Having a teacher with a large social media following can impact learning in various ways, both positively and negatively:
1. Increased Engagement
A teacher with a large social media following can bring a sense of excitement and relevance to the classroom. Students may feel more engaged because they see their teacher as a respected voice outside school.
It can lead to increased student motivation to participate and even share their own work on social media platforms, which can foster a broader learning community.
Good examples include @misswhitebio and @mrs_pope. Ms. White is a high school Biology Teacher who's bio literally reads "stop watching my tiktoks in class." Her content ranges from lists to humorous anecdotes and is more geared towards a Teachers than students. Having over 150K followers is sure to give her some clout with Gen Z loving TikTok.
Mrs. Pope is very similar and ironically is also a high school Biology Teacher. She often brings up how she discusses current events with her students on TikTok but also features more teacher content. My favorite series she did was comparing the effectiveness of different white board marker brands. Having a large following of almost 230K followers helps her to stay relevant and up to date with topics her students care about and it really shows in her TikToks.
2. Access to Resources and Learning Networks
Influential teachers often have access to a wealth of resources, expert networks, and partnerships that they can bring into the classroom. They might share innovative educational tools, methods, and trends that they come across through their social media connections.
Students can also benefit from exposure to diverse perspectives and potentially connect with other students or experts globally.
Great examples include the weareteachers and the boredteachers teacher networks. They're pages offer a variety of relatable content for teachers and their podcasts are both fun to listen to! They have created a great support environment for themselves and other teacher followers.
3. Credibility and Authority
A large following can add perceived credibility to the teacher’s expertise. This can create a sense of respect for the teacher’s knowledge, encouraging students to take lessons more seriously.
However, this can also create issues if the teacher’s popularity overshadows a more nuanced understanding of complex subjects, as students may accept their views without critical questioning.
A teacher that exemplifies this is a Kindergarten Teacher @ms.craft_kindergarten. As a parent many would love to have her as their child's teacher. With just over 255K followers she shares just the right amount of personal information to be a relatable human being but shares some of the best teaching tips. Teaching Kindergarten she teaches a good deal of reading and phonics. Her videos of phonics lessons are the most intriguing and really showcase her teaching style.
@meetmissalina, with over 315K followers, also gives great insight into what an actual Kindergarten classroom looks like and uses her following and fantastic sense of humor to again just show the masses what teaching is like. She gives great tips and tricks too the best being scented dots!
4. Potential for Distraction or Overemphasis on Popularity
For some students, the teacher’s social media presence might become a distraction, especially if they’re drawn to the teacher’s online persona more than the academic content.
@myteacherface, while being a fantastic teacher, is a good example of this. With over 730K followers she used to record conversations she'd have with her students, but it was only her face shown. The comment section almost always had people calling her out for this and she always maintained that she got permission from students before posting. How can a 17/18 year old reallt give permission? Was there a fair amount of peer pressure to say yes? It could be said that the teacher shouldn't have been doing this. She did have a farewell tour t-shirt though with each month printed on the back and as each month passed the month was crossed out with sharpie. She is retired now but recording her intimate conversations with her students in between classes was a bit strange. Some things should be kept between teacher and student.
There’s also a risk that the teacher might shift focus towards maintaining their online image or content that appeals to followers, rather than concentrating solely on pedagogical effectiveness.
Many teachers that post less rigorous activities and crafts fall into this category. That snowman craft is cute, but if it was done just to post about it for likes and views instead of spending more time learning how to multiply and divide is it worth during. Sure crafts are fun and a great way to take breaks from learning but must be balanced thoughtfully.
5. Positive Role Modeling and Digital Literacy
If the teacher uses social media responsibly, they can model good online behavior, demonstrating the importance of digital literacy, responsible sharing, and critical evaluation of information.
They can also encourage students to think critically about their own social media use and help them understand how to curate a positive online presence.
Leave it to again to a Kindergarten teachers to lead the way on this one. @miss.frazzled, who is known for her "gentle parenting" politicians and other hilarious TikToks did start out as a Kindergarten Teacher with now over 1.3 million followers. Before leaving the teaching profession she had a short stint teaching upper elementary during which time she put of a video explaining to her elementary students that she could not follow them back and that if they followed her she would block them. She stated it was because they were "like 8 years old." Putting that boundary up set the example for other teachers that children and adults should not be connecting online along with her also discussing online safety at length.
6. Pressure and Ethical Considerations
Students might feel pressured to interact with the teacher’s social media, leading to blurred boundaries between their personal and academic lives.
Teachers must carefully navigate ethical considerations, such as ensuring that interactions remain professional and respecting student privacy if they share content related to their classes.
@nattiemeetsworld, while being an incredible teacher, blurs this boundary to the extreme with over 605K followers. She is absolutely outstanding and her videos that show her educating her students are entertaining and well thought out. However, she does choreograph dances with her students and posts them online. She gets parent permission and has them sign waivers, which she brings up in many comment sections, but there could be peer pressure. What kid doesn't want to dance with their teacher and classmates? The peer pressure may make parents bend on boundaries of their children not being posted online. It's not a fair situation to put kids in.
In summary, a teacher’s social media influence can provide unique learning opportunities but requires careful balancing to avoid potential drawbacks. If handled thoughtfully, it can be a powerful tool to enhance engagement, broaden learning networks, and foster critical digital skills.
Personal Disclaimer:
We are in a very exciting time and frankly uncharted territory when it comes to teachers having a social media presence inside and outside of the classroom. I would like to stress that while I've been critical of a few teachers actions in this post I would also like to acknowledge that all of these teachers are human and are in no way purposefully engaging in anything bad. It's new, we're learning, and we can only get better from here. Happy teaching and happy posting!
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