Currently I am teaching a class called "Social Media in a Global Context". Not only are the students learning about how to use social media tools for academic purposes, but they are also learning how to use the social media tools to solve real world problems. How do we connect people with organizations that provide helpful services? How do we help people communicate with one another?
This is the first year that my co-researcher and I are teaching this class. We had some assumptions going into the class, as our students are primarily first year undergraduates who love social media and use it often. They alternately use their phones, the desktop computers in the classroom, and laptops to try out different social media tools, as well as to locate information. They can spend all day and night talking about the social media apps and tools they have found, and the pros and cons of each type.
In the beginning of the semester, we had the students come up with a shared definition of "social media". We also discussed what it means to be a global citizen, and we came up with two shared definitions of "global citizenship":
"A global citizen sees themselves and others as first and foremost, human. A global citizen thus does not discriminate based on nationality, race, gender, religion, sexuality, or any other secondary identities. Instead, a global citizen sees these differences as fascinating- as new things to be learned and respected. The beauty of being able to learn from every individual, place, and event amazes a global citizen, and they also recognize that they also have something to offer. Every single person has had a different experience from all others; the fascination in these different experiences characterizes a global citizen. Global citizens often are proponents of human rights, stay informed on global affairs, and have a love for travel- this is inspired by their love and interest in all people" ("What is the Definition of a Global Citizen?" Young Global Citizen).
"Global citizenship is an umbrella term for the social, political, environmental, or economic actions of globally-minded individuals and communities on a worldwide scale. The term can refer to the belief that, rather than actors affecting isolated societies, individuals are members of multiple, diverse, local and non-local networks" ("Global Citizenship", United Nations Academic Impact Hub on Global Citizenship).
While students felt strongly about these definitions, and most believed that they were shining examples of global citizens, this week's class activity showed that some of my students have a long way to go in terms of empathy.
In order to model a process for solving a real world problem using social media, I introduced a scenario to the class of a homeless teen whose education was interrupted due to their homeless state. I did not identify the race, gender, sexual orientation, or other identifying factors about the teen, other than their homelessness. During our discussion, it so happened that two of the students "came out" and told the class that they had been homeless for extended parts of their life. Neither of the students are urban kids; all of the students in this class live in small towns or in the country. Apparently, there were students who were not listening, as some of the students asked in their online reflections why they had to learn about homelessness; there was no homelessness in the towns where they grew up, and no one cared if their classmates dropped out of school. I was absolutely shocked! So we have to dig deeper, and do a little more educating of souls as well as minds.
