During Tuesday’s class we had the pleasure of listening to Jesse Miller talk to us about social media, internet safety, and using technology as educators. I have listened to many talks about internet safety that focused on “scaring everyone straight”. It was refreshing to listen to a presenter talk about social media in a positive way, without using scare tactics. Jesse highlighted the fact that lots of kids do amazing things with technology and, as educators, we should encourage this. He also talked about the fact that adults often point fingers at kids and say that they do not use social media appropriately. Jesse countered this by asking, “do adults really use social media appropriately?”. The answer to this, for the most part, is no. Jesse spoke about the importance of using social media appropriately as a teacher. There are many concerns as a teacher using social media: remaining professional, adhering to school rules, and keeping student information private. Another issue that I am glad Jesse made me aware of is the fact that your principal can track your use of the internet when you use the school network. He also talked about the necessary steps to make a class Instagram account. Personally, I am not interested in doing something like that. However, it is good to know in case a colleague ever asks me for help when they are creating one.
Jesse’s Website: https://www.mediatedreality.com/
Jesse’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/MediatedReality?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Julia Falzon 