Study Two: outlines a situation in which teachers co-workers are gathered in the break room casually discussing the use of media within their classrooms. Some teachers feel adimantly that technology has gone to far and should not be used in their classroom. Others argue that technology and media use has its place and merrit.

The following is my response to the question: “How can teachers act responsibly and still be open-minded about the use of social media in the classroom?”

Rarely in history has an outright prohibition stopped the use of problematic substances/practices, nor has it solved the issues that stem from use. Pre-marital sex, alcohol and drug use, ideas opposed to the dominant discourse, segregation. Society has tried to tell young people to practice abstinence rather than safe sex leading to a wealth of mental and physical health issues. Criminalization of substances lead to drug wars, opioid crisis’ and overburdened systems. While one might think this is a radical comparison, I feel that banning or even dismissing the use of social media in a school setting would also lead to the furthering of complex issues and the rise of new ones. 

Much like the aforementioned substances and practices, there are safe ways to use social media and there are unsafe ways. Therefore I argue that teachers can act responsibly by  being open-minded about the use of social media within the classroom. Embracing the fact that students will find their way to social media, whether I as a teacher allow it or not, I am then able to enter into conversation with students about the realities of its use. 

As a teacher, I would advocate for lessons where students discover that social media development and use is not a passive act. Algorithms and marketing consider basic human psychology to tailor to us. Students could learn about the intricacies of privacy and how to protect their own. This would not be scaffolded as scare-tactics, rather inquiry-led to inform their own choices. The goal being empowering conscientious consumers. Social media is an incredible tool for reaching othered voices and crowdsourcing just about anything. And as with any tool, understanding safe operation is necessary to overall health and wellbeing.

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