TikTok can be a teacher’s best friend for community building in the classroom
TikTok since the start of the pandemic last year skyrocketed in usage and downloads. In addition, it has become a cultural phenomenon and a force to be reckoned with. It was once dominated by a younger demographic, yet that ship has sailed because the app has diversified in the United States.
It was once upon a time TikTok was considered an app for dancing, choreography or lip-syncing. This is no longer the case in 2021 and the above graphic makes that abundantly clear. TikTok is not abundantly about entertainment and there’s more to it.
Below is a link to one of my videos and I have been very active on the app. Last year in April I had 300 followers. As of today, my account has 180,000 followers.
The pandemic fueld the number of downloads, users and growth in 2020. Look for that trend to continue to be same in 2021. In the next sections we will discuss how teachers use the platform for learning and how an outsider like TikTok challenged American social networks.
My good friend, and colleague has also joined TikTok exactly one year ago. He has over 400,000 followers.
Teachers active on TikTok do more than just trends. They’ve become a cultural phenomenom.
To say teachers have become very popular is an understatement. There hundreds if not thousands that create viral videos on TikTok’s For You Page. It is the home page and it shows users the most recommended videos based on their interests.
What makes TikTok uniquely different is feeds are curated based on what you more commonly interact with and not necessarily bigger content creators.
Coming back to the topic of teachers, did you know teachers have their own hashtags? According to EdSurgedotcom, you can search #teachersoftiktok and it has more than 6 billion views.
If you know of other teachers outside TikTok, comment at the end of the post if their names and how many views they have to date.
What has been another benefit for teachers using TikTok? According to this post, teachers find this app to be effective to deliver information that resonates in a platform students find relevant.
“Some teachers and students have reverted to using TikTok in the classroom. Teachers have discovered that TikTok is highly beneficial when it comes to learning and internalizing information. They believe that by using platforms such as TikTok, students will retain more information than they would through traditional lectures because of how engaging it is.”
American social networks launch their TikTok competitors
TikTok is owned ByteDance, which is a Chinese a company. Do you know what Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter have in common? They are all based in the U.S. It is the first time since the rise of American social media companies that have dominated for some time to face stiff and formidable competition by a single app.
For instance, Facebook launched Reels. Reels is embedded within Instagram. YouTube wasted no time and launched Shorts. Snapchat launched Spotlight to compete with TikTok. What do these TikTok killer apps have in common? They feature 15-second videos with filters and features that are practically copy-cat versions of TikToks successful layout and model of its user interface.
TikTok benefitted from the pandemic and the undivided attention by former President Donald Trump. He had vowed to ban the app and force the owner to sell it to an American company. With the election of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden the administration has not taken up interest in any way to ban the app.
Takeaways and conclusions of TikTok
Teachers continue to be entertainers and versatile content creators that use short videos to deliver key concepts. Because of the pandemic and reliance on technology, teachers had to learn to navigate video-conferencing services like Zoom and Google Meet.
Because of the health protocols enforced thanks to the CDC and local health authorities, creating a meaningful connections with students is paramount. Otherwise, how do we go about it with masks and social distancing? It is clear we all had to innovate and proceed with caution.
TikTok is not meant to replace or create a shortcut to learning essential core concepts. It is a tool teachers should explore and there are other resources that are constantly pushed on the FYP page. What happens next is another exciting chapter.
Finally, you probably noticed there are videos embedded in this post. We have been told by followers we should be verified with a blue check and become influencers. Do you agree? Share this post, comment your thoughts and let me know more insight into all things TikTok.
