Social Media and Tech with Students
I really enjoyed listening to Jesse Miller! He shifted my thinking on student cell phones quite a lot. I was against them, I thought they provided opportunities for online bullying at school where kids are supposed to feel safe. Then he told us that adults and kids who don’t have access to learn how to use technology responsibly are bullying online. This makes total sense and I immediately can picture a vile comment section filled with adults blatantly bullying each other over differences of opinion.
I realized that instead of fighting against students who have their cell phones on them, I could work with them and give them screen time for a brain break or as a reward for finishing their work. Jesse had said he has used a schedule of 20-minute work blocks, then 3-5 minutes of screen time which worked well. He also mentioned that the class would then police each other during the work blocks to make sure screen breaks didn’t get taken away, creating class community and collective accountability.
Technology isn’t going anywhere so fighting against it just makes me seem dated to my students who will have used it since birth. This can put a wedge in relationship-building with my students and ultimately do more harm than good. I was very happy to listen to a different perspective on something that I had rigid opinions about prior. However, I still don’t completely buy into phones being attached to students at all times. There is tons of opposing research that shows being dependent on smartphones leads to anxiety, self-esteem issues, overstimulation, and other negative side effects which could be more harmful than students’ phones being away during the school day.
Either way, it was great to hear from such an entertaining and informative expert!
