Week 10 Post 3

Online Activism Lesson

Reflecting on online activism in the classroom, I began searching for tools to help students understand the power it can hold. This video I found highlights the pros and cons of online activism and tips for engaging. Students could view the video an begin building a foundation for understanding. 

Partnering the discussion of online activism, includes introducing students to activism in society. A good video that can be used to teach this can be found below form Youtube:

Having students investigate examples of online activism and discuss what made their campaigns successful can lead to conversations about critical thinking when utilizing social media, both as a producer and consumer. 

Week 10 Post 2

 Diving Into Social Activism

Continueing the conversations regarding online activisim, I dove into Pinterest to see what the platform had to offer. Upon first search I was pleased that the results included a balance of educational content and powerful visuals. I found that the staples of online activism include:

• Campaigning
• Petitions
• Raising Awareness
• Hashtag Movements
• Community Building

As an educator, we can teach students about onlline activism by:

• Introducing Key Concepts 
• Analyze Case Studies
• Discuss Digital Literacy
• Encourage Critical Thinking
• Facilitate Reflection
• Highlight Inclusivity

We have to explain what online activisim is and its significance in social change to students. Analyzing case studies allows for students to see how real-life examples of successful online movements (#BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo) and their strategies can be impactful. Students must be able to evaluate sources, identify misinformation, and understand the implication of online actions in order to adequetly understand and participate in online activism. Finally, highlighting inclusivity shows the importance of diverse voices and perspectives in activism, ensuring all students feel represented.

Week 10 Post 1

Activism Online

When I saw we were discussing online activisim and digital citizenship this week my mind immediately took a flashback to 2020 in the midst of the pandemic. This was a huuuuuge time for activism, specifically online, as it was in the midst of an infographic avalanche regardinging COVID1-9 safety precautions and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Everyone was at home and therefore had more time online and on their phones. In my personal experience, I learned so much from the various infographics I came accross and remember reposting a majority of them across all of my social media platforms for the safety of my friends, family, and students. When doing more research regarding the topic for this week I cam across this Tik Tok conversation begging the question: Is social media activism effective? Why or why not?

@theconversationalist Is social media activism effective? Why or why not? #povz #theconversationalist #genz #talkshow #pov #socialmedia #activism ♬ original sound - The Conversationalist

The key points I gathered from this video was that infographic activism was on the rise during pandemic, do to the fact that it is a lot easier to post content for 2.5K followers than it is to knock on 2,500 doors. However, the contributors to the video note that it can be extremely dangerous to believe what is seen online at face value, so you must do you're on research, prior to making decisions. My favorite quote from the video is

"The infographic might be cute but that doesn't mean that's what you should be thinking." 

As simple as this quote sounds. It is the same instinct we should be educating young people online about. As a middle school teacher, after major events or pop culture trends, students will come to the classroom regurgitating what they've seen, heard, or read online regardless of the truth regarding the situation. It is our responsibility as educators to teach our students to critical thinkers regarding the content they take in online. Skills that include checking multiple, reliable sources and identifying bias in post, both self-imposed and within the text.

Week 9 Post 3

Let's Talk About It

I wanted to give my review of the communication tools presented this week, as I have engaged in almost all of them prior to this course. 

Slack

I have no previous experience with this app, however I spoke to my friends and family who have utilized it in their work life and the features it provides. Overall, they stated that Slack can enhance team collaboration when used effectively. They particularly like the organized channels feautures, especially those that work for bigger companies with many departments. A summary of the pros and cons they listed can be found below: 

Group Me

I have used Group Me during my time in undergrad as a member of a sorority, student government, and for cross-organization planning purposes. I was re-introduced to Group Me when I began my journey at FSU for grad school and embarked on the many group projects and collaboration opportunities the ISLT program presents. In my experience, it is great for casual group chats such as organizing a mixer or planning a group project, but would not be as effective in large team environments. Here is a summary of my pros and cons for the app: 

WhatsApp

I only began using WhatsApp when I started my graduate education at FSU. It is similar to GroupMe, however it provides better features, most of which you can find detailed in this article. My favorite featuers include the ability to react to messages with a variety of emojis and share different media types. I believe this app is best fit for personal communication or small teams, such as those formed during group projects. Here is a summary of my pros and cons for the app: 

Week 9 Post 2

*THIS* Works!

Growing up near the Texas border and living in Dallas now, I am obviously a Dallas Cowboys fan. However, first and foremost I am a Dallas Cowboys CHEERLEADERS (DCC) fan. I grew up watching Making the Team on CMT and just watched the new Netflix documentary America's Sweethearts. 

As the iconic sounds of their Thunderstruck routine played in the background while doing my grad school work for the week it suddenly hit me -- this is the perfect opportunity to explore social media being used to capitilize on informal learning. Plus, what a cool party trick to bust out this routine next time you hear the song with friends or family. I quickly went to Tik Tok and searched "DCC Thunderstruck Tutorial" and was found with a plethora of videos showing how to do the dance, DCC performing the dance, and of course plenty of people sharing their opinions on the show. 

That is where I found this exemplar: 

@theprettyfaguette Full combo front facing at 3:12; full combo back facing at 3:49. Have fun! 😘 #dcc #thunderstruck #netflix ♬ original sound - theprettyfaguette

This is an exemplar for a few reasons:

• it's quick and easy to follow
• he provides annotations to direct people to timestamps that might be most helpful for learning the dance
• he tags common hashtags people might use to find the tutorial 
• he identifies any misconceptions about movements or counts
• actually members of DCC comment on the post and validate his teachings  
• he openly admits to reflecting on his first tutorial and making adjustments accordingly 

The best part is not only is the viewer informally learning the dance, either by searching it out or it coming across their For You Page, but the creator himself admits to learning the dance by watching the documentary. That means he watched them practiced the dance enough times to absorb the information and communicate this findings to the masses. The validating comment by DCC members helps authentic his tutorial. 

I'm sure this not the topic that Dr. Dennan intend me to dive into when discussing informal learning with social media, but I think that's what makes informal learning so unique. You can see it literally everywhere. 

I think it's important to note that the same characteristics of the Thunderstruck tutorial Tik Tok can be applied for anyone wanting to produce content in order to help others learn!

Week 9 Post 1

To Pin or Not to Pin?

As I began to do the reading for this week my mind was already clouded racing thoughts, because just as our summer session is coming to a close, so is the end of my summer break as a teacher. Back to school has been heavy on my mind. I'm faced with many new challenges this upcoming school year, however the first I must conquer: setting up my classroom. As a I was scrolling through Tik Tok, scanning Pinterest boards, and searching hashtags on Instagram my mind dragged back to this quote from Hu's article What do teachers share within socialized knowledge communities: A case of Pinterest:

Finally, epistemic networks show teachers make connections among instructional resources with particular types as well as with different levels of cognitive demand as they sense-make their curated curriculum. In particular, difference in teachers’ internal consideration of the quality of tasks is associated with their years of experience.

I am going into my 6th year of teaching and I can't help to reflect on how true this finding is. In my early beginnings as a novice teacher, I was quick to look for alllll the resources. I followed every teacher influencer I could and was consistantly searching Pinterest for how to decorate my classroom. Besides gaining classroom managment skills and flexing my leadership abilities, my experience has also granted me lens for vetting ideas presented on social media. I used to envy teacher classrooms or lessons that I saw online, however I did not have the experience in order to properly curate the collection of information I had found on online. I wasn't able to see what lessons were actually engaging or just merely "cutesy." 

With the help of this course I now know how to use social media to build community with new teachers at my school. Providing teachers with resources via social media that I've curated allows them to see what works for our school and fits within the realm of our district guidelines. I am able to help mentor new teachers in how to properly navigate the plethora of resourcs awaiting them in the Web 2.0 world. Ways I plan to help with this process includes having new teachers reflect on resources they find by thinking of the following questions:

1. What are students learning?
2. How are students learning this? What learning activities are being implemented?
3. Why are students learning this? Is it aligned with the standards we are designated to teach?

Analyzing these questions allows teachers to take a step back from the wonderous, and sometimes unattainable, world of resources on social media and focus on if it is meeting the purpose of the job we have been hired to do.