Welcome to Teacher Tok!
Teacher Tok - Tik Tok for Educators:
“Have you made it to teacher tok yet?” one of my teacher friends had asked me one day a few months back. “Teacher what?!” I wasn’t sure if I had just heard her wrong or just really was that out of the loop, but I soon came to find myself scrolling right upon the ‘teacher side’ of tik tok not too long after. Whether you’re an active participant or a new comer, one of the latest interactive social media apps, Tik Tok, has grown to grab the attention of the teaching community - it’s educators teaching educators!
Teachers from all over have risen to the platform to spread awareness of a variety of teacher tips and resources. Some accounts post content for the sole sake of providing material or lesson ideas for other teachers, while others cover more personalized behind the scenes sides of the job. This creates not only relatable and accessible content for teachers, but builds support among those outside of the education world as well, bringing light to what it’s really like to step in the shoes of a teacher - and they’re sometimes tough ones to walk in!
Just as new trends with fashion and music come with time, so do the teacher tok ideas that get shared on the app, where planning and organization hacks to creative lessons with glow in the dark materials is only the beginning of the tricks educators globally have up their sleeve. As the text Read The World by Kristen Ziemke and Katie Muhtaris has noted, “it is not the tools of technology that matter but how the people leverage them to affect the world,” (Ziemke & Muhtaris pg. 8). Especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery of lessons and student engagement has been restricted and more difficult than ever before, where technology’s use has been taken to a new level to accommodate for the times. From live-streaming to digital notebooks and texts, there are a number of new possibilities for support in the classroom with its increasing capabilities. Tik Tok then, can serve as another one of these useful teacher resources for seeking obtainable advice, lessons, and support beyond the local classroom.
When thinking about how Tik Tok then has begun to impact the education world, the Observatory of Education Innovation notes that, “The teacher's work has evolved thanks to this new generation and the wave of technology. The pandemic was just the push needed for platforms like TikTok to take on a much greater meaning, a voice for all individuals who desire to exploit it, not only for entertainment purposes,” (Ibáñez). From a content point of view too then, there are a ton of ways that teachers are changing up their lessons to be more fun and engaging, and some of those ways include just having options for students to demonstrate their understanding in. In relation to literacy, teachers have shared read aloud recommendations that relate to different themes, writing and word work activities, and other entertaining ways to bring reading and writing into the classroom. Take a look at some of these examples in the links below, and be sure to check out more of the #teachersoftiktok resource videos that are surfacing every minute - in a digital age this is just another way in the day, with endless possibilities a click away!
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Popular Teacher Tok Accounts:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegB6QMM/
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegBUA9D/
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegBAEE4/
Teacher Tok Resource Examples:
Read Alouds:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNnRDM/
Writing - Using Graphic Organizers:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNHgXW/
Creative Writing Activity:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegFrRyS/
Mini Lessons - Vowels / Sight Words:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegFLeHc/
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNv4ev/
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegBk6r9/
Sound Wall:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNTNjG/
Sight Words:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNnxNC/
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNcEJL/
Magnet Letters:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNtG8n/
Parent/Relative Mystery Reader:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNc82h/
Grammar Fun:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegFNnBe/
CVC Words:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNwUPY/
>>> Other Teacher Tok Resources:
Teacher Essentials:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegN7psB/
Differentiation:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNyBd6/
Fun Work Games:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNf1Rf/
Digital Lessons:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegNxrx4/
Inspiration:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegqst7Q/
Interviews:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegF1fgU/
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References:
Ibáñez, Fernanda. Wetta, Daniel. “Teachers on TikTok: Reinventing Teaching for New Generations.” Observatory of Education Innovation, Tecnológico de Monterrey, 5 October 2020, https://observatory.tec.mx/edu-news/teachers-on-tiktok-world-teachers-day.
Ziemke, Kristen. Muhtaris, Katie. Read The World: Rethinking Literacy for Empathy and Action in a Digital Age. Heinemann, 2020.
Image:
https://ditchthattextbook.com/tiktok-teacher/
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By: Stephanie DeCarlo
EDR 620 - Late Spring 2021
I love this, Stephanie! I have to admit, I am a avid Tik Tok user and teaching videos take up a lot of my feed. It is crazy to see how one app has transformed so many people. To those who create dances, promote art work, share stories, teach skills, or even cook, they all are a form of art. As a new teacher I have learned a lot from teachers on the app. As you mentioned there are so many different accounts and they each have something unique to offer. I really appreciate the ones who have shared their experience with teaching online, most often in those videos resources were linked or tech tips were shown. I think the most powerful videos though are those who just share stories. Whether they are funny, inspiring, sad, crazy, doubtful, it touches me as a fellow teacher in a certain way. Teacher Tok has created a community and more importantly a voice that is heard by others.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to exploring more of your additional resources, thank you for providing those. Send me any "teacher toks" you like :)
YES STEPH!! I am all for using TikTok!! I love love love seeing teacher toks because theyre quick and get right to the point. I love how different each teachers TikToks are whether they use humor, involve the kids, or are just giving plain old tips and tricks. Watching teacher tok not only gave me so many new ideas for my teaching but it is also good to help students stay connected as well. It would be really cool to allow students to create tiktoks to help them learn the material. For example, they could make a funny tiktok about a certain science topic they are learning or a tiktok tutorial on how to solve a math problem. The possibilities are endless!! Tiktok also helped me realize that I am NOT alone and hearing different teachers teaching stories made me feel so much better. One question I'd like to propose is, how can we make tiktok and other apps like it to be accessible to all students?
ReplyDeleteI am constantly amazed at how teachers can take any platform and use it to teach, inspire, and share. When TikTok began it didn't seem like a place where teachers could collaborate; it came across more as a place to entertain. This reminded me of Structure 6: Both Creation and Consumption in Read the World by Ziemke and Muhtaris. They refer to creation as a means to "sharing ideas, deepening learning, collaborating, inquiring, and connecting with authentic audience." In the next line they refer to consumption as passive as in "playing games or watching amusing videos for no purpose other than alleviating boredom." For students, TikTok can be classified as consumption, however; teachers have shown how it can be used for a deeper purpose - creation! Ziemke and Muhtaris said it perfectly when they stated, "Consumption informs creation." I'm interested in seeing how TikTok can be utilized at the elementary setting.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this great blog Stephanie! I'm behind the game and don't have a TikTok account because I'm afraid if I get one I'll just waste time on it. Now I see that TikTok is absolutely not a waste of time, but an incredibly valuable tool for teachers! You have completely changed my view of the app. I watched all the videos you linked, and I am going to take notes on the last one about interview questions. I am currently interviewing for full time teaching jobs for next year. I know that I should ask questions to show that I'm interested and thoughtful, but I didn't realize just how thoughtful my questions could be. I am going to have a list of these on hand for my next interview! You curated a wonderful list of TikTok videos. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is so fun, Steph! As someone who has definitely gotten lost in so many TikToks and I've seen a couple of the ones you've pointed out. I have really loved some of the Teacher Toks because they either 1) give me a good laugh about common teacher feelings themes or 2) really inspire me on things to use in my future classrooms and lessons. I've loved how TeacherToks have grown and expanded throughout the pandemic in such a creative way. I also loved your resource with specific themes that we can all explore!! Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for a great blog post! I have to admit I have never been on TikTok, but I have been sent a lot of those videos from friends and other teachers! I agree, I love how easy and accessible the videos are. I think the common themes that the others have discussed are very important, including how we aren´t alone in our struggles, and we can joke about them together online!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this blog. Love the idea of teachers on Tik Tok. I haven't gotten my own Tik Tok account yet, but now I am interested. Similar to the quote you referenced from "Read the World," It's not the tools themselves, its how well we use the tools. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteStephanie,
ReplyDeleteI really love this blog post. As an active TikTok user, I have spent my fair share of time on a TeacherTok binge. I love that important content from REAL teachers can be communicated in such a quick and accessible format. As an upcoming first year teacher, I've saved so many videos trying to prepare. Everything from classroom management to academic instruction strategies can be found on this app. So often we talk about how modern tech can be used to improve our student's lives, its important to remember how much it can benefit teacher's lives as well! Thanks for including so many great examples!
-Shawna Zeisner
Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteThis post is so relevant to the world we are living in today! Tik Tok has certainly gained a ton of popularity over the past year, and it now has content creators from all different professions. If you had told me a year ago that I would be saving Tik Tok videos about different teaching strategies, I would not have believed you! I have definitely learned a lot from teacher Tik Tok creators over the past few months, resulting in me trying new things with my students that I never would have known to try. This just goes to show how useful technology can be when it comes to circulating information.
I really appreciate all of the videos you listed and categorized! I will definitely be referring back to some of those videos in the future and implementing these great ideas into my classroom.
-Colleen Konkol
I LOVED this post. When I saw the title of it I got so excited. I am deep into teacher tik tok to the point where even my non-teacher friends will send me the ones they find. I think that it is a community that truly filled a gap and provided a space for educators to have a public forum. Before tik tok I always tried to find teacher instagram pages but they always seemed a little to formal and not realistic. With tik toks you see real emotion, good and bad from real teachers going through their daily life. I've learned so many great tips, strategies, and ideas from teacher tik tok. Most importantly it has provided me with perspective of how our profession differs from state to state and even country to country. My favorite ones are when teachers share their favorite read aloud books that promote a diverse and culturally responsive classroom. I have so many saved for futre reference. Great job!
ReplyDelete-Grace