This morning, I woke up and found World War III trending on Twitter. Thankfully, it was far below, Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving Monday, and Thanksgiving Canada.
But still, it was on the list and as people continue to click on it and retweet it, it will edge itself higher and higher.
*Opens Twitter*
*Sees that World War III is trending*
*Closes Twitter* pic.twitter.com/WrvU5JgaP5— Ryan Messana (@R_Messana9) October 9, 2017
As one of many educators who advocates for the use of social media in the classroom, it gave me slight pause. And for a nano-second, I allowed it to make me waver. I reached out to my friend, George Couros about it, he reminded me that “the only way to fix things is to change them, not ignore them.” This is one of the many reasons why I value him so much in my life!
Social media has been a transformative force in my teaching and my practice. It has been such a positive influence on the lives of teachers and students who leverage it for good.
We can cite such an instance as yet another reason to shy away from these platforms, or we can think about the fact that there is a whole generation of kids out there who have grown up on their own on social media, without adult mentoring. I remind myself of the many students I know who are making the world a better place and using social media and technology to spread the message. Joshua Williams is one of them:
This is the future I choose to see. This is the future that is possible. On this Canadian Thanksgiving I am grateful for a community of learners who spread goodness and hope!
