as though now is the worst it has ever been in terms of the flow of false and credible information. This obstacle can easily be overcome though by educating our students how to check the authenticity of the information they consume.
Potentials
The potentials for the use of technology in our classrooms is nearly endless. Technology is going to be a pillar of human life for the foreseeable future so I don't see why we shouldn't be preparing the following generations to use it healthily and responsibly. I can complete a research project with a partner that lives in China, and we don't have to physically be together. THAT IS SO COOL AND VALUABLE. We can connect with anyone anytime and that opens up the world for opportunities. There are so many opportunities to grow--if you are interested in hiking, you can find communities online to learn from and participate in. It is literally endless.
I have seen students create Tik Toks to demonstrate how to complete a process and it appeared to be a learning success. The potential is unlimited. The internet is undefeated, and it always will be. PLCs can easily catapult an adolescent curious about a topic into a career involving that same topic. I think that many if not all of the pitfalls that exist (not just the ones I mentioned) are nearly able to be overcome with proper education, training, understanding, and respect for the beautiful monster the internet is. As I have mentioned before, I don't think that the internet is going anywhere but farther into progression, so I think it is imperative that everyone is prepared. Like Renee Hobbs from the first reading--at the time, she was a twenty-year veteran of the media literacy movement, and she went out of her way to be helpful to young women in her world at the time. She created
My Pop Studio, which was a website that encouraged young women to reflect more deeply about the media that they consume. Students get excited when they can use the technology that helps shape who they are in their learning environment.
Here is a video on Youtube I found of Janni Aragon, a professor at the University of Victoria, giving advice to teachers using new technology/software/apps in the classroom.
Here is a link I found that speaks about teaching with social media in the classroom: it offers a variety of useful platforms, useful suggestions, and ideas of how to incorporate these into one's lesson plans.
P.S.
I want to mention a quote that really stuck with me from the first reading regarding classroom participation. "Not every member must contribute, but all must believe they are free to contribute when ready and that what they contribute will be appropriately valued." I did feel like this resource was a little outdated in terms of speaking of social media, digital footprint, and digital composition--technology has come a long way since 2006.
