When I think about my history with social media, I always find I am behind the 8-Ball. I am late to catching on to the trends and proceed with caution. I remember when MySpace first came out. I waited a long time to create my profile and when I did, it was mainly to link to my favourite bands. Fast forward to where I am now and I still am fairly basis on social media. I created a Twitter account in my undergrad because we had to. I have only used it recently because of my ED Tech courses with Alec. Even then I barely use it and really do not use it for its full potential. I have Facebook and Instagram for the sake of keeping up with friends and family. I haven’t moved into the more recent approach of sharing personal businesses or using it as a mean of sharing my political or personal views. It took me a long time to cave and get snapchat and now it is probably the app I use the most (even tho it isn’t very cool to do so). I refuse to get Tik Tok for the sole purpose that I already spend too much time on social media. I guess what I am trying to say is, I have the accounts but do I really use the apps to their full potential?
I find they suck me in and I aimlessly cruise through the same news feeds on a regular basis. I post mainly about my family and things we get up to. I often pay attention to the likes and comments and get sucked into that rabbit hole of acceptance. After taking EC&I 830 I changed the way I approached social media. I came to realize I focused so much on the negative side rather than some of the positives it has brought to us. Click on the link if you want to read my blog I wrote about it. In short, social media has helped connect some of our most vulnerable students to others than can relate to their struggles, thoughts and aspirations. It has connected family members across the world and provided them with a glimpse into eachothers lives without being together. It has allowed parents to work from home and make some extra cash while raising a family.
As a teacher, we are able to make connections all over the world. We can use social media as a form of education. A great example is creating a survey just like the one we did on breakfast with Alec last class. Educating our students to understand that social media is often a highlight reel and we can not get caught up in the fact that peoples lives aren’t always what they seem on social media is key. We need to discuss the proper use of social media, the safety we need to consider when interacting on social media and just what is ok to post. Our group looked at the new advancements in social media since 2005. I was shocked to see how much has come out and evolved since then. That was the year I graduated high school and I am so thankful I was able to complete my public schooling before social media really took off. We are so caught up in the digital world, sometimes we forget about where we are right now.
My views on social media have changed throughout this degree. I feel there are a lot more positives to it than I realized. I think we need to educate ourselves on the ways we can use social media and make sure we use it in moderation. I know i try and represent myself honestly and not shy away from posting about the tough days too and not just sharing my highlight reel!
Jocelyn Wigmore and the Blog of Teaching Secrets 
Loving your blog layout and title Jocelyn! Super awesome! I am with you in my refusal to participate in TikTok!
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It sounds like a lot of us in this course haven’t jumped head-over-heels into TikTok, or really cared to embark on that journey at all. I would be interested to see who also feels this way in the course, as I have already come across a handful of us. I too think that my perspectives are continuously changing in regards to social media. Sometimes I am all on board and can only see the great things and the terrible things can be overlooked because the great things are that great. Then I get sucked down that same rabbit hole and everything is awful and controlling, etc. I guess more than ever I need to find balance and what works for me. I need to focus on some of the positives and complete risk analysis on some of the ones that can have a more negative side.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I look forward to taking another course with you!
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Hi Jocelyn. I appreciate your positive spin on social media and your view on its usefulness to education. I am not so confident that moderation is even a possibility in this world we live in. Love your use of visuals. They really complemented your message. Nice!
Brenda
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