TikTok

Website Link: www.tiktok.com

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Full Description

TikTok is a recently popularized short video and social media

platform that aims to entertain and educate with its

easy-to-navigate short video scrolling platform. It consists of

videos created by users (or “TikTokers”) from a few seconds

long to up to 10 minutes long and content-wise can feature

any and all topics and subjects. What viewers see is based on

the algorithm that caters to individual viewing preferences. It has functions such as likes, comments, shares, reposts, lives, a search function, personal profiles, followers, filters, video editing, direct messaging, and sponsored ads. It is a fairly comprehensive app that has taken the social media world by storm.

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Classroom Implementation & Educational Rationale

TikTok can be implemented into the classroom as a means of practicing digital literacy - students can become acquainted with the TikTok-particular kind of video-making (with filters, time limits, flexible editing components and social aspects), and they can be asked to make 1-minute videos on topics they are passionate about or want to learn more about (e.g. a currently studied topic in a class), using the multitudes of easily accessible video-editing tools available on the app and while practicing good online etiquette. Also, students can practice their ability to assess the quality and reliability of information on a platform where vast amounts of unfiltered information are being posted all the time. Lastly, TikTok has the ability to allow students to engage in online activism. TikTok is rife with online activism - especially by younger users. It is a place where students can make their voices heard, where they can actively develop their digital citizenship, communication skills, and self-confidence.

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Connections to Research

​TikTok is controversial. Some say it negatively impacts the attention span and critical thinking skills of young people, while others seem to think it has its merits. Within the field of education, some teachers have embraced it so as to meet students where they are, as well as to improve student engagement (Grand Canyon University, 2023). On average, kids aged 4 to 18 spend around an hour and a half on TikTok each day, and around 70% say they use TikTok for homework (Grand Canyon University, 2023). This makes TikTok a powerful tool for influencing students’ learning. One potential use for TikTok is using it to create condensed versions of lessons (Grand Canyon University), for students’ viewing at home. Using TikTok to meet students where they are demonstrates the “Reality check” R of the five Rs for practice summarized by Gismondi & Osteen (2017). Educators must be in the online spaces students are occupying in order to not lose students’ trust. As well, TikTok, being a popular social media platform, provides a platform for student activism. It can offer benefits such as amplification of messages, organization of activism events, and public outreach, as well as others such as developing a common language (Gismondi & Osteen, 2017). In 2020, TikTok announced the development of a Creative Learning Fund, to support the creation of educational videos (Olsen, 2023). The resulting increase in educational content means that students now have access to more educational resources on TikTok than ever.

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Reference

Gismondi, A., & Osteen, L. (2017). Student activism in the technology age. New Directions for Student 

Leadership, 153, 63–74. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20230

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Grand Canyon University. (2023, August 7). TikTok for teachers: a look at using TikTok in the classroom. Grand Canyon University. https://www.gcu.edu/blog/teaching-school-administration/look-at-using-tiktok-classroom

 

Olsen, D. (2023, May 15). TikTok in the classroom: The good, the bad, and the in-between. Teach Magazine. https://teachmag.com/archives/22904

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                                                                              Provided By Mary Lu