Trends can be such an intriguing topic to think about. If you think about fashion trends, these are trends that come and go throughout time. They change for a moment of time but tend to make a comeback at a later time. Take the jeans trend for example. As a teenager, I remember that very low cut, flared jeans were the trend. As I got older as a young adult, the trend transitioned into high waisted, skinny jeans. Currently, I have noticed that flared jeans are making that comeback again. The same thing happens with shoes, clothing, accessories, etc.
However, if you only look at other trends such as social media, apps, or any type of technology, the comebacks never really tend to come back. These tend to simply develop, become better and never return to their old way. I find it difficult to believe that we will ever have cars like they used to make years ago, or cell phones, or televisions, etc. Trends change all the time throughout time.
As a teacher, I believe that trying to keep up with them and staying relevant is super important. Teachers need to be able to connect with their students to build those connections necessary for a respectful, successful classroom environment. A great way to stay up to date with current, relevant information is through studying educational technology research. There is a ton of fresh, new, up to date relevant information that teachers can and should be accessing. I have looked at some myself this week and there is some information that really stood out to me.
Common Sense Media had an interesting study that stuck out to me, partly I believe, because I have a daughter, and I was curious to know about it. In this study, girls assessed how social media platform features shape their online experiences. Based on different topics, girls assessed whether they believe it is positive or negative. The report states that girls mostly have positive experiences when they watch recommended videos and private messaging. Public accounts and location sharing were mostly negatively associated. Finally, endless scrolling and filters had mixed reviews.
It was a very interesting report to read about, however, I don’t think anything really surprised me other than the filters results. I would have thought it would have a more clearer stance, whether it was negative or positive. However, that was not the case. Filters tend to indicate that girls are trying to cover their insecurities with them, which is a negative concept. Therefore, I would have assumed it would have leaned towards negative.
These statistics are important to consider because I teach High School students, where self image is such an important factor for most. Low self esteem, for example, can truly affect a student mentally so much that it could lead to some serious mental health issues, thus resulting in low academic performance. Knowing this information through educational research would help in possibly creating a lesson around it during my Advisory classes, show mental health videos, or even bring in an expert that can help them with those issues.
Another study that stood out to me was one from Project Tomorrow Speak Up. The report indicated what were the motivating factors that make educational administrators and/or leaders decide what digital products to purchase. According to that study, the number 1 influencer that motivates them is teacher feedback after the teachers have used an ed tech product. Based on my personal experience, that finding was super surprising to me. It reminded me of when my administration purchased a program that my students were expected to use in my classroom. However, after the training on in, I realized that the program would not be useful for my students, and I tried speaking out about it, however, my administration completely shut me down, completely invalidating my professional feedback on the program. It is comforting to know that based on the research, there are still school leaders willing to hear teacher feedback and take it into account when making decisions.
Hi Angelica!
ReplyDeleteYou're spot on with the trend of jeans. If you keep your clothes long enough and maintain the same size (which is difficult as you get older) you can always be in style. Students, whether primary through high school, live on their cell phones. A few years ago, I was surprised when a kindergartener was taking a selfie on her Apple phone. Nothing surprises me now with what the students are able to access, whether positive or negative, on their cell phones. The giphy animation is funny and true. Administrators often say they want feedback, but they end up doing whatever they want to do. Kudos!
Hi Angelica,
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the trends - and I never thought about it that way. It's true that technology is one that never comes back up the same way. With regards to the first study you talked about from Common Sense Media, I thought that the experiences girls would have had mostly negative experiences. I'm surprised by the results, not so much the location sharing segment, but the rest.
I feel like girls have so much to navigate online in terms of safety, but also self-esteem, how to build their own identity, and like you stated - how to build a positive self image. I know that's a topic I'm definitely interested in looking up more information on. Thank you for sharing your findings!