{"id":403,"date":"2025-05-25T18:41:22","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T01:41:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/zarmstrong\/?page_id=403"},"modified":"2025-09-03T07:27:32","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T14:27:32","slug":"etec-542","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/zarmstrong\/etec-542\/","title":{"rendered":"ETEC 542"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hands-on Assignment 5: Reviewing and applying the learning<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The scene<\/span><\/h3>\n

As a middle school teacher, my students are constantly changing. Not only are they changing physically, but who they like, what they like, what is \u201ccool,\u201d and what is not is also constantly changing. It can be challenging to keep up. They have their own subcultures that come and go, often that I don\u2019t even realize are occuring. When I tell people I teach middle school, I like to say, \u201cit\u2019s a very special place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Because this is the nature of middle schoolers, I have found myself getting complacent in how I consider their differing perspectives. I teach in the town of\u00a0 Cochrane. It is a predominantly white community just outside of Calgary, Alberta. The visible diversity in Cochrane is fairly <\/span>small. <\/b>Because of this, I often assume that most of my students share the same culture that I do. After completing this course, I know that I am mistaken my assumptions, and that I have done my students a disservice with this outlook. For this final hands-on assignment, I\u2019ve decided to focus on the cultural issues in teaching and learning\u00a0 as it is an area of opportunity for me. Moving forward, whether visibly diverse or not, I will be allowing for more cultural expression with my students. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Course learning<\/span><\/h3>\n

Module two was where I began to notice just how deep a hole I had dug for myself in this area. Learning from Parrish & Linder-VanBerschot as well as Gunawardena et al. in the units of module two allowed me to deepen my understanding of these topics and reflect on the ways that I can be more open-ended and culturally aware of the students in my own classroom. The reflection questions provided in these two units also provided the space to contemplate my learning, as well as my own prejudices and notions of my students. I found my classmates contributions to the discussions valuable insight in knowing that I am not alone in my quest to become more culturally aware and responsive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One point from Parrish & Linder-VanBerschot (2010) that has stuck with me was about examining our own assumptions we have about our learners and how they might respond to the instruction being provided to them. This was an influential moment for me as I have become aware of the assumptions I have made for the learners in my classroom that don\u2019t appear to be physically and culturally diverse. The sociocultural theory discussed by Gunawardena et al. (2019) resonated with me in meaningful way. The type of learning environment facilitated through a sociocultural lens is one I try to foster in my own classroom. \u201cLearning and teaching happen in the context of collaboration and community\u201d (Gundawardena et al., 2019, p. 20). This idea of being collaborative and in relationship while teaching is something I am always working towards and that I am now aware can contribute to creating a more culturally aware space for my students. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Application<\/span><\/h3>\n

Middle schoolers are highly influenced. They have a strong desire for acceptance from their peers and high social needs (<\/span>National Institute of Health<\/span>, 2021). This social nature often reaches towards the adults in their life, members of their cultural communities. As an adult, who is a member of their school culture, I want to make sure that within my vicinity, these middle schoolers feel safe to express their cultural needs and expectations. As open-minded and welcoming as I think my classroom to be, I hope to level-up in providing more culturally responsive learning opportunities for my students to engage with.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moving forward, I plan to exercise different types of cultural responsiveness. Whether it\u2019s flexibility with deadlines, planning for more open-ended projects or continuing to commit to collaborative learning, addressing the cultural needs of my students is going to be a priority. Parrish & Linder-VanBerschot (2010) convey how students are right \u201cto demand culturally responsive learning experiences\u201d and moving forward with the knowledge I now have, I feel more equipped to provide these types of experiences (p. 2). <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Future directions<\/span><\/h3>\n

Though I have always felt it important to connect my students with different cultural experiences, this course has shed light on the importance of allowing them to connect with their own culture in their learning. Realizing that I have culture as a straight, cis-gender, white woman, has allowed me to reflect on all the cultures that are present in my classroom, even if I can\u2019t see them. All of these cultures deserve to be acknowledged and programmed for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moving forward, I hope to continue investigating practical ways that my teaching can become more culturally responsive. Developing a repertoire of activities and approaches that allow for more initerculturality among my students is something I will continue to work on. I feel solid in my base of knowledge that I\u2019ve gained throughout this semester and realize now it is about creating actionable items that center my students\u2019 diverse cultures. I remain curious about cultures and their unique values, rituals and communication-styles and look foward to learning more from my students all the time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/span><\/h3>\n

Gunawardena, C. N., Frechette, C., & Layne, L. (2019). <\/span>Extract from<\/span><\/i> Chapter 2\u00a0 Theoretical foundations of learning in online communities. In <\/span>Culturally inclusive instructional design. A framework and guide for building online wisdom communities<\/span><\/i><\/a>. (pp. 17-28). New York, USA: Routledge.<\/span><\/p>\n

National Institute of Health (2021, September). <\/span>The power of peers. Who influences your health?<\/span><\/i> News In Health. https:\/\/newsinhealth.nih.gov\/2021\/09\/power-peers#:~:text=Teens%20are%20especially%20responsive%20to,that%20causes%20feelings%20of%20pleasure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Parrish, P. & Linder-VanBerschot, J. A. (2010). Cultural dimensions of learning: Addressing the challenges of multicultural instruction. <\/span>International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning,<\/span><\/i> 11(2), 1-19.<\/span><\/p>\n

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HOA 4: Develop an OER entry<\/h3>\n

Snapchat streaks\u2013How are these forms of gamified interactions associated with problematic smartphone use and fear of missing out among early adolescents?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

1. Compile descriptive details for your CCDW entry.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Title of the work:<\/b><\/td>\nSnapchat streaks\u2013How are these forms of gamified interactions associated with problematic smartphone use and fear of missing out among early adolescents?<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Author(s)<\/b>:<\/span><\/td>\nChristina M. van Essen & Joris Can Ouytsel<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Year of publication<\/b>:<\/span><\/td>\n2023<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Complete reference in APA7 format (including doi or URL):<\/b><\/td>\nVan Essen, M. A. & Van Ouystel, J. (2023). Snapchat streaks\u2013How are these forms of gamified interactions associated with problematic smartphone use and fear of missing out among early adolescents? <\/span>Telematics and Informatics Reports, 11<\/span><\/i>. <\/span>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.teler.2023.100087<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Abstract or introduction:<\/b><\/td>\n\u201c<\/span>Snapchat<\/span><\/a> offers a unique function, the Snapchat Streak, which is a gamified function within the app that motivates users to participate in daily interactions. This feature of the application can aid users in building a friendship with their peers. Given the requirement of interacting on the platform every 24 hours, our exploratory study aims to investigate how Snapchat streaks are associated with Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), problematic smartphone use and social media self-control. We conducted a study among a final sample of 2483 early adolescents (<\/span>M<\/span><\/i>age<\/span><\/i> = 13.46 years old; <\/span>SD<\/span><\/i> = 0.894) in the Dutch-speaking community of Belgium. The results indicate that the girls were more likely than boys to engage in a Snapchat streak and were more likely to engage in streaks for a longer period of time. Problematic smartphone use was associated with the engagement in Snapchat streaks. Lastly, FOMO, problematic smartphone use, and social media self-control were correlated with the number of people and the number of days adolescents maintained Snapchat streaks with, albeit it being a weak relationship. Implications of the findings for understanding adolescent Snapchat use are provided.\u201d<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Keywords:<\/b><\/td>\nSnapchat streaks<\/span><\/p>\n

Adolescents<\/span><\/p>\n

Social media<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Is this an empirical study?<\/b><\/td>\nYes<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Methodology of the study?<\/b><\/td>\nThis exploratory study used a quantitative survey to collect data. To analyze this data, the authors used statistical analyses methods such as a chi-square test, t-tests, ANOVA, and correlation.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
If there is a \u2018sample\u2019 under study, what is it?<\/b><\/td>\n2483 adolescents<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
If the location of the study is important, list it.\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\nBelgium<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

2. Analyze the publication and develop bibliographic notes for your CCDW entry<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Question to guide your analysis<\/b><\/td>\nSuggested length<\/b><\/td>\nNotes<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What is valuable about this paper? What does it contribute?<\/b><\/td>\n100-200 words<\/span><\/td>\nThis paper offers insight into the culture of communication among adolescents. Snapchat is being used as a method of daily communication among young people and this paper demonstrates that Snapchat is a platform where they are more comfortable to share \u201cless curated and more casual\u201d content with one another (Van Essen & Van Ouystel, 2023, p. 1). The social norms of adolescents are often influenced by social media and this paper shows how Snapchat and Snapchat streaks specifically can impact an adolescents ability to exercise self-control with their smartphone.<\/span><\/p>\n

The way adolescents are communicating with one another has changed substantially since the introduction of smartphones. By showing that problematic smartphone use is related to an individuals maintenance of Snapchat streaks, this paper invites readers to consider how these gamification methods of applications impact adolescent digital media consumption.\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

What is the question or problem that this work addresses?<\/b><\/td>\n50-100 words<\/span><\/td>\nThe research question guiding this study is \u201cWhat is the relationship between participation in Snapchat streaks and problematic smartphone use, fear of missing out, and smartphone self-control among early adolescents?\u201d (Van Essen & Van Ouystel, 2023, p. 3)<\/span><\/p>\n

The authors are looking to address problematic smartphone usage among adolescents and are seeking to understand if and how Snapchat streaks can impact adolescent\u2019s ability to exercise self-control when it comes to their smartphone.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

What method is used in the study?<\/b><\/td>\n100-200 words<\/span><\/td>\nThis exploratory study was conducted in 14 schools and consisted of 2483 students. The authors employed a paper-and-pencil survey composed of 12 questions, which students responded to using different scales. This yielded quantitative data.<\/span><\/p>\n

The authors used a chi-square test to determine if there was a relationship between gender and Snapchat streaks. They employed t-tests to determine if there was statistically significant differences with the \u201cgendered engagement in Snapchat streaks, and the number of adolescents engaged in Snapchat streaks\u201d as well as \u201cthe engagement in Snapchat streaks and the relationship with problematic smartphone use, FOMO, and social media self-control.\u201d (Van Essen & Van Ouystel, 2023, p. 4). An ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) was used to determine if there was a significant difference in the means of \u201cage in relation to the number of people and number of days adolescents maintained Snapchat streaks.\u201d (Van Essen & Van Ouystel, 2023, p. 4). Finally, correlation was used to measure the relationship between \u201cproblematic smartphone use, FOMO, and social media self-control\u201d with \u201cthe number of people and days Snapchat streaks were maintained.\u201d (Van Essen & Van Ouystel, 2023, p. 4).<\/span><\/p>\n

As a starting point, this seems to be an appropriate method for addressing their initial research question. The authors note that this topic has yet to be studied in depth; therefore, having quantitative data to share would be important for demonstrating the need for further research in this area. Moving forward, a qualitative approach could generate more answers to <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> these behaviours are occurring, versus just confirming that they are.\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

What are the practical implications of this study?<\/b><\/td>\n100-200 words<\/span><\/td>\nJust as adolescents require support developing strategies for appropriate in-person social behaviour, the results of this study indicate the need to support their development with online social behaviours as well. Policymakers should consider the findings of this study when deciding their support level towards these gamified online interactions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Application developers are interested in hooking users to use their platform as much and as often as possible. The developing adolescent brain is an easy target for this, and this study has shows that indeed, some of the targeted gamified strategies used by these developers has created problematic smartphone usage among adolescents. Parents, guardians and educators have a role to play in helping adolescents understand the way in which some of the features on these platforms can impact their well-being. Providing strategies and tools for adolescents who find themselves unable to exercise self-control with these applications will help to ensure more responsible smartphone usage among adolescents.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. Suggest the most relevant tagging themes for your CCDW entry<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The following major themes and sub-themes have been identified as relevant to current literature in this field.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Do none of these themes seem like a good fit? If so, suggest new major or sub-themes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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    \n
  • Digital Culture as a Social and Cultural Construct<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Social and community dynamics<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\u2713<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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    \n
  • Identities<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\u2713<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • Online culture(s)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\u2713<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • Educational and Developmental Dimensions<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Cross-cultural learning<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Online and digital learning<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Language and literacy educatiion<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Media and digital literacies<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Social-emotional learning and well-being<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\u2713<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
*Additionally under this theme:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n
    \n
  • Attention and Digital Rituals<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\u2713<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • Power, Ethics, and Global Persepctives<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Sociocultural and political impacts<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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    \n
  • Globalization, power and digital culture<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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    \n
  • Ethics<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\u2713<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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    \n
  • Technology and development<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\u2713<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • Language and Expression in Digital Spaces<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Multimodal communication in digital spaces<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Online communication features and challenges<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\u2713<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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    \n
  • Creative cultural expression, innovation and exploration<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Multilingualism and translingualism<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Theoretical and Methodological Groundings<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Theory, terminology, definitions, methodologies<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Media studies and media theory<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Journalism<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Digital Infrastructures and Design<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Technical challenges<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Localization of digital technologies<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Technology design<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

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HOA 3: Observing culture and identity in a digital space<\/span><\/h3>\n

Motherhood on TikTok: A culture of support<\/span><\/h3>\n

The environment<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a millennial, I first joined TikTok as what we have learnt to be a \u201clurker.\u201d I was interested to see what it was about but I was not comfortable to post my own content, nor even comment on videos that I enjoyed. I would toss out the occasional \u201clike,\u201d though I felt that it was a space largely dominated by younger generatons. Once I became a Mom (just under 10 months ago!), I found a side of TikTok that I really appreciated. There seemed to be a community of other Mothers sharing their own mothering experiences in really authentic ways. They discussed their experiences with taboo topics like post partum depression, anxiety and rage. The best part of this side of TikTok was the support for one another that was provided.<\/p>\n

For this assignment, I chose to observe a comment thread on a TikTok video where a mother is seeking \u201cunhinged\u201d advice to help get her baby to sleep better. I chose this specific topic as it is typically somewhat controversial. Many share strong opinions on what is \u201cright\u201d and what is \u201cwrong,\u201d and I wanted to know in what ways this community would show up to not only support this mother seeking advice, but also show up\u00a0 for one anothers differing opinions.<\/p>\n

Observations<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wanted to dig into the \u201cnorms\u201d of this community. Is there a right or wrong way to get your baby to sleep through the\u00a0 night? How do individuals respond to ideas that are different from their own? Is there negotiation between members of this motherhood community on this topic? Because I had only experienced the positive side of this community, I was interested to see if a typically heated topic could bring out a different side of this community.<\/p>\n

Key findings<\/strong><\/p>\n

The creator of this video encouraged viewers to comment and so that is precisely what they did. Many comments included more traditional advice such as encouraging different sleep training methods or trying co-sleeping. One pattern I observed was the creator continuing to reply to these comments sharing that she had already tried multiple sleep training methods as well as co-sleeping.\u00a0 Though the creator continued to share this, viewers kept commenting the same thing. The\u00a0 other pattern that emerged was that viewers would add to the comments of others who shared similar experiences. This created a sub-thread of sorts discussing different sleep strategies and advice.<\/p>\n

Interpretation<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a sort of \u201cthird culture,\u201d as discussed by Hewling (2005), that exists in this online culture of motherhood. Although many of us bring our own cultural experiences to this space, we participate in this virtual community together, creating the norms and deciding on the \u201cnetiquette\u201d (as discussed in section 3.2.5 of Unit 2). I learnt that in this space, many participants relied on emojis to complement their comments and to portray their emotions. This added a more multimodal element to the largely text-based thread of comments. Motherhood is emotional, and having the ability to further convey these emotions through the use of emojis helps when facial expressions cannot be used. I really came into this assignment assuming that this thread would include a lot of judgements. I was wrong however, and of the 557 comments on this thread, I only found two that seemed to come from a critical place. In section 3.3.4 of Unit 3, we learnt about how text was and still largely is the “primary medium for communication and identity expression.” This thread was an example of how, even on a platform like TikTok, where the primary form of sharing comes through video, there can still be so much said through text.<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n

There weren\u2019t many challenges when it came to observing this thread. TikTok makes it quite easy to navigate comments, sub threads of comments and reply where one wants. Few tensions arose in this thread, which is what surprised me the most. I had assumed this subject would bring about\u00a0tension<\/strong>s from individuals who had conversing opinions on this topic. Macfayden\u2019s (2006) article came to mind when reflecting on this area. I often think people are quick to hide behind their username in online settings. This thread however, was a display of how mothers interact with one another in the offline setting too. They provide support and they\u00a0bask<\/strong>\u00a0in their shared experiences. The concept of our online identities being just as \u201creal\u201d as our offline identities that Macfayden (2006) discusses is apparent through this thread. I was pleasantly surprised to find that even through controversial topics, such as baby sleep, this community of mothers was able to engage genuinely and supportively.<\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hewling, A. (2005). Culture in the online class: Using message analysis to look beyond nationality-based frames of reference.\u00a0Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11<\/em>(1), article 16.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Macfadyen, L. P. (2006).\u2028 Virtual ethnicity: The new digitization of place, body, language, and memory.\u2028\u00a0Electronic Magazine of Multicultural Education<\/em>, 8 (1)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Online Seminar 1<\/h3>\n

Mental Health through the cultural lens of different generations<\/span><\/h3>\n

For this assignment, I decided to focus on what mental health means for different generations of folks. My own mental health journey is something I’ve worked at for a long time and I’ve encountered some barriers and stereotypes. I was interested to see what kinds of ideas came from other generations.<\/p>\n

I tailored down my research to three main questions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What does mental health mean to you?<\/li>\n
  2. How do people in your generation talk about their emotions?<\/li>\n
  3. What kind of supports do people in your generation seek out for their mental health? (And do they discuss these supports with one another?)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I interviewed three generations:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Baby Boomer (My Mom, 70 y\/o)<\/li>\n
    2. Millennial (Myself, 31 y\/o)<\/li>\n
    3. Gen Z\/Gen Alpha (My niece, 14 y\/o)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Here are my findings:<\/p>\n