#76: Summer Edition: Teachers on TikTok

This summer I focused on stepping up my social media game. I created Blended Learning Journey pages for Facebook and Instagram, utilized social media stories to promote content, launched a website, and even started a TikTok. My target audience differed by platform. Adults tend to use Facebook and Instagram so I geared my posts on these platforms towards other teachers. Students are flocking to TikTok so I made these posts more student-friendly. In this post, I will share with you what I learned this summer!

One of the platforms most commonly used by my students is TikTok. Unfortunately, it was also the platform that I had the least experience with and, therefore, was the most intimidated by. In spite of my doubts, I committed to posting one TikTok per day for the entire summer. Go big or go home, right?

I began my TikTok adventure by exploring the platform itself. I started out by watching a ton of different videos. Once I familiarized myself with the content, I asked myself the following questions:

• What was the difference between the content that was trending and the content that wasn't?
• How was the content on TikTok different from content on Facebook, Instagram, and SnapChat?

After familiarizing myself with the content, I learned how to operate the platform and decided how I was going to use it. Learning how to create content was probably the hardest part of my experience. It took time to figure out how to add pictures, videos, music, transition, text and stickers. As a part of my learning process, I created some pretty hilarious (and really embarrassing) videos including a montage of my dog to Eminem's "My Name Is."

Teaching on TikTok
Once I knew the capabilities of the TikTok platform I began to identify ways that I could use it to reach my students. I love asking my students to apply concepts we learn in class to real-life examples. The funnier the better. TikTok is a treasure trove of such examples! I quickly learned that my posts received higher levels of engagement when they were video-based and interactive. I use the "poll" sticker to allow viewers to interact with the content by answering application and comprehension questions.
Note: You will not see the poll questions if you are accessing this on a computer.

1. Concept Application: I like to choose videos that I find to be interesting and create a Duet with it. Then, I simply post a psychology-related question about it and ask the viewer to identify the correct answer by participating in a poll. I provide the correct answer in the comments. Here's an example that I used for depth perception.

2. Comprehension: Another type of interactive question I use is more teacher-driven. I present the viewer with a statement and they choose if the statement is True or False. I briefly explain the answer at the end of each video. The first set of retrieval practice questions I asked were about neuromyths. Neuromyths are misconceptions of scientifically established facts about how the brain works. Some of the questions I asked were:

• True/False: When you learn, you change the physical structure of your brain.
• True/False: You only use 10% of your brain.
• True/False: Your brain generates electricity.
• True/False: You are either right-brained or left-brained.

Lastly, I addressed the granddaddy of all neuromyths, learning styles. 75% of my viewers responded "True" to the following statement: "Students have different learning styles." The results from this question (sigh) inspired my next blog post…

A Few Takeaways…

• It takes time to learn the platform. The editing tools differ based on the type of video being created. When you are learning the platform, keep it SIMPLE!
• There are limits to the type and amount of feedback that you can provide. For example, with a Duet you are limited to the length of the original video. You cannot add additional information to the beginning or end of the video.
• This process was time consuming, frustrating and FUN. My own kids really liked watching (and even participating in) the videos. Enjoy the process! It's a great opportunity for the students to get to know who you are.
• If you are an educator, be sure to check with your district regarding your social media use. For example, I blocked DM's on my TikTok account so students could not contact me directly based on our district's social media policy.

In my next post, we will dive into the history of learning styles and explore what science says regarding their existence. In the meantime, please join me on TikTok! Follow me @corischwarzrock for psych-related content posted daily!

Be Well,
Cori

If you received this in your inbox, I have a new website! Check out https://ablendedlearningjourney.com/ for additional resources!

References:

Aharonian, A. (2014, December 19). The myth of learning styles. Skeptic. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://www.skeptic.com/insight/the-myth-of-learning-styles/

Duez, D. (n.d.). Duez-Learning-styles-are-A-MYTH. Learning Styles Presentation. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRuy5eZ2F3OKj8CZNEls6qyzAODJm0fHPihvDRhyTHufDl_-2GsXQDE4aXHjvP-bAh0WgMQQ8sSdzET/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&fbclid=IwAR1dGKgNbvNOG7E9ZBgEuryAn0xaorUbEGKuusDYlbmzrwZkZiSsv7cpPE0&slide=id.g591062789_0_0

Furey, W., By, Furey, W., Bio, W. F. A., & Bio, A. (2022, January 12). The stubborn myth of "Learning styles". Education Next. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://www.educationnext.org/stubborn-myth-learning-styles-state-teacher-license-prep-materials-debunked-theory/

Harvard, B. (2019, December 23). Learning myths vs. learning facts. Psych Learning Curve. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from http://psychlearningcurve.org/learning-myths-vs-learning-facts

Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x