This week I found an interesting article on the effects social media can have on student academics. The study uses a mixed methodology of interviews, literature reviews, and data analysis of found patterns.
Overall, this article found that social media has an overall negative effect on student's grades, focus, attention span, and classroom behavior.
HOWEVER.
I find that the educators and students identified and analyzed in this article are rooted in extremely traditional educational values and rules. I think it is rather obvious that social media would not be beneficial to the traditional classroom. These methods are generally rooted in lecture, work, and assessment, with little room for choice outside of what the teacher leads. Social media does not have to "undermine learning" in high school classrooms.
The world has changed so much in the last 10 years alone. I graduated from high school in 2013, and we were just getting to the point where we all had smartphones and easy access to social media sites. In just 12 years, every kid has a cellphone, is on multiple social media sites, and can operate an IPhone by the age of 2.
To combat the negative effects of social media, policy and strategy should be put into place to embrace and use social media in a positive and engaging way. At this point, I truly do not think there is any point in fighting it when it can be used to engage the kiddos- something that has been a huge struggle for teachers in the last decade.
It's time for the education system to catch up.
Social media definitely does not work well with the traditional classroom methods. At first glace social media is a HUGE distraction. But when you take time to talk to and observe the habits of young people who regularly use social media, you see they actually learn a lot. I've heard people say their kid learned how to cook through Tiktok videos and young girls learn about fashion and makeup through Youtube tutorials. They are learning it's just informal and more catered towards their interests.
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