Teachers on TikTok: What K–12 IT Departments Need to Know - EdTech Magazine: Focus on K-12

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Social media, an integral portion of beingness for radical of each ages, is uncovering caller ways into the K–12 classroom. Many educators are connected TikTok, the fashionable societal media app wherever users stock livestreams and abbreviated videos.

While immoderate lone usage the app to stock anecdotes astir their experiences, different person recovered that the level allows them to move beyond the confinements of the schoolroom walls.

Some IT pros stay disquieted astir the usage of societal media successful the classroom. However, educators stock however — erstwhile approached the close mode — TikTok opens doors to a satellite of ideas and connections that let them to grow their regular routines.

TikTok Helps Teachers Make Connections and Share Content

During the lockdown successful 2020, Andrea Keller, a librarian astatine Lamar Middle School successful Irving, Texas, ran virtual meetings with the 2 Girl Scout Troops she leads. She watched a TikTok from NASA technologist Katya Echazarreta and was truthful excited astir the contented that she reached retired to her. Echazarreta replied and yet joined a Zoom telephone with Keller’s Girl Scouts, who were learning astir women successful antithetic professions.

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Connections similar these are precisely wherefore Keller is simply a immense instrumentality and user of TikTok and different societal media platforms, which assistance educators find ideas — and each other. Keller says teachers are utilizing the level to turn a rich and supportive teacher network; determination are implicit 100 cardinal TikTok users successful the U.S. They besides observe tips and tricks for organizing classrooms and managing pupil behavior.

“One happening I emotion astir TikTok is that teachers person a abstraction to stock what is moving for them. As educators, we tin stock that large organizing instrumentality oregon behaviour absorption thought and springiness different teachers an accidental to effort thing caller oregon different,” says Keller.

However, erstwhile it comes to utilizing TikTok successful the classroom, Keller doesn’t urge it. The algorithm is rather antithetic than different societal media platforms, similar Twitter oregon Instagram. “A video tin spell viral, and contented easy gets taken retired of context,” she says. “I bash similar the video editing options that TikTok has and would urge Capcut for teachers and students to usage successful lieu of TikTok.”

States Are Increasingly Banning TikTok Due to Security Concerns

Keller’s proposal to not trust connected TikTok successful the schoolroom is not unusual. Restrictions connected the app, which is owned by China-based ByteDance, are expanding crossed the U.S.

“Here successful the authorities of Texas, we person been advised to region TikTok from our territory devices owed to information concerns,” says Gary Lackey, manager of cybersecurity astatine Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District successful Baytown, Texas.

Although the prohibition lone covers state-owned devices, Lackey points retired that “there are immoderate large questions arsenic to wherefore you would privation TikTok connected a idiosyncratic device, based connected what we cognize astir TikTok, but the authorities is not going to dictate what we should bash personally.”

Texas isn’t unsocial successful raising an eyebrow astatine the trendy video-sharing app: At slightest 30 different states have banned TikTok from state-owned devices, including those successful schools, universities and authorities offices. The bans mention security, privateness and information concerns. The U.S. national authorities besides implemented a prohibition connected the usage of TikTok connected immoderate national authorities devices arsenic of December 2022.

Educators Can Approach TikTok successful the Classroom with an IT Mindset

Even with these limitations, educators tin inactive legally usage the level connected their idiosyncratic devices. To enactment safe, Keller — who uses her idiosyncratic instrumentality to entree her TikTok relationship — says that educators should travel their schoolhouse district’s rules and regulations for the usage of online platforms.

“I enactment hard to usage it earlier oregon aft my declaration time,” she says. “As with anything, it is important to recognize what you are putting retired there. I often contiguous connected TikTok and different societal media apps and punctual radical that conscionable due to the fact that thing says it is backstage does not mean it is private.” For this reason, Keller sticks to nonrecreational contented and creates videos that let her to stock what she is doing and to advocate for the library.

Regardless of the societal media platform, determination volition ever beryllium information risks. A spokesperson for the Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office refers educators to the agency’s Security Best Practices page, which includes adjuvant resources astir protecting pupil information privateness and a checklist connected what to look retired for erstwhile moving with apps.

Keller reminds students that TikTok is similar galore different societal media platforms, wherever much enactment with definite contented means they’ll beryllium shown akin videos. She stresses to them the value of looking astatine “different places for sources of accusation and besides realizing that determination is persuasion and bias.”

“I emotion being connected TikTok, but I besides recognize however it works,” she adds.

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