Social media diaries and fasts: Educating for digital mindfulness with pre-service teachers☆,☆☆
Introduction
For better and worse, we live in a fast-paced world. Smartphones, tablets, and laptops can help people stay connected in meaningful ways and afford collaboration with others that transcend traditional geographic, temporal, or logistic constraints. However, the blessing of perpetual connectivity to notifications, tweets, or snaps can also morph into a burden that can actually leave users feeling more distanced and distracted. One recent study indicated that adults check their smartphones an average of 85 times a day (Andrews, Ellis, Shaw, & Piwek, 2015). This pull of participatory media can paradoxically pull the attention of individuals away from the very tasks, thoughts, or people with which they wish to connect. For example, social media companies profit from designing platforms and algorithms that draw on the neurological and psychological impulses that capture users’ attention (Harris, 2017), and changing online habits of consumers might even be rewiring their brains to prioritize immediate and efficient information (Carr, 2010). One recent study suggested that frequent social media users have lower levels of mindfulness and experience more emotional exhaustion (Sriwilai & Charoensukmongkol, 2016) and another indicated that digital technologies can even diminish the scholarly endeavors of university students (Selwyn, 2016). Moreover, reflexive and unreflective social media use can lead to depression, suicide, and other mental-health maladies (Twenge, 2017). Unfortunately, some educators have labeled the current generation of students as “digital natives” who already possess online knowhow and this assumption implies that students do not require the development of digital skills (Kirschner & De Bruyckere, 2017) (see Fig. 1).
Howard Rheingold (2012) argued that while we must investigate “whether or not Google is making us stupid, Facebook is commoditizing our privacy, or Twitter is chopping our attention to microslices,” we must simultaneously explore “how to use social media intelligently, humanely, and above all mindfully” (p. 1). In a time when there is nearly unlimited access to information, knowing how and where to focus attention becomes a salient social media literacy, and there is ample evidence that social media experiences offer benefits in personal, professional, and educational spaces. However, if the media habits of students and teachers have shifted, teacher educators should respond accordingly to prepare pre-service teachers (PSTs) to use social media and other technologies mindfully in their personal and professional lives.
Unfortunately, there is little research or practice that suggests teacher educators have answered the call to prepare pre-service teachers for this new media ecology. In this study, we will present our research with 60 participants across two universities to better understand how pre-service teachers might develop personal and professional mindfulness. We will introduce mindfulness concepts and then review literature related to social media in education. We describe our contexts and methods for this study and share findings from our social media assignment. Finally, we will discuss the implications of this research for teacher educators, teachers, and researchers who hope to bring attention to mindful social media practices in their contexts.
Section snippets
Theoretical lens
Professionals in many fields (e.g., business, health, education) have begun to adopt and apply the Eastern philosophical practice of mindfulness. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn (2003, p. 145) mindfulness is “the awareness that emerges through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience.” Citizens of the 21st century have access to unprecedented opportunities for connectivity through nearly ubiquitous digital technologies. Paradoxically,
Mindfulness in education
Research studies suggest that contemplative approaches like mindfulness can help individuals increase attention on activities so as to combat distracted thoughts, mindless habits, and unconscious behaviors (Jain et al., 2007; Lutz, Slagter, Dunne, & Davidson, 2008). It is not surprising that researchers have identified similar benefits for teachers and students in educational settings, citing elements like improved student-teacher relationships (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Jennings, Snowberg,
Methods
We drew from both qualitative and quantitative methods in this study, but we approached study design and data analysis from an interpretivist perspective that honors the complex and context-specific nature of educational research. Moreover, we do not aim to make generalizable claims from our sample of pre-service teachers. Instead, research on teaching can help to bridge gaps between theory and practice by investigating problems of practice (Cochran-Smith, 1991), and we engaged in systematic
Results
To offer educators a better understanding of our pedagogical approach and the instructional moves we made in implementing our social media assignment, we will present findings in the order that the assignment unfolded in our classes. Drawing on Krutka's et al. (2017) findings, the “mindful self” assignments emerged from our recognition of the importance of understanding our pre-service teachers' current practices and beliefs before moving forward. We identified pre-service teachers' perceptions
Analysis and discussion
Our study reports the results of our social media assignment and offers teacher educators and teachers insights into how they might design and implement similar assignments and conduct related studies in their own contexts. We believe the results of our study support and expand upon previous research on the topic. Teacher educators and other educators have begun to use social media in and around their instruction, and, based on their study,Krutka et al. (2017) recommended that such experiences
Teaching
Smartphones and other technologies are nearly ubiquitous parts of the daily lives of many students and teachers. We believe the findings from our study suggest that pre-service teachers use social media in ways they deem beneficial and detrimental and they often identified ways to shift practices and habits and stated that their future students would benefit from engaging in similar activities (e.g., social media- or techno-fast, n = 49). Yet, teacher candidates must wrestle with their uses
Conclusion
In our initial survey, our pre-service teachers indicated that they used social media for personal (n = 37; 60%), not professional (n = 16; 26%), purposes. However, because teacher and student uses of use social media contribute to the fabric from which our days are woven, teacher education and K-12 education must consider how we can learn to use social media “intelligently, humanely, and, above all, mindfully” (Rheingold, 2012, p. 1). However, the work of using social media mindfully cannot be
Nicole Damico, a former English teacher, is an Assistant Professor of English Language Arts Education at the University of Central Florida. Her research interests include supporting educators in leveraging digital technologies and engaging with 21st-century competencies like mindfulness and critical media literacy. She can be found on Twitter @nicolerdamico.
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2019, Teaching and Teacher EducationCitation Excerpt :The next generation of teachers could potentially benefit from guidance in recognizing the affordances and constraints of particular social media tools, and understanding how to maximize the opportunities and limit the challenges associated with these media. For example, PSTs could participate in activities that guide them to consider mindful use of social media in both the personal and professional realms (e.g., Damico & Krutka, 2018). PSTs who are prepared to navigate professional social media activities could access more sources of mentorship and support during their transition into the profession (Carpenter, 2015; Carpenter & Morrison, 2018; Smith Risser, 2013).
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Nicole Damico, a former English teacher, is an Assistant Professor of English Language Arts Education at the University of Central Florida. Her research interests include supporting educators in leveraging digital technologies and engaging with 21st-century competencies like mindfulness and critical media literacy. She can be found on Twitter @nicolerdamico.
Daniel G. Krutka is an Assistant Professor of Social Studies Education at the University of North Texas. A former high school teacher, his research interests concern citizenship education and the role participatory media might play in cultivating more democratic and educational experiences. He can be found on Twitter @dankrutka.
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There are no competing interests to declare.
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This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.