- Who are you? (Interests, experience, worldview, etc.)
- What types of social media do you currently use?
- Do you agree or disagree with the author's perspective on social media?
- How do you represent yourself to the world via social media?
- What are your initial thoughts on the use of technology, specifically social media, in the classroom?
- Anything else that you’d like to add to introduce yourself
I am a 20 year old, full-time student at the University of Akron, as well as a sister, friend, daughter, and, granddaughter. I am an early childhood education major, so I obviously love being around children. All throughout high school babysitting many different kids made me realize how much I love being around them as well as helping them learn something new. After a semester of majoring in Speech Pathology, I decided to switch to Early Childhood Education and after working at a daycare over the summer, I knew it was the right choice. I am also planning on going to grad school to become a Child-Life specialist. This summer, and hopefully the summers to follow, I plan (and hope) to travel to different countries and volunteer at local schools or daycares. When I am not doing school work, I enjoy running, reading, music, and hanging around friends and family.
Social Media is frequent in my life; I have Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Pinterest. I check it when I am lying in bed, waiting for class to start, when I'm bored, and before I go to sleep. Although, I am slowly starting to become aware of how much time it takes up and that I should focus on other things like homework, or actually physically talking more to the people I'm around, so I would still like to use it less.
I completely agree with everything Andrew Watts said in his article, "A Teenager's View on Social Media." There really isn't one thing that I can disagree with.
Like he said...
Facebook- is definitely becoming less and less used, but is always nice to have to be able check up on old friends or family members who live farther away and can't communicate much with. It is nice to share multiple pictures at a time and not feel annoying like on Instagram or be able to stumble across cute videos or interesting articles.
Instagram- is by far the most popular among my friends and my age group. It is my favorite social media because I enjoy looking at other pictures and I'm able to follow different sites like fitness people, nature people, and celebrities. No one really posts more than one a day, and if so, you can unfollow them without them knowing.
Snapchat- is also one of my favorites, especially with all of the fun new filters. I use it mostly with my mom, brothers, and friends. It is nice to know that no one else can see an ugly picture of you and that it disappears forever after only a few seconds. Like the article said, the pictures aren't being judged and you don't have to worry about likes or favorites.
Pinterest- like Andrew said, is basically just for girls to pin/repost her dream closet or house, along with recipes.
Being a babysitter for may years, I try to stay positive on all of my social media and only post articles or pictures that I know they are able to look at. I also try to be positive for future references like potential jobs. I always try to think about what I post before I do, (except maybe a snapchat story but I am able to hide certain contacts from seeing my story) in case it could come off as negative. Also, I only post stuff that I would be okay with my family or past teachers seeing. If I have to question whether or not if I should post it, I usually don't. As I grow up, I am using social media less and understanding the effects it has on everyday life.
I have never really used social media for a class or in a classroom. I do find it very interesting and a really good way for students to find articles that they could use, academically express themselves, and connect with people that are similar to them. It could also go bad as well, for example causing more drama. I do believe it could be positive if the students could only use certain accounts and certain social media accounts that the teacher could check in at any time.
Article mentioned:
https://medium.com/backchannel/a-teenagers-view-on-social-media-1df945c09ac6#.nekmg2zbg
