For my first reflection, I choose to reflect on my experience using social media. I’ve had Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for nearly half my life. With that, I can say social media has played a huge role in the person I am today. From staying connected with long distance friends, to being cyber bullied via instagram dms… I think it’s safe to say I’ve experienced both the positive and negative sides of social media. It can definitely be a toxic source, but it can also be a really positive and motivating tool.

Personally, I prefer Instagram over Facebook. I have a private account for only friends and family to see. I enjoy sharing photos of my travel adventures with family and friends. I also enjoy seeing photos of those I love! I think social media is a great way to feel like you’re staying connected to those geographically far away! Sometimes I do feel like the “doom scrolling” can take over and I self-sabotage myself into missing the life around me. Over the summer, I made sure to set a lock on my instagram screen consumption, and that really helped me disconnect and allowed me to enjoy life!!

As of right now, I don’t think I would be interested in a professional public account. Although I do see many benefits, I think I would prefer to keep my work and personal life separate and just continue sharing more private things about my life with family and friends. With that being said, I do follow some really amazing professional accounts that really inspire me. Katie Lynn Ward, a fourth grade teacher, shares realistic day in the life of a teacher videos, and occasionally some awesome learning resources. Another teacher I follow is Kayla Hair, a kindergarten teacher who shares some really great organization tips, activities and resources. I find these videos really motivating and potentially something I could see myself one day being interested in doing once I’m a seasoned teacher!!

Another social media platform that I use regularly is Pinterest! I look for everything from lesson plan ideas to dinner recipes! Pinterest is an amazing resource that I really value as a learning tool within every aspect of my life!!

I think social media is always growing. Even within the last 10 years, social media has changed rapidly. I think it can be a really positive space for sharing knowledge and connecting with others.. but it can also be unsafe. It’s important to have it in the back of your mind that nothing is truly real life or safe on social media. Educating my future students on the advantages and disadvantages of social media will be a must, no matter what grade I teach.